Conversations in the Field

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 6, 2010

Sangoma Medicine How it Works

DAVID CUMES, MD
SANTA BARBARA, CA
DCUMES@GMAIL.COM

WhenIexaminemyselfandmymethodsofthought,Icometotheconclusion
thatthegiftoffantasymeantmoretomethanmytalentforabsorbingpositive
knowledge.(AlbertEinstein)

TomostWesternersindigenousAfricantechniquesareatbestpuzzlingandatworstsmackof
witchcraft.TheWestisrepletewithtechnologicalwonders.Ourcommunicationnetworkisaveritable
marvelwiththelikesofsatellitephones,faxmachines,andtheInternet.YetancientAfricanwisdomhas
alottoteachusaboutcommunication.Thereisarealmofspirit,butthereisalsoaveilthatmustbe
penetratedifwewishtocommunicatewiththispotentialsourceofguidance.MostWesternersdonot
havethetechniquestopiercetheveil;sangomasdo.Sangomamedicineisverypractical.Ifyouhavelost
acow,theinyangacanthrowthebonesandtellyouwheretogoandlookforit.Thetechniquesare
evidentialandhavestoodthetestoftime.Theexplanationsinthisessaywillshedsomelightonhow
theyworkandthephilosophiesbehindtheirpractices.
ThereareseveralBantugroupsinSouthernAfrica.TheNguni,whoarethemajority,comprisethe
Zulu,Swazi,andXhosaandshareacommonlanguage.TheotherscomprisetheSothoandTswana
(similarlanguage)Venda,andTsonga(orShangaan).Theshamansofbothgroupsarecalledsangomas
andinyangas.ThekeytotheirhealingstatesistheabilitytoharnessKundalinienergy,usuallywithoutthe
useofmindalteringplants.
Distantdiagnosisanddistanthealinghavebeenusedbythesepeopleforthousandsofyears.
Theirhealersarealsoabletomanipulatethepowerofbeliefandfaith,orplacebo.Placeboisaprimary
toolforthesangoma.InWesternmedicine,randomized,controlled,doubleblindstudiesareconducted
totesttherapeuticeffectsunimpededbytheplaceboeffectorthepatientsbeliefthatthedrugwill
work.Weknowthatthepatientsinnerhealerisabletocuremanymaladiesifthereisastrongbeliefin
thetreatmentbeingadministered.Thisisespeciallytrueincasesofspontaneousremissionfrom
incurablediseases,wherestudieshaveshownthattheoneoverridingcommondenominatorwasa
powerfulbelief,usuallybasedonastrongreligiousorspiritualfoundation,thatallwouldbewell.
WhileWesterndoctorsarefocusedoneliminatingtheplaceboeffect,sangomasaremastersat
enhancingit,usingtheirpowerfulritualsandtheirowncharisma.Placeboisaugmentedwithceremonies
andplantmedicines,ormuti.Themutiisalwaysprescribedwithaheavyapplicationofattention,
intention,actionandaffirmation,whichhavenowbecomepartofamodern,integrative,orholistic,
approach.Indigenoushealersareusuallyhighlyinfluentialandpowerfulpeoplewhoareabletoenterthe
cosmicfieldandinvokethehelpofthespiritsforhealing.Whentheancestorsareinvitedtohelpwiththe
healing,theremedygoesbeyondplaceboandwouldbecalleddistantorremotehealing.

