Essay - Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande PDF

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Zande witchcraft is not simply a set of beliefs and practices, but is thoroughly embedded in the social and political organisation of Zande society. Discuss what such embeddedness can mean for the strength of Zande beliefs. In doing so, highlight those aspects of the beliefs that work to maintain th...

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Word Count - 1170 Zande witchcraft is not simply a set of beliefs and practices, but is thoroughly embedded in the social and political organisation of Zande society. Discuss what such embeddedness can mean for the strength of Zande beliefs. In doing so, highlight those aspects of the beliefs that work to maintain the integrity of the overall system.

The ideal of witchcraft in Azande is deeply ingrained into every aspect of Zande society. The Zande people’s spiritual, social and political structure is intertwined with their dogmatic beliefs of witchcraft, so much so that their beliefs have become a way of life, strengthened through their allegiance to their community and forces that are in power in their society. Edward Burnett Taylor (1871), the founder of cultural anthropology, and James Frazer (ch. 4, 1922) hypothesized that magic was a precursor to science and religion. The novel ‘Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande’ written by E. E. Evans-Pritchard unintentionally supports this theory through the description of Zande belief in relation to witchcraft, witchdoctor’s use of medicine and consultation with oracles. Witchcraft is a fact of everyday life for the Zande people, it’s deeply embedded into the structure of their society, just as the Zande people believe the source of witchcraft – mangu – is deeply embedded in a person’s body. So deeply embedded that it can only be diagnosed

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by oracles in the living world, or “discovered” through autopsy of the dead. Azande believe that they are either born with or without mangu substance (Evans-Pritchard, pg. 2), which is a black substance found in the small intestine. Azande typically understand that injury, death, the complications of life and misfortune are the result of mangu. To some extent the substance leads a life of its own and can afflict people independently. The Zande believe the notion that witches may bring upon sickness and death to them at any time (EvansPritchard, pg. 65) and that the soul of witchcraft – mbisimo mangu – can leave the physical body at any time (Evans-Pritchard, pg. 10). It would predominantly be apparent for those who the one “with” witchcraft would have an inclination to disagree with, such as a second wife to a first wife, as seen in the documentary ‘Witchcraft Among The Azande’ (21:40). The one accused of witchcraft would likely be unaware of the substance and would most likely have no ill intent. However, in line with the societal structure of the Azande, the accused would have to perform a ritual spitting out of water with strength in order to show that they are willing to ‘cool down’ the witchcraft that they had been perceived to either intentionally or unintentionally be using. As the Zande aphorism goes, ‘The blower of water does not die’ (Evans-Pritchard, pg. 44). The corroboration to the existence of witchcraft in Azande is a prime example of the dichotomous realities of witchcraft and existence and how they are codependant in Zande society. The beliefs of the Azande are strengthened by their surety and faith in each other. When a misfortune is small, witchcraft is blamed by only the people or person it affected. However, if a larger misfortune has occurred that affects the whole society, they will all blame witchcraft. A prime example of groupthink, otherwise known as group mentality. There is further assurance brought to the community through the legal system that is used to identify witches and settle conflict between the accused and the victim. It is an system that Page | 2

accounts for a majority of the social and political operations that are in place for the Azande. One being their handling of funeral ceremonies and vengeance after witchcraft has been ‘proven’ to be the cause of illness or death. Kinsmen direct their energy in two separate ways. One is the attack of witchcraft through means that stem from the Zande’s understanding of witchcraft, that being; oracles, direct approach to the witch, dancing of the witch doctors, making magic, and sending the accused into the bush. The other way is through summoning a witch doctor to attack the illness through leechcraft, which includes the administration of medicine, which is believed to be magical, and drugs, which are empirical. Much attention is focused on the medicine (Evans-Pritchard, pg. 178) in vengeance magic, known as bagbudma by the Azande. Bagbudma is postulated to be the most honourable medicine, while also being the most destructive of all the Zande medicines. Azande invokes many beliefs in magic, such as that the magical properties are said to principally lie in the medicine – sima – itself (pg. 177) and that according to the people, ‘si nape zunga’ – it judges equitably. The notion that the medicine judges equitably is a reinforcement in the integrity of the Azande system, while in the the Western world could be seen as luck. Just as how circumstances of misfortune explained as witchcraft could be attributed as bad luck in Western society. Despite this, the Zande have an indisputable point, where-in which a Zande person mentioned to E. E. Evans-Pritchard that ‘perhaps in [your] country people are not murdered by witches, but here they are.’ (Evans-Pritchard, pg. 221). This quasi-truth has become unbreakable in the structure of Zande society, and just like an ecosystem of interacting organisms, you can’t have one without the other. In terms of preserving the integrity of the system that governs Azande society, authoritative figures lead the community, yet divinity rules over all. Oracles are synonymous to the idea of religion, they are not parallels but yet are strong counterparts in the cohesive arrangement Page | 3

of societal practices. For example, in cases of adultery, like the case presented in the previously mentioned documentary, where the accused where brought to the chief of the village (5:20), yet it was the oracle that decided their fate (25:11). The Western world may perceive the oracles actions as random, but to the Zande, the oracle is a source of truth. In the Zande’s order of truth, oracles determine who has dealt or who is about to deal misfortune onto another by witchcraft, and whether or not witchcraft looms ahead (EvansPritchard, pg. 177). Consequently, if an individual was to accuse someone else of witchcraft without forming their declaration on a verdict made by the poison oracle benge, or at the minimum the termite oracle, their declaration would be ridiculed and ignored (EvansPritchard, pg. 43). This is due to identification of witches in Zande society relying on the messages from a variety of oracles, of escalating power and reliability, ranging from simple do-it yourself tests to ritualistic tests conducted with the assistance of respected diviners. If a Zande were not to take counsel in benge they would be challenging the integrity of the system and may likely “suffer in social prestige” (Evans-Pritchard, pg. 122) or have legal penalties incurred against them. The oracles are a strong, unifying aspect of the Zande society that assists in maintaining order and faith, showing that witchcraft, magic and oracles are not just a belief of the people, they are a part of a coherent and logical system. In conclusion, the structure of Zande society has been shown to be based on their common sense and morals rather than the occult. Rather than being described as luck or fate, misfortunes have become significant, divinities are of authoritative value and they are thoroughly tied in with any other ideal of existence in Zande culture.

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References Evans-Pritchard, E. E. 1976, Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic Among The Azande, Claredon Press, Oxford. Frazer, J. G. 1922, Magic and Religion, The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (4), 52 – 62. Temple of Earth Publishing, London. Witchcraft Among The Azande | Disappearing Worlds 2020, Documentary, Timeline – World History Documentaries, ITV Global. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiGSpr1_ixI&t=1511s

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