Cultural Anthropology for Missions

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COMPARITIVE STUDY OF KUKU AND HEBREW CULTURES M. M. NINAN 15. The Spirit Doctors. The spirit doctors are people who are possessed by some spiritsome good and others evil. These may enter into people who are willing to harbor them and care for them and can live peaceably with them. Once a person is possessed, he will change his personality completely. He will have a split personality. The spirit will tell him to do odd things such as .to sleep on the roof top op in the attics or even on trees. They may make him to eat. tobacco instead of smoking it. Sometimes these people will go without food for several days. Instead of drinking water, they may drink only beer. The alcoholic drinks were first made in the Kuku land for the spirit and not for men. Later people began to use it. It is still considered that alcoholism will lead to evil spirit possession. Drinking alcohol is considered as a communion with the devil. A spirit doctor