CONVERSATIONS IN THE FIELD Page 2

Sangomas,especiallytheNguni,usedrumminganddancingtohelpchanneltheancestors.Alltribes
obtaininformationfromtheancestorsthroughthemediumsofdreamsandthediviningbones.Asangoma
mayseeaplantinadreamthatshewilllaterdispensetotheappropriatepatient.Possessionorspirit
mediumshipamongtheNgunipeoplesisusuallyovertandextroverted,whereasamongsttheothertribesitis
moreoftenimplicitratherthanexplicit.However,thereismuchoverlapamongthedifferenttribes,and
drummingandpossessionbyancestralspiritsarecommontoallgroups.Trancechannelingorspirit
mediumship,however,ismorepartoftheNgunicustom.
ThewordsangomacomesfromtheZuluwordforadrum,anditisthesoundofthedrumthatbrings
forththespirit.Thedrummingisaccompaniedbyspecialsongsandchants.Whenthespiritentersthebody,
thesangomasvoicewillchangeasshebecomesthechannelforaparticularancestor.Sometimesshewill
speakintonguesandoftenwithadifferentaccent.Theancestorwhopresentswilloftenbequitefastidious
anddemandacertainclothorgarment.Sangomasusuallyhaveanarrayoftheseandwillwearaspecificcloth
dependingonwhichspiritisaddressingthegroup.SincemostofthespiritsareAfrican,theyrequesttraditional
attire,butaforeignspiritcanmakeaspecialrequestthatthenmustbehonored.Manysangomaswilldanceto
workthemselvesintoatranceorwillbedancedatthewilloftheirancestoroncesheorheenterstheir
bodies.Thetremendousenergyandskillnecessarytoachievethisstatecanberemarkableandaddconviction
tothefactthatthehealerisinaprofoundlyalteredstateofconsciousness.Manytimesthechannelwould
seemincapableofperforminginthisfashionunlessshewasinfactpossessed.
Thesangomaisabletocommunicatewiththecosmic,theterrestrial,andthewaterspiritsaswellas
theancestors.Theancestorsarenotgods.AlltribesbelieveinasingleGreatSpirit,orGod(Umkulunkuluin
Zulu,ModimoinSotho),who,however,isseenastooremoteandinaccessible.Theancestralspiritsarethere
tomediatebetweenthelivingandGod.Sincethespiritsarelinkedtothecosmos,theland,andthewater
(henceshellsareoftenpresentinthehealersrepertoireofbones),theycanprovideinformationthatisnot
confinedtothespacetimecontinuum.
InNgunitradition,inadditiontoancestralspiritsthereareterrestrialspirits,cosmicspirits(ndzau),and
waterspirits(nzunzu)whoareverypowerful.Foreignspiritsunrelatedtothefamilyalsoexist.Theymaybe
friendlyornot.Frequentlytheyhaveknownthegrandparentswhiletheywerealiveandnowarehanging
aboutintheetherswiththem.Someforeignspirits,ontheotherhand,areuptonogood,andthese
intrudersmaycausemischieforgetinthewayoftheenergyflowoftheliving.Maliciousforeignspiritsmay
alsobepresentbecause,forinstance,someonesdeadgrandfatherorrelativekilledthemlongago.Thesebad
spiritscanbeexorcisedbyFemba,aformofpsychicdiagnosisandpsychospiritualsurgery,orexorcism.Bad
spiritsarecapableofcausingsignificantharm.
ReincarnationplaysanimportantroleinAfricanphilosophy,andfamilymembersmayreincarnateinto
theirownfamilies.Becauseofthis,blackAfricanswhosetraditionsareintactbelievethatthesinsofthe
fatherswillbevisiteduponthechildren.Psychologymayattributethistounskillfulparenting,whichleadsto
hurtfulinfluenceandbadconditioningofthechild.Africanphilosophygoesfurtherthanthisinholdingthatnot
onlycanunhappyanddysfunctionalspiritsaffecttheirprogenyfromthebeyondbutalsothatadysfunctional
spiritcanreincarnateintotheirbloodlineandrecreatethesamedysfunctioninafuturegeneration.Asan
example,analcoholicgrandfatherwhohaspassedonreincarnatesintothefamilyline,perpetuatingthe
alcoholicsyndrome.
Page 3 VOLUME 1, NUMBER 6, 2010

Itisthehealersdutytointercedebetweenthelivingandthedeadandtomakerestitution.Animal
sacrificeisthemostpowerfulwayofappeasingthespirits.Sincetheancestors,thoughdead,arestillhuman,
theyrespondveryfavorablytoanyattemptstoacknowledge,thank,respect,greet,andfeedthem.Sacrifice
istheultimateatonement:thespiritofatwoleggedorfourleggedanimal,suchasachickenorgoat,goes
directlytothespiritoftheancestortoappeasehimorherandneutralizeagrievanceorproblem.Itisthecryof
thesacrificialanimalthatimmediatelygainstheattentionofthespirits.Asheep,becauseitdoesnotusuallycry
outwhenslaughtered,isusedlessfrequentlythangoatsandchickens.Acowmaybesacrificedinspecial
situations,forinstanceduringthegraduationofastudentorifrequestedbyanancestor.
Sinceancestralspiritsmayreincarnateintothesamefamily,itiscrucialtohealthesinsthatmayhave
occurredinthepastsuchasmurder,theft,abuse,andsoon.Byreachingout,forgiving,andhealingthespirit
whoperpetratedthenefariousdeed,everyoneishealed,andanothercycleofkarmicdysfunctioninthefamily
isavertedorlessened.Forgivenessandacceptancearethekeyshere.Theyarebestachievedwhileeveryoneis
alive,butinAfricantraditionforgivenessandhealingcanoccurevenwhenthespirithaspassedon.Ifthesinis
notaddressed,theproblemmaynotonlyhaveaharmfuleffectonthelivinginthislifetimebutcouldcontinue
intothenextincarnation.

