SSY2053 Contemporary Indigenous Belief System

Mohd Danial Fiqri Bin Mohamed Somerdi (61500)

Witchcraft is a well-known subject in the study of both anthropology and sociology

being one of the universal aspect that is shared among the numerous cultures in the world. Due

to its prevalent and ubiquitous nature, the academic discourse and focal research of

anthropological studies often put an emphasis and specification towards the social significance

and function of this rather unique practise; although stereotypically, witchcraft is often

associated with negativity and harmful acts (the reason being that witchcraft is often employed

to cause harm upon another person and involves either the use of sacrifice or harmful

substances such as poisons and venoms). Witchcraft also cannot (or almost) be separated with

traditional medicinal practise till the point of it being used interchangeably at least in the

normative standard of the classical European anthropologists perspective. The existence of

witchcraft and its thriving influence in the community also denotes the ever-lasting belief of

spiritual and supernatural powers that work as a cohesive element within the society wherein

the use of witchcraft is frequently employed to solve community problem and control social

panics (social equilibrium).

In this particular research paper written by Fiona Bowie, an anthropologist who is well-

versed in the study of African society, religion, and kinship, Bowie tries to draw a line between

the two dynamic relationship of both healing and harmful properties of witchcraft; and how its

utilization affect the overall societal landscape of the Bangwa community. Bowie also

explained how the inanimate elements such as spirits or specifically “animal spirit” plays the

integral part how witchcraft and the notion of the spirit world is perceived, and with the

acquisition of this passed down “traditional wisdom” and concepts of reality (the reality being

the acknowledgement of the presence of spirits and use of sorcery), it is no surprise to see the

noticeable pattern of witchcraft case revolves around the daily interactions and social

phenomenon in the Bangwa community. These existing elements inadvertently affects even

what commonly viewed as normal and natural such as the death of a person or a person being
struck with an illness to be associated (and linked) with the intervention of supernatural power

and spirits.

Comparatively speaking in regards to the belief in the invisible entities, this association

of supernatural forces are akin and parallel to the concept of collective consciousness wherein

when a society or a large group of people share the same sentiments and values, they are more

likely to internalise the commonly accepted beliefs and ethical framework, thus creates their

own perceptive understanding on the phenomenon occurring around them (social interactions,

natural evets, taboos, etc.). With the acknowledgement of colonial influence in Cameroon,

Bowie also took account of how the coming of Christianity; being the dominant religion in the

contemporary Cameroon society slightly change the cultural landscape of their traditional and

archaic cultural capital but not to a significant degree.

As stated by Bowie, the witchcraft practitioner scene within the Bangwa community is

not exclusive to a singular role, but branches into two separate role which is the diviner

(nganga) and the witch doctor or sorcerer (nganga fu); the former being typically the one who

identifies witches and witchcraft perpetrators (using his own occult capabilities) while the latter

is the individual who employs the use of witchcraft and sorcery either for healing or to cause

harm unto other person. Cosmologically, a passed down traditional belief of the Bangwa

stresses the existence of “spirit animal” that resides in each individual, specifically the

abdominal area. Each individual has their own individual form of animal spirit and by utilizing

this spirit, those who are versed in sorcery and witchcraft will morph themselves into their

spirit animal and by doing so, capable of hurting others through the spirit realm. In most

occasion, the main objective of witchcraft is to inflict pain and death towards the targeted

individuals.
 Worth noting as well is the authoritative influence of chief (male by default, also known

as fon ) to exercise their witchcraft power legitimately compared to the less accepted female

practitioner where they are usually regarded as suspicious and cunning in nature (prone to evil

and causing harm). The recognition of male witchcraft practitioner signifies the patriarchal

nature of Banga community wherein most chiefly and power aspects are attributed to its male

members. This capabilities and recognition also bring along a certain responsibility; a powerful

chief is required to use his gift and occult power for the good of his community. Below is the

reference in relation to the said statement:

“A powerful chief is also expected to use his witch powers for the good of his people, operating

together with his counsellors (the 'Night Society' or tro) and through the witch-finding kungang

society.”

Bowie also includes some excerpts from her personal encounters involving the

incidents of witchcrafts in the Bangwa community from her fieldwork diaries. These

encounters seem to give the impression that witchcraft still hold a significant role in the many

lives of the Cameroon society, especially within the large community of the Bangwa. Many

instances include people calling their own newly-born baby as a witch, man fearing that he is

cursed, mysterious death that ended up to be a witchcraft doing and other things.

“Within a period of a hundred years they have witnessed the first European penetration of

their hills, the arrival of Christian missionaries, the construction of roads linking them to the

outside world, and the establishment of the institutions of a modern state. Such changes should

not be seen as incursions of Western and global forces into a 'traditional' way of life and

indigenous belief system.”

The extract copied from the text as shown above explained about the arrival of

European (Colonial) influence into the socio-political scene of Cameroon, but apparently does
not hinder nor in some way seem to overshaow the traditional lifestyle and the cultural domain

of archaic belief such as witchcraft and superstitions. While Christianity (as mentioned in the

earlier paragraphs) brought about minor changes such as how witchcraft is publicly recognized

as a harmful and forbidden practise, the strong adherence and lingering effect of the socio-

cultural significance of witchcraft eventually find its way to merge and fuse with the foreign

element of Christianity as exemplified in this excerpt:

“The church provides a new and alternative means of opposing witchcraft. While the

missionaries often encourage the people to dismiss witchcraft as superstitious nonsense, they

also provide practical means to counter it in the form of sacred objects, prayer, and the belief

in the power of God to protect people from the power of witches. Priests can sometimes act as

an alternative to a nganga”.

From a personal observation, the deterrent and erosion of traditional seems to be

working in the opposite favour when it comes to the Cameroon society, in regards to the

practice of witchcraft especially since its dominant influence seem to be overlapping with the

rather strict dogmas of Christianity. While witchcraft is commonly contextualized exclusively

in the taboo and deviant categories (in most culture) or the ones that are shunned by the public,

the Bangwa instead see them as a normalcy; something that is common akin to the morally

accepted behaviour such as greeting and befriending another person. In fact it can be said due

to this very reason is why the witchcraft practice and activities is still a recurring phenomenon

in the society as it still serve its function both in its social and spiritual context. The almost

harmonious relationship between the two dominant social entities and institutions (cultural and

religion) displayed also seem to indicate that the strong presence of cultural preservation which

is inadvertently kept alive by the continuation of practise by the community themselves; with

the realization of another large and influential aspect like the religious institution. The thesis
and antithesis dynamic between the almost contradictory and conflicting values between the

cultural and religion aspects unexpectedly creates a synthesis that allows for flexibility and

sometimes an overlapped coexistence between the two; which is exactly exemplified by the

thriving existence of witchcraft among the Bangwa in the midst of the expansion of Christianity

within the Cameroon society.