Death and the Invisible Powers. The World of Kongo Belief

Abstract

PREFACE ONE The Spirituality of a Communal People Beginning with Community The Kongo People The Land of Manianga: Isolation and Rejection Gender and Community Structure The Cohesiveness of the Community Communal Life as the Goal of Existence The Clan The Role of the Chief The Flow of Living Power from the Ancestors Family Relationships Seniority Marriage The Individual Tension between the Public and the Personal TWO The Communal Response to Death and Misfortune Death by Natural Causes The Response of AIDS Death Due to Kindoki Present-Day Belief in Kindoki Kindoki: The Unique Power to Do Good or Evil Harmful Kindoki The Cleansing of Kindoki How the Cleansing Rite Was Conducted Priests of Divine Science Ngang'a Ngombo, the Searchers of Causes Ngang'a Mbuki, the Healers Training in the Science of Kinganga A New Type of Priesthood: Kingunza An Overview of Kindoki THREE The Concept of Death Death as an Opening to a Better or a Worse Life Brief Visits to the Unknown (Near-Death Experiences) Reaction of Survivors Leave-Taking Funeral Rites and Mourning Christian Participation in Funeral Rituals The Spirit's Survival of Bodily Death The Total Spiritual Community of Living and Dead FOUR God EPILOGUE, KONGO BELIEF IN ITS CONTEMPORARY SETTING APPENDIX, KIKONGO TEXTS NOTES SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX