Witchcraft

1
Witchcraft

• The ability of a person to cause harm by means of
  a personal power that resides within the body of
  the witch

2
Witchcraft in Pop Culture

• Has become a bit distorted from traditional views
  of witchcraft
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vN14Ho-VVPgA from
  Disneys Snow White)
• The concept of Witch has taken on a
  less-intimidating/romanticized more
  story-book-monster type of quality like
  Zombies, Vampires, Ghosts, Frankenstein, etc.

3
Azande Witchcraft

• (1937) Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the
  Azande by Evans-Pritchard.
• This publication put the Azande (southern Sudan
  and northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo)
  on the map Anthropology-wise and made
  Evans-Pritchard famous.
• Witchcraft or mangu exists within the body of an
  individual. Passed down from parent to child of
  the same sex (father?son, mother?daughter).
• Important to the Azande is whether or not a
  person is consciously (or unconsciously)
  directing their mangu to harm someone else.
• Witches are never strangers or those in a
  superior social position.
• If someone is sick, various oracles are
  consulted. If the oracles point to witchcraft as
  the source of the sickness, authorities confront
  the accused witch.
• In order to reverse the harmful affects of
  his/her mangu the individual will perform a
  ritual that involves taking water into his/her
  mouth and then spitting it out, therefore cooling
  the mangu.
• Mangu is blamed when an unexpected calamity
  occurs. The afflicted person must be the object
  of a witchs hatred/jealousy/etc. in some way.

4
Navaho Witchcraft

• Unlike Azande Witchcraft, this is a taboo subject
  not discussed in public. Witchcraft must be
  learned, it is not inherent.
• Initiation into Navaho Witchcraft, is known as
  initiation into Witchery Way
• Like the Azande, Navaho witchcraft is an
  anti-social and amoral behavior
• Witches thought to congregate in caves at night,
  practicing incest and cannibalism, having sexual
  relations with corpses and perform ritualistic
  killings.
• Learn Witchery Way from a relative, and it often
  involves killing a close relative like a sibling.
  Male witches are more common, as are old women.
• Corpse Powder (made from bones and flesh of a
  corpse) is used to kill their victims. Often
  blown into the mouth and nose of a victim while
  sleeping or during a ceremonial.
• Witches able to transform themselves and travel
  fast over land, usually by night.
• Identifying a witch
• Follow unusual animal tracks to someones home.
• An unexplained gunshot wound, when, during the
  previous day, an animal had been shot fleeing the
  scene of the crime.
• If a witch is caught or captured, he or she is
  made to confess. If confession is not
  forthcoming, he or she is killed on the spot or
  later (presumably) by lightning.
• Witchcraft beliefs here function to
• Provide a culturally acceptable manifestation of
  bad/amoral behavior
• Defines what is bad, which consequently defines
  what is good.
• Accumulation/hoarding of possessions usually
  indicates wealth, so encourages people to
  share/be modest in their possessions.