Comparative Analysis of Central African Religions
- 23 January 1972
- journal article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Africa
- Vol. 42 (1) , 21-31
- https://doi.org/10.2307/1159528
Abstract
Opening ParagraphIn 1936 Godfrey Wilson attempted ‘to introduce the subject of morality for scientific discussion in a new manner’. The new manner owed much to Malinowski's insistence on the importance of inventories in field-work. Wilson showed that Nyakyusa religion fell into three distinct but related categories: ancestor cult, magic, and witchcraft. The ancestor cult was the concern of kin-groups; within the kinship context, the belief that cult failures brought down afflictions upon individuals served to constrain their behaviour in the interests of morality. Magic and witchcraft had similar effects within the political community, of which the kin-groups were constituents. The three possible sources of affliction formed a limited series.Keywords
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