Sorcery Among the Akamba in Kenya
| Author | J. C. Nottingham |
| Date | 01 January 1959 |
| Published date | 01 January 1959 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1959.tb01194.x |
Sorcery
Among
the
Akamba 11l
Kenya
by J. C.
NOTTINGHAM
District
Ojficer,
Kenya
IN
the
early
months
of 1954, Simeon Musyoki was
appointed
Chief
of
Mbitini
location in
Machakos
District to fight
the
Mau Mau
oath
which
had
spread
along
the
railway line from
Nairobi
to his people. After various successes
against
the
leaders, he
started
a system
of
confessions
and
free
pardons
for
those
who
had
merely taken the
oath
and
had
not
otherwise
been
deeply
involved.
But
as these confessions snowballed, in
addition
to
their
stories
of
Mau
l'vIau oathings
many
of the
women
concerned
began
to
come
out
with
strange
tales of
'Witchcraft'
practices,
producing
to
the
Chief
articles
which
they alleged they were in the
habit
of using to
bring
about
death
and
injury
to others.
What
made
them
reveal
their
secrets,
the
real motive
behind
their
mass
surrender
of these objects, is
not
easy to assess,
though
there
have
been
similar episodes in
the
historical
past;
nor
can
one even
now
be absolutely
certain
that
they were
not
as
deluded
as those involved
in
the
Salem
tragedy
in America.
The
fact remains
that
they
came
in such
numbers,
and
so
extra-
ordinary
were
many
of the activities
that
they described,
that
there
was a
strong
movement
among
many
of the leading
Akarnba
to
try
to achieve a
similar success in
their
own
locations,
and
this finally
grew
to such proportions
that
those in
charge
felt it
would
be
better
to
have
some control over it
than
just
to let it
run
its
own
dangerous
course.
"Please
help
us to
get
rid of
witchcraft"
must
be
one
of
the
hardiest
annuals
on
the
agenda
of
Chiefs' meetings all over Africa,
and
it is too often politely
passed over by
administrative
ofTicers
who
feel it is too
thorny
asubject to
dabble
in.
But
at
this
particular
juncture,
as
clear
indications
came
in
that
Kikuyu
and
Kamba
Mau
Mau
were using
and
adapting
Kamba
'witchcraft'
in
their
campaign
of
subversion,
the
District Commissioner
of
Machakos
felt
that
the
opportunity
which
a
properly
controlled
inquiry
might
give to
learn
something
of
its techniques
and
their
alleged effects
should
not
be missed,
and
so he
gave
advice
and
instructions for
carrying
out
an
investigation in
the
Eastern
Area, which was in
general
the
most
backward
and
heretofore
the
least
administered
part
of
the
District. I
would
like to
make
it
clear
here
that
without
this direction
and
interest
none
of
what
will be described could
have
been
attempted
or
carried
out. I
would
also like to acknowledge
my
debt
to Dr. L. S. B. Leakey for his wise
interpretations
of
the
results,
and
to
Father
Peter
Leyden
of
Kaumoni
Mission,
who
was a rock
of
counsel
throughout.
The Fear
of
Sorcery
None
can
work for long
among
the
Bantu
in
Kenya
without
realising
that
the
fear
of
sorcery
and
the
employment
of witch-doctors
playa
considerable
part
in
their
lives, even
among
those
with
some education.
This
fear works
strongly
against
the
progressive forces
that
we
are
bringing
into this Colony,
and
is as active
among
the
workers in the cities as
among
those living
deep
in
the
Reserves.
2
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