Thwasa
Spiritssometimesfeeltheneedtocompletethehealingworktheyneverfinishedwhileinhumanform
andwillchooseasuitablefamilymemberwhoisalivetoactasachannelforthismission.Thepersonwhois
calledbecomespossessedbytheancestorwhodrawsattentiontoherneedsbymakingtheelectedoneill.
Thesymptomscantakemanyforms:psychosis,severeheadaches,intractablestomachpain,shoulder,and
neckcomplaints,amongothers.ThispatientmaygotoaWesterntraineddoctorwhowillbeunabletofind
anythingwrong.However,atraditionalhealerwillimmediatelyrecognizethesyndrome,tellthepatientthathe
ispossessedbytheancestors,andinformhimthathemustundergoinitiation.Failuretorespondtothecalling
willoftenleadtomoreillnessuntilthepersonconcedesandgoestobetrained.Thistrainingprocessiscalled
Thwasa.Thwasa,whichcomesfromthewordformoon,istheprocessofselfdiscoveryandrecognizingones
spirituallinksanddestiny.Metaphorically,theThwasastudentbeginsasanewmoonandmaturesintoafull
moontobecomeaninyanga,theonewhodoctors.ThepotentialThwasaalternativelycanworkthrougha
sangomatoenterintoadialoguewiththespirits,explainingwhyshecannotundergotrainingatthistime.
Ancestorsarereasonableandifrespectfullyapproachedandtoldwhythiscallingmightnotbepossible,they
mayrelent,butanexplanationwouldberequired.

Medicine or Muti
Themedicineormutithatisusedisbasedonplantsand,sometimes,differentanimals.Thismutimay
havepharmacologicalproperties,butonecannotisolatethepoweroftheremedyfromthestrengthofthe
healerorthatoftheancestors.Themoremasterfulthehealerandthemorepotenttheancestors,themore
effectivethemuti.Thisphenomenonisanotherexampleofthecombinationofplaceboanddistanthealing.
Themutisoftenhavepowerfulsymbolism;forinstance,lionfatmaybeusedtopromotecourage.Eachtime
themutiisused,itmaybeaccompaniedbyaritualthatconfirmstheintentionandactsasapowerful
affirmation.IntheWestwenowknowthatpeoplecanbehealedbydistanthealingorprayereveniftheyare
unawarethattheyarebeinghealedorprayedfor.Thereareanincreasingnumberofdoubleblindstudies,
CONVERSATIONS IN THE FIELD Page 4

conductedbyWesterndoctors,showingthatdistanthealingorprayerisstatisticallysignificantinimproving
theoutcomesofpatientsafflictedwithcertaindiseases.Inmostofthestudiesthefindingsweresoconvincing
that,iftheprayerhadbeenadrug,thedoctorswouldhavewantedtouseitforallpatients.
Theeffectofmutimaybeasophisticatedversionofdistanthealing,ifthesangomasprayersand
ancestorsintentionsaccompanythetreatment.Themuticanalsoberegardedasapassword,container,or
specialrequesttotheancestorforhealing.Sincetheancestorshaveaccesstouniversalhealingenergy,they
havetheabilitytocureanything.Eachmuticarriesadifferentmessageaboutwhatisneededforthat
particularproblem.Thereisamutualunderstandingbetweenhealerandancestorbasedontradition,dreams,
andempiricismastowhatplanttouseforaparticularproblem.Differenttribesandvarioushealersmayuse
thesameplantfordistincteffects.
Thehomeopathiclawofsimilars,whichisnotbasedonsolidscience,statesthatifthingsresemble
eachothertheyarelinkedandcanaffectoneanother.Inotherwords,likeaffectslike.Forthisreason,reeds
thatshakeinthewatermaybeemployedfortremor;snakevenommaybeusedagainstsnakebite;black
smokemaybeadoptedtobringrain,andbarkorrootsthatareredcanbeutilizedtotreatbloodormenstrual
disorders.Inthiswaytherearesomesimilaritieswiththeprinciplesofhomeopathy.
Medicinescanbeadministeredinvariousways:bathing,steaming,orinhaling.Theycanbetakenby
mouthorbyenema,rubbedonthebodyasasalve,and,inspecialcircumstances,inoculatedorrubbedintoan
incision.Therearemedicinesforeveryeventuality:physicalillness,mentalillness,socialdisharmony(suchas
maritalproblems),andspiritualdifficulties(forinstance,toalignwiththeancestors,togetridofoffending
spirits,andsoon).Therearealsolovepotions,medicinesfordreamsandluck,amongothers.

Rituals
ReverencefortheancestorsisverymuchpartoftheThwasastrainingandwillcontinuethroughout
thehealerslife.Whenenteringthendumbaorhealinghutwheretheancestorsreside,onetakesoffones
shoes,bowsdownonentering,andclapstwiceasagreeting.Pahla,orpraying,isdonekneelingdown,and
eachsentenceispunctuatedbyaclappingofhands.Insometraditionsthereisnowalkinginthendumba;
insteadthehealerwillhobbleforwardonherknees.Snuff,preferablymadeofhomegrowntobacco,isa
frequentofferingusedinrituals.Asagelikeplantcalledmpepoisburnedtoattracttheattentionofthe
ancestors.Sincetheancestorscannotcommunicatewiththelivinginthenormalway,specialtechniquesto
bridgethefieldarerequired.Sangomaswilldrinkfoamorbubblesmadeofwatermixedwithspecialmuti,
whichissoulfoodforthespirits.Byfeedingthespirits,onedrawstheancestorsnear,andthentheywillrepay
thegestureinkind.Theancestorsarealwaysfedwhenthereisaritualinvolvingfoodorsacrifice.Sorghum
beerorregularbeerorwinemaybeofferedatthesametime.
Manytribeshaveanamaryllisplantinthehomesteadwheretheancestorsreside,andofferingswillbe
madetothisplantwhileholdingconversationwiththespirits.Membersofthevillagewillcheckinwiththe
plantonarrivingorleavingtoreportandtoasktheancestorsforfavorsandsafetyalongtheway.Depending
onthetradition,atree,aforkedbranchplantedintheground,orevenriverstonesmaybeusedinthesame
way.Treesareimportant,andsometraditionssupporttheideaofatroubletreetowhichsomeonecango
andtellonestroubles.
Femba,theAfricanequivalentofpsychicdiagnosisandsurgery,isusedtogetridofmalevolentor
intrudingspiritsthataregettinginthewayofapersonsprogressinlife.Housesordwellingsofanysort,farms,
Page 5 VOLUME 1, NUMBER 6, 2010

garments,belongings,cars,andbusinessescanbespirituallycleansedbyFemba.Fembanotonlyinvolves
exorcismofmalevolentspiritsbutcanalsobeareconditioningofthespiritbodytoeliminateillness,imbalance,
orablockinenergyflow.

The Role of the Sangoma

Tothesangoma,eachhelperspirit,foreignorancestral,hasaroletoplay.Onemayassistthesangoma
inreadingthebones,anothermayhelpwithplantremedies,andyetathirdmaywanttocomeanddance.
Othersmaybetheretomanagefinancialandbusinessaffairs.Dependingonthetalentofthespirit,the
knowledgeofthesangomawillvary.Somehavemorepowerfulancestorsthanothers.Usuallytheancestor
assiststhechannelwiththeexpertiseheorshehadinhumanform.Forinstancetheancestorwhohelpsread
thebonesmayhavebeenasangomawhilealive,theotheranherbalist,andanotherabusinessperson.

