For the Nyoro, a Bantu-speaking tribe in western Uganda, once someone has passed into the spiritual plane, they no longer acknowledge their connections to family and friends. Rather, they become part of the underworld, manifest only in dreams, and are malevolent toward the living, causing illness and misfortune. Since they do not recognize the former bonds between them and loved ones, ghosts can inflict ill intentions on even the closest relative, especially if they were wronged during life. In order to rectify these curses, the afflicted or someone close to them must become possessed by the spirit so their wishes can be uttered and fulfilled. This process begins with the erection of spirit hut, a small recreation of the deceased’s home – eighteen inches tall and coned shaped – where the skull of a sacrificed animal, usually a black goat, is presented. Once the shrine is built, the hexed individual can become possessed by the spirit and instructed what wrong needs to be corrected to lift the misfortune. If the malevolent spirit is not a former friend or relative, though, the possession becomes a means of entrapment, with the dead enticed out of the person’s body and into an earthenware pot which is sealed and either burned or abandoned in a remote part of the bush. To determine whether the spirit is a former loved one or stranger, the individual must seek guidance from a diviner.[1]
Works Referenced
Beattie, John. Bunyoro: An African Kingdom. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1960.
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[1] Beattie, 75-77.
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