ANTHR101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Zande People
9 Nov 2015
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The azande are an ethnic group in north africa, southern sudan. They have a complex system of practices of witchcraft. Recently people started to practice christianity, but most people still turn to witchcraft for relief of problems like failed hunt, adultery, or sickness. The azande don"t turn to the christian priest for help, but the oracles and chiefs. Adultery is the most frequent crime judged by the chief. Benge is a ritual where poison is given to chickens to determine if the accused are guilty or not. Whether the chicken dies or not determines a yes or no answer to their question. The azande think bad things are always caused by a witch"s witchcraft. Often they don"t know who the witch is. People are often unaware of possessing witchcraft in their bodies, so the accused woman may not know that she is a witch. If anyone becomes ill, they consult the oracles.