Witchcraft and Illness

Althoughsangomasusuallyworkonthelightandnotthedarkside(aswitchesdo),theyarefrequently
calledtoconsultaboutproblemsthatarerelatedtowitchcraft.Theyhavetoknowhowtocounteracthexes
andalsohavetoprotectthemselvesandtheirhomesteadsfromwitchesantics,whichsometimescaneven
involveattemptsatpoisoning.Sangomashaveremediesfortheirpatientsandthemselvesiftheyareconcerned
aboutwitchcraft.Witchesareknowntoconsultsangomasnotonlyforhelpbutalsotouncovertheirsecretsso
thattheycanworkmoreeffectivelyagainsttheircompetition.
Therearethreemaincausesofillness:theancestors,witchcraftorsorcery,andpollution.Illnesscan
alsojustbephysicalandhavenoclearexplanation,oritmaycomedirectlyfromGod.Evenbenevolent
ancestorsmayindirectlycauseillnessbyturningawayfromtheirprogeny.Iftheancestorsfeelthattheyare
beingignored,theymaycauseharmbyomissionratherthancommission.Infeelingneglected,theymay
abandontheirlovedonesandnolongeraffordthemprotection.Sometimesanancestormaywantalovedone
tojoinhimontheotherside,whichcanresultinsickness.Malevolentancestors,andespeciallyvindictive
foreignspiritswhomayhavebeenwronged,canalsocauseillness,misfortune,accidents,andevendeathfor
thedescendantsofthosewhohavewrongedthem.Allthesepossibilitiescanbecounteractedbytheright
prayers,rituals,muti,andsacrifices.Ancestorswhohaveturnedawaycanbeencouragedtoreturnanddefend
theirdescendantsagainstmaliciousorintrudingspirits.Illnessisthereforefrequentlyconnectedtohuman
relationshipsbetweenthelivingandthedead.However,iftheserelationshipsareperfectlyfunctionaland
healthy,thesangomawilllooktowitchcraftorsorceryandpollutionforthecauseoftheproblem.Diagnoses
aremadewiththehelpofFemba,trancechanneling,dreams,andthediviningbones.Thereisusuallyaremedy
foranydilemma.
Witchcraftandsorceryarisefromaheartofenvy.Therefore,anyonecanbeawitchorasorcererfor
instance,awifewhoisjealousofherhusbandorabusinessmanorpoliticianseekingtoeliminatethe
competition.Witchesareusuallyfemale,andthetraitisthoughttobeinherited.Asorcererisusuallymale,and
theattributeisacquired.
Witchesandsorcerersworkonthedarksidewiththehelpofevilspirits.Theytoohaverealpowerand
areabletomanipulatethe"Field",aareaofinfluencewhichisnondenominationalorspirituallyneutral.Evil
messagesgothroughthe"Field"justaseffectivelyasdohealingones.Illnessandmisfortunecanalsooccur
becauseofhexesimposedbythesemalevolentpeople.Thegeneraltermwitchdoctor,sometimesusedby
CONVERSATIONS IN THE FIELD Page 6

whitesinSouthAfricatoembracealltraditionalhealers,isnotonlyinaccuratebutalsodemeaningand
insulting.Mostofthosewhoworkinthe"Fieldworkonthelightsideforthesakeofgoodandnotbad.
Sorcerersuseherbs,poisons,andbodyexuviaeoftheirvictims(hair,nails,urine,andsoon).Thelawof
contagionstatesthatoncetwothingsareincontacttheycanaffectoneanother.Hencetheimportanceof
exuviaeforsorcery.Thehairornailfromthevictimcanbeusedwithharmfulmutitocauseillnessoreven
death.
Witchesrideorsendfamiliarstoperformtheirtreacherousdeeds.Familiarsincludespottedhyenas,
baboons,polecats,weasels,genets,wildcats,snakes,owls,andbats.Witchesaresaidtosometimesridethese
animalsbackwardssometimesoreventousetheribcageofthelargerfamiliarstotransportthemselves.The
tokolosh(English)orthikolosheisadwarflikebeingwithonebuttockandoversizedgenitals,andwitchesare
saidtousethemassexualconsorts.Thetokoloshcannotclimb,andhencemanyblackAfricans,toprotect
themselvesfromintrusionsatnight,willraisetheirbedsuponseveralbricks.
Itisthoughtthatmostwitchescanonlyoperateovershortdistancesandthatthewitchspower
becomesineffectiveifthevictimmovestoanotherhomeareasonabledistanceaway.Homesteadscanbe
protectedfromwitchesbymuticontainingthebloodorfatofananimal(asheep,pig,orgoat).Themuticanbe
impregnatedonwoodenpegsorsmearedonstonesthataredrivenintoorburiedinthegroundaroundthe
homestead.SincethepowerofthewitchhasFisa(Sothoforheat),itcanbeneutralizedbyseawaterand
urine,whicharecool.
Sometimeswitchesandsorcerersareusedasscapegoats.BeforethearrivalofEuropeansinthe
Africaninterior,witchesweresniffedoutandeliminatedbytheheadsangomawhoattendedtothechief.In
thiswayunfavorablecircumstances,suchasdrought,couldbeblamedonthewitchandbeofficiallycorrected.
Pollutionoccursasaresultofcontactwithsomeoccurrenceorphenomenonthatisimpureandis
recognizedbytheZuluasDirtorDirty.Causesofpollutionorritualimpurityincludemiscarriages,
abortions,birth(especiallyoftwins),illness,war,crime,death(especiallymurder),burial,menses,pregnancy,
sex(asangomawhoneedstoperformasacredritualwillcleansehim/herselfaftersex),ajourney,meatofan
animalthatdiedofdisease,andpork.Ahusbandispollutedforatleastonemonthafterthedeathofhiswife
orchild,andawifeforonemonthafterthedeathofherhusband.

