The Azande: Witchcraft And Oracles In Africa
Rev. Confirming Pages
CHAPTER 1
ᇿᇿᇿᇿሀᇿᇿᇿᇿ
THE AZANDE
Witchcraft and Oracles in Africa
EGYPT
RED
SEA
Ni le LIBYA
Port
Sudan
300 mi
0
150
0
150 300 km
Area Occupied by the Azande
Nile
Kassala
Khartoum
SUDAN
Al Obeid
ERITREA
Kusti
W
h i te
N il e
CHAD
CE NTRAL
River
M
b
om
u
ETH IOP IA
Wau
AFRI CAN RE PUB LI C
B l u e N ile
ZANDE DISTRICT
Juba
River U el DEM. REP. OF THE
CONGO
e
UGANDA
KENYA
Location of the Azande in southwestern Sudan.
1
pet05302_ch01_001-017.indd 1
5/22/08 3:11:57 PM
Rev. Confirming Pages
2
Chapter 1: The Azande
THE BEGINNING
There are those who can set broken bones. Only they, and …show more content…
In many tales he is intrigued by either fire or water, sometimes regarded as necessities, sometimes as playthings. Despite his need for everyday goods, he often pursues items of pure luxury: “salt to improve the taste of his food, a barkcloth which hums harmoniously as the wearer moves, and a means of opening termite mounds to provide him with a home instead of building huts” (Street 1972:83).
Ture often shows poor judgment and questionable values, striving for something only because it is novel or belongs to someone else, rather than because it is of any use to him. Thus, when he learns that someone possesses the ability to remove his own intestines and clean them, he wants only to be able to learn to do the same; when he obtains a secret formula for putting out fires, he sets his own house ablaze just so he can extinguish it. As the latter example suggests, oftentimes Ture will create ends just for the ability to use the means (Street 1972).
Once Ture has chosen a goal, he begins to set his strategy for its achievement. However, his strategies tend to ignore all social convention. He
CHAPTER 1
ᇿᇿᇿᇿሀᇿᇿᇿᇿ
THE AZANDE
Witchcraft and Oracles in Africa
EGYPT
RED
SEA
Ni le LIBYA
Port
Sudan
300 mi
0
150
0
150 300 km
Area Occupied by the Azande
Nile
Kassala
Khartoum
SUDAN
Al Obeid
ERITREA
Kusti
W
h i te
N il e
CHAD
CE NTRAL
River
M
b
om
u
ETH IOP IA
Wau
AFRI CAN RE PUB LI C
B l u e N ile
ZANDE DISTRICT
Juba
River U el DEM. REP. OF THE
CONGO
e
UGANDA
KENYA
Location of the Azande in southwestern Sudan.
1
pet05302_ch01_001-017.indd 1
5/22/08 3:11:57 PM
Rev. Confirming Pages
2
Chapter 1: The Azande
THE BEGINNING
There are those who can set broken bones. Only they, and …show more content…
In many tales he is intrigued by either fire or water, sometimes regarded as necessities, sometimes as playthings. Despite his need for everyday goods, he often pursues items of pure luxury: “salt to improve the taste of his food, a barkcloth which hums harmoniously as the wearer moves, and a means of opening termite mounds to provide him with a home instead of building huts” (Street 1972:83).
Ture often shows poor judgment and questionable values, striving for something only because it is novel or belongs to someone else, rather than because it is of any use to him. Thus, when he learns that someone possesses the ability to remove his own intestines and clean them, he wants only to be able to learn to do the same; when he obtains a secret formula for putting out fires, he sets his own house ablaze just so he can extinguish it. As the latter example suggests, oftentimes Ture will create ends just for the ability to use the means (Street 1972).
Once Ture has chosen a goal, he begins to set his strategy for its achievement. However, his strategies tend to ignore all social convention. He