Book
The Great Father and the Danger: religious cults, material forces, and collective fantasies in the world of the Surinamese Maroons
KITLV Press • Leiden, The Netherlands • Published In 1991 • Pages: xiv, 451
By: Thoden van Velzen, H. U. E., Wetering, Wilhelmina van.
Abstract
This is a fascinating account of High God cults and associated religious movements among the Ndyuka from the later half of the nineteenth century to the late 1980s. Ndyuka religion is organized around four separate spiritual worlds of ancestors (YOOKA), and the spirits of water (VODU), forest (AMPUKU) and sky (KUMANTI). Each realm is associated with its own spirit medium cults. In addition there are High Gods, which played an important role in shaping a common Ndyuka identity. At the end of the nineteenth century, the Ndyukas became involved in the coastal economy, first as lumberers and later as boatsmen for gold miners. A witch-hunt movement underscored the profound changes in the social and economic institutions of the Ndyuka that occured at this time. Consolidation and control of the anti-witch cult of the High God GAAN GADU by the OTOO clan, prompted counter religious movements by spirit mediums from other clans, centered on other High Gods, such as NA OGII, God of the Forest and Lord of the River, also known as The Danger. The authors tell the story of the different cult leaders and the rise and fall of their movements.
- HRAF PubDate
- 1999
- Region
- South America
- Sub Region
- Amazon and Orinoco
- Document Type
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Ethnographer
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Ian Skoggard ; 1997
- Field Date
- 1961-1978
- Coverage Date
- 1760-1988
- Coverage Place
- Suriname and French Guiana
- Notes
- H. U. E. Thoden van Velzen and W. van Wetering
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 433-443) and index
- LCCN
- 88202177
- LCSH
- Djuka people