Totem or Power Animals

Thedeadcancommunicatewiththelivingnotonlybymeansofspiritmediumship,dreams,and
diviningbonesbutalsobyusinganimals.AmongtheZulu,snakesfeatureprominently,especiallymambasand
pythons.Thepythonisusuallyafavorablemessagefromthebeyond,themambaawarning.Somediviners
havecommunicationwiththeancestorsthroughaspiritanimal(intyala),whichcancomeintheformofalion,
leopard,orelephantandtowhichduerespectmustbeaccorded.Theenergyimplicitindifferentanimalsis
givengreatimportancewhenitcomestothediviningbones.

Divining Bones
Thediviningbonesarenotstrictlyallbonesbutcompriseshells,money,seeds,dice,dominolike
objectsorevendominosthemselves,andotherobjectsthathavebeenappointedbythesangomaandthe
spirittorepresentcertainpolarities(forinstance,aminiaturecartorepresentajourney).Bonesfromlions,
hyenas,anteaters,baboons,crocodiles,wildpigs,goats,antelopesandothersformthelargemajorityofthe
Page 7 VOLUME 1, NUMBER 6, 2010

objectsinthesangomasbag,andtherearebonesforallpsychosociospiritualpolarities.Thebonesrepresent
alloftheforcesthataffectanyhumanbeing,anywhere,whatevertheirculture.Theprimalenergiesand
attributestheanimalsrepresentholdenormouspower.Forexample,thehyenarepresentsthethiefthat
comesinthenight,andahyenaboneisoftenusedtolocateastolenobject.Theanteateristheanimalthat
digsthegrave,andananteaterbonemaybeusedwheredeathisconcerned,oritmayrepresentadeceased
personorhisspirit.
Quantumphysicshastaughtusthattheobserverhasaneffectonthewayquantumparticlesbehave
andreflectshowasimilarFieldofcoherencemaybeoccurringwiththediviningbones.Experimentsat
PrincetonUniversity(PrincetonEngineeringAnomaliesLaboratory,orPEAL)haveshownthathumanthoughts
caninfluenceamachinecalledaRandomNumbers(orEvents)Generator(RNG),notonlyinthepresentbut
alsointhepastandinthefuture.Shiftsintherandomnumberscanevenoccuriftheprojectedthoughtsare
sentbyindividualsmilesawayfromthemachine.Robotsthatmovealongafixedpredeterminedpathcanalso
bemadetochangetheirprogrammedroutebyanoutsideobserver.Theintentionofthediviner,thepatient,
andtheancestorsorsomeforcefromtheFieldmaychangethewaythebonesliewhentheyfall.Thismeans
thatthethrowisnotrandombutinsteadispredeterminedbythespiritthatpresides.
Beforethrowingthebones,thehealerinvokestheancestorsbygivingsnuff,kneelingandclapping,and
rattlingorchantingasong.Sometimesmorethanonesangomaispresent,andtheotherswillchorusthe
readingofthemainhealerbychantingthewordsiyavuma(weagree)aftereachinterpretation.First,ageneral
readingisgiven,andthenspecificquestionsareaskedandanswered.Eachquestionisansweredbyaseparate
throwofallthebones.
Differenttraditionsassigndifferentmeaningstothebonesorobjects,andanyparticularteachermay
haveherownmethod,whichshepassesontothestudent.TheThwasastudentwillneedtostaywiththis
particularsystembecauseanagreementismadeamongtheancestor,thementor,andthestudentsothatall
threeofthemunderstandhoweachboneisassigned.Althoughthereisanintellectualcomponenttodivining,
thereadingisforthemostparthighlyintuitive,andthebonesactasawayofgettingtherationalleftbrainout
ofthewaysothattherightbraincandoitsclairvoyantwork.Thesangomasegoisputasidesinceitisthe
ancestor,andnotthehealer,whoisprovidingtheinformation.
Thereisanunderstandingbetweenthehealerandthespiritastothemeaningofthebonesandhow
theylineupinrelationshiptoeachother.Infactwhenthebonesarethrown,theydonotfallinarandom
patternbutratherinadistinctarrangementthatcanbereadbythesangomawhosetraininghastaughthimto
diagnosepastandpresentailmentsandtopredictfutureoccurrenceswithextraordinaryaccuracy.Itseems
thataminiFieldofattention,intention,andcoherenceissetupamongthehealer,thepatient,andthe
ancestorsandallowsthebonestolieinanintelligentpattern.Thehealertheninterpretsthemetaphorthe
bonesrepresent.
Thereadingisusuallyconcernedwithwhatishappeningatthatmomentinthepatientslife.Sincethe
healerisreadingametaphor,shemaygetthewrongimageandhavetochangedirection.Diviningislike
interpretingsomeonesdream,andonlytheownerofthedreamwillknowifthemeaningringstrue.The
informationisgivenhumblyanddemocratically.Thehealerwillaskthepatientifsheagreesand,ifso,will
continuealongthesamelineofexploration.Ifthepatientdisagrees,thehealerwillreadanotherpolarityor
lookatthesamepolarityinadifferentway.Correctinterpretationwillcomewiththehelpoftheancestorand
asthepatientgainsexperienceovertime,butisseldomoffereddogmatically.Usuallythepatientiswellaware
CONVERSATIONS IN THE FIELD Page 8

