Initiation into the Cwezi spirit possession cult in Bunyoro
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2138338 |
|---|---|
| Authors | John Beattie (0000-0002-2007-6534, University of Oxford, corresponding author), J H M Beattie |
| Year | 1957 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 150-161 |
| Publication date | 1957-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-0184 • E-ISSN: 1469-2872 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00020185708707026 |
| OpenAlex | W2069712233 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 14 |
| References cited | 1 |
SYNOPSIS The Nyoro of western Uganda have a cult of spirit possession known as thembandwa cult, traditionally centred on the ancient Cwezi hero‐gods famed throughout the interlacustrine region, but nowadays associated also with many other spirits, some of quite recent origin. A diviner may attribute illness or other misfortune to the activity of one or more of thesembandwa spirits, and if he does so the sufferer will have to undergo an arduous initiation, the object of which is to enable the responsible spirit to communicate its wants through him and at the same time to admit the initiate tombandwa cult membership. This article gives a brief account of the initiation ceremonies, which stress in particular the novice's separation from the world of ordinary uninitiated persons, his involvement in a new set of rights and obligations as a member of thembandwa cult, the cult's exclusiveness and secrecy, and the fact that initiation puts the novice in a condition of grave ritual danger(mahano), emergence from which requires the performance of specific ritual acts
Aesthetics · Ancient history · Art · Cult · HERO · Literature · Possession (linguistics · Sociology · African cultural and philosophical studies · African history and culture analysis · Anthropological Studies and Insights · History · Philosophy
The Ghost Cult in Bunyoro
Consulting a Diviner in Bunyoro
Nabuzaana Omunozzi w’Eddagala
Ritual and Social Change
The Power of Rights
Histoire structurale d'une religion africaine
The Cwezi-Kubandwa Debate
The Story of Rukidi
The Story of Mariya and Yozefu
Aspects of Nyoro Symbolism
Right and Left in Nyoro Symbolic Classification
Rituals of Nyoro Kingship
The political use of Sande ideology and symbolism
Religious mobility and body language in Kubandwa possession cults
| Unique citing works | 14 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,21 |
| Citation span | 1959 - 2018 (60) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 14 |