Book

Gubida illness and religious ritual among the Garifuna of Santa Fe, Honduras: an ethnopsychiatric analysis

University Microfilms InternationalAnn Arbor, Mich.Published In 1989 • Pages:

By: Bianchi, Cynthia Chamberlain.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This is a detailed study of an illness called HASANDIGUBIDA, believed by the Garifuna to be caused by the spirits of dead relatives. The author points out that while this illness seems to cross-cut various biomedical classifications of disorder, there is a strong indication that the characteristic behavioral symptoms of this 'disease' are culturally patterned, especially in regard to the stereotypical dreams and visions involving dead relatives demanding food and sacrifices. Failure to heed these demands would result in physical symptoms characteristic of the HASANDIGUBIDA illness, which seem to express somaticized anxiety. This condition may be viewed as a culture-bound reactive syndrome (p. 2). As background material to this study, Bianchi provides relevant theoretical data on possession states and therapeutic rituals, as well as on the physical environment, social organization, culture history, and religion. She then goes into great detail on the illness itself, the CHUGU and DUGU rituals of placation, and on concomitant possession trances accompanying these rituals.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Dance
Sickness
Cult of the dead
Revelation and divination
Organized ceremonial
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Garifuna
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2005
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Central America
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
Book
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Ethnologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
John Beierle ; 1989-1991
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1976-1983
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1976-1983
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Santa Fe, Honduras
NotesAdditional notes
[by] Cynthia Chamberlain Bianchi
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Columbus, Ohio State University, 1988
UM8820253
Includes bibliographical references (p. 372-387)
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Garifuna (Caribbean people)