ofwhatisgoingoninherlife.Theboneswillhighlightorfocusonaproblemthatrequiresattentionandthat
mayhavebeenignoredordenied.
Thehealerisattentivetothefactthatthereisalwaysfreewillandthatanythingcanbechanged.For
instance,iftheancestorsadviseagainsttakingacertainpersonforaspouse,andthepartnerisadamantthat
shewantshim,thenmuticanbedispensedorsacrificesofferedtoasktheancestorstoimprovethe
relationship.Bonereadingsareusuallyconcernedwithhelpingpeopledealwiththeircurrentdilemmas
maritaldiscord,moneytrouble,andotherproblems.Butthebonesalsocanwarnapersonnottotakean
upcomingjourney,andtheycanhighlightapasteventthathasbearingonthepresent.Thefuturecanalways
changebecauseoffreewillbroughttobearonthepresentmoment.Farreachingandaccurateprophecyis
difficultsincefreewilliseverpresentandmayshiftthevariablesandalterthefuture.

Conclusion
Itisaninterestingreversalthat,asmoreandmoreblackpeopleinSouthAfricaaredrawntoaWestern
wayoflife,moreandmorewhitesareseekingoutthewisdomofancientAfrica.Sangomasareubiquitousin
SouthAfrica,andtheycontinuetoplayapivotalroleinthehealthandwholenessofthepostApartheidnew
SouthAfrica.

Recommended Readings

Byrd,R.(1988).Positivetherapeuticeffectsofintercessoryprayerinacoronarycareunitpopulation.Southern
MedicalJournal,81(7),826829.
Cumes,D.M.(2004).Africainmybones:Asurgeon'sodysseyintothespiritworldofAfricanhealing.Cape
Town:NewAfricaBooks.
Cumes,D.M.(1999).Thespiritofhealing.St.Paul,Minnesota:LlewellynPublications.
Cumes,D.M.(1998).Innerpassage,outerjourneys.St.Paul,Minnesota:LlewellynPublications.
HammondTooke,D.(1989).Ritualsandmedicine.Johannesburg:PaperBooks.
HammondTooke,D.(1993).TherootsofblackSouthAfrica:Anintroductiontothetraditionalcultureofthe
blackpeopleofSouthAfrica.Johannesburg:JonathanBall.
Radin,D.(1998).Movingmindmovingmatter.NoeticSciencesReview,46,2026.
Targ,E.(1999).Distanthealing.NoeticScienceReview,49,AugustNovember.
Thomas,C.,Duszynski,K.,&Shaffer,J.(1979).Familyattitudesreportedinyouthaspotentialpredictorsof
cancer.PsychosomaticMedicine,41(4),287302.