Cultural Anthropology for Missions

COMPARITIVE STUDY OF KUKU AND HEBREW CULTURES
M. M. NINAN
among the early Hebrew prophets. Both good spirits and evil
spirits possessed the Hebrew prophets and both prophesied to
guide or to misguide people. (See Num. 11:25, 1 Sam. 10:6,9-13
etc.) During the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the believers they
spoke in tongues which was considered as a sign of the filling of
the. spirit. However we should note here that though speaking in
tongues is a sign of spirit possession it does not imply it is, the
Holy Spirit. This can be ascertained only by the' fruits of the
spirit.
The spirits are very sensitive to musical instruments and to some
specific songs. As soon as an Andude possessed person hears
the sound .of the drum or the song, he will start dancing in the
trance. They normally wants to be' the drummer until the spirit
departs or the song stops. Temporary possession may be
induced by mechanical and musical means. For this, goat dung
is collected in gassiya leaves and is .put under the arm pits of
the man or woman desiring such temporary possession. A helper
who knows the songs of the spirit joins the person in a Similar
manner and starts singing the songs. The helper will pat over the
head of the person in rhythm as background choir chants on. As
the song reaches higher and higher pitch the person will be filled.
In the early Hebrew culture temporary possession of the Spirit of
the Lord was induced by music as is implied in 2 Kings 3:15,
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