The Anthropology of Magic Witchcraft and Religion Its
- Slides: 30
The Anthropology of Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion It’s Magic!
In the Pantheon of Anthropology… Franz Boas 1858 -1942 Bronislav Malinowski 1884 -1942
Bronislav Malinowski • Studied physics and math • Interest in psychology Malinowski on the Trobriand Islands (1918) • Focused on the individual in culture
The Sorcerers of Dobu Based on Fieldwork Carried Out in the 1920 s by Reo F. Fortune
Background • • • an island east of New Guinea participants in the kula ring primarily horticulturalists – primarily yams acephalic society status achieved by success in different ventures feared by members of neighboring islands – cannibals – deadliest witchcraft
Social Organization • based on matrilineal families – called suso = “mother’s milk • ca. 25 people per village (late 1920 s) – villages are exogamous (but sexual relations are allowed) • 4 - 20 villages joined into localities – localities are endogamous • ambilocal residence
World View • inside the suso – trust • outside the suso – fear – mistrust – jealousy – suspicion
World View • jealousy of possessions • adultery is a measure of prestige – mother’s advice to daughters: fidelity in marriage results from a woman keeping her husband sexually exhausted • poisoning of food and drink is common – sharing food, drink, cigarettes is a sign of the greatest trust
World View • no concept of accident • all misfortunes result from – witchcraft – sorcery – attack • each has a supernatural cause • world is controlled by competing forces
kasa sona • on earth approximately 5 generations (= time of creation) before Fortune’s field work – born with the sun, the moon, and the earth • used magical formulae to make things happen • gave many of these formulae to people • must follow the will of those who know a formula most accurately
Magical Formulae • the basis of all wealth and success on Dobu • not even brothers will share them • learned from mother’s brother (avuncular inheritance)
Magical Formulae • every member of the village in which Fortune lived possessed 1 -5 formulae for causing illness • since introduction of money, formulae could be purchased (1 formula = 4 months wages)
Sorcery • Sorcerers = ♂ • ♂ claim to be able to cause particular illness • occurs by day • leaves behind a physical record
Witchcraft • Witches = ♀ • ♀ say nothing about the magic they can produce • occurs at night • leaves no trace • can also produce wind and rain (good for kula) – as a result, ♀ are not allowed on kula expeditions
Two Magical Principles Law of Similarity Law of Contagion “imitative” or “homeopathic” magic “exuvial” magic “like produces like” “part affects the whole”
Magic • practiced by all adults • the most compelling magic is produced when the formulae are spoken correctly • a formula’s potency can be increased – chew ginger root – drink salt water
Death • when the cause is unclear, it is often considered the result of witchcraft • when it results from a clearly identifiable illness, usually attributed to sorcery • when the cause of death (or the source of a disease) cannot be determined, a diviner from another locality may be brought in
Sex & Marriage • after a boy turns 13 -14 (puberty), he must find the hut of an unmarried girl to sleep in • must leave before the girl’s parents awaken • if the mother catches a boy with her daughter, then marriage preparations will begin
Love Magic • the cause of all sexual desire • formulae for love magic are possessed by both ♂ &♀ • formulae are primarily used against married persons • Fortune was able to learn many magical formulae, but none for love magic
Gardens • yam seeds are inherited matrilineally • ♂ & ♀ have separate gardens and seeds • people and yams are related – tomot refers to both (but not to Europeans) • ♀ & yams are both considered the property of ♂ (according to the ♂)
Yams • since they are related to people, they have similar lives • yams enjoy early period of freedom (like Dobuan children) • young yams are able to wander at night, but must be back in their own garden before daybreak
Yam Magic • similar to love magic • as the yams grow older, people will sing songs of seduction (= magic) to a few of their yams • the other yams become upset because they were excluded and grow more vigorously in protest
Yam Magic • seduction is also used to coax yams from other people’s gardens • illness-causing magical formulae (known as tabu) are used to protect gardens against this • size of a person’s crop reflects the potency of their magic (yields are not made public)
Functions of Magic • serves in place of a legal system • ♂ have a general alibi, for death could be due to any ♀ • ♀ have an individual alibi, for each illness is due to a particular ♂, and counter-magic can be learned
Functions of Magic • diviners and others usually know – if a ♂ has claimed to be able to cause a particular disease – if a ♀ has had a conflict with someone – if one person has crossed another
Functions of Magic • also serves as a leveling mechanism • wabu – during marriage arrangements – during kula trade • Dobuans as cannibals?
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