Book
Witchcraft and sorcery in Ovambo
Finnish Anthropological Society • (17) • Published In 1986 • Pages: 178
By: Hiltunen, Maija.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This work on the social functions of Ovambo witchcraft and sorcery explores the thesis that the apparent high intensity of these practices from 1870-1938 was in response to increased human and animal mortality from frequent famines, rinderpest outbreaks, and locust swarms. The practices appear to have declined following the spread of Christianity, which gave converts broadly similar mystical explanations for the causes of natural disasters.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Offenses against life
- Theory of disease
- Sorcery
- Purification and atonement
- Revelation and divination
- Magic
- Ethnopsychology
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Ovambo
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Africa
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Southern Africa
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator TypesThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Missionary
- Anthropologist
- 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.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Teferi Abate Adem; 2021
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1958-1966; 1972-1975
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1870-1938
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- north-central Namibia
- NotesAdditional notes
- Maija Hiltunen ; [English translation by Maija Hiltunen and Transmasters, Tampere]
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 171-178)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 87125473
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Ovambo (African people)--Rites and ceremonies
- Ovambo (African people)--Religion
- Magic--Namibia--Owambo
- Witchcraft--Namibia--Owambo
- Owambo (Namibia)--Religion