Witchcraft

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What is witchcraft?

  • Witchcraft is the belief in how a magical can influence our behaviour, health and hierachy in soceity, it can be through the ideology of a higher power that proves to either against people or to aid people
  • It mostly practiced in Africa, Melanesia, The Pacific, Asia and Southern America
  • In western world it goes under the name of Wicca but is slightly different to the traditioanl noion of witchcraft
  • Evans-Prittchard found that witchcraft had the ability to cause misfortune or death and invloves unconscious psychic powers emanating from a black swelling, located near the liver; socery is the preformance of rituals, the uttering of spell and the manipulation of organic substance to harm or heal
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The Azande

  • It is ubiquitous part of the Azande society, it plays a role in farming, fishing, hunting, domestic life and in influences the laws, taboo and court system 
  • Those who mock or disrespect the laws of the Azande are cursed by devils and only a witchdoctor can life these curses
  • Like a Christian and praying, witchcraft is deep-rooted within the society and praying to Gods who show their power through spells and curses, will bless with prosperity (health, good fortune or good crop yield)
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Why do they believe in it

  • To explain misfortune: the way witchcraft is used to explain why bad things happen in the context of a culture
  • To explain aspects of the world that cannot be explained by science
  • To help overcome social tension: the way witchcraft is used among the Azande to reesolve problems between families or within families
  • To fit into the society or culture
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Shaman or witchdoctor

  • They are mostly always the higest authorive figure within the society, they hold ultimate wisdom and powers that people can only dream of
  • They are picked at a young age and have a lifetime of practice in the ancient arts
  • There are nearly always male (in recent years due to the decline in witchdoctors, female ones have increased
  • They possess the power to heal, speak to spirits, tap into dreams and interpret them and they can predict the future
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