Curing Ritual of the Tongwe Traditional Doctor: Its Process and Logic

概要

論文の詳細を見る
This study attempts to analyze the logic and process of the curing ritual conducted by the traditional doctor of the Tongwe, a people of West Tanzania. In May 1972, the author underwent formal rites to join the ranks of the mfumo, the traditional doctors. On the basis of this experience, this article analyses actual examples obtained during a new survey in 1980. Sustained by the divine protection and assistance of the ancestoral ghosts and myriad spirits, the curing ritual of the mfumo ordinarily centers upon the tangible incarnation of the wills of the mysterious beings, the source and cause of disease, and their control. The following three pillars support this central core of the ritual: (1) the oracles of the spirits who possess the mfumo and spells he chants during the course of healing process, that is, the verbal aspects of the mfumo's activities; (2) techniques based on symbolic behavior which render invisible mysterious beings into incarnated objects that can be manipulated; and (3) a profound ethno-scientific knowledge that sustain the selection of the animal and vegetable dawa, the traditional medicine. Among the various aspects of curing ritual, particular attention has been given to the role vegetable medicine plays in traditional medicine. The Tongwe combine a plant's special characteristics; its habitat, morphology, color, smell, or toxicity, with the nature of the disease to be cured, linking the two through the names of the plants. This suggests the true importance of ethno-etymological study. These particular characteristics of Tongwe medicine reveal a close similarity with those of the Ndembu of Zambia.
京都大学の論文

Curing Ritual of the Tongwe Traditional Doctor: Its Process and Logic

スポンサーリンク

概要

著者

関連論文

スポンサーリンク