How Ngoma WorksOf Codes and Consciousness
John M. Janzen
October 21, 1992 DOI: 10.1525/california/9780520072657.003.0006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that in ngoma ritual healing, "spirit" operates as a manner of speaking, a hypothesis, and a format that draws individual experience into the tradition, rather than as a literal entity. The chapter contends that spirit is not what it appears to be and is not equally strong in all expressions, while examining how metaphor, consensus, and affect shape knowledge in ngoma. |
Abstract
This chapter seeks to understand how knowledge is constructed and used. It then covers the application of several academic analytic evaluations of ngoma, including the role of metaphor shaping, of consensus, and of the range of manipulations that shape affect of sufferer and therapists alike. It then investigates the conscious indigenous theories about ngoma, which are usually based on the hypothesis of spirit possession as the basis of the misfortune. The relationship of scientific or empirical knowledge to ritual healing is covered. Spirit is a manner of speaking, a hypothesis, a format. The “spirit” hypothesis is what brings the individual experience into the orbit of ngoma. However, spirit is not what it appears to be, nor is it equally strong in all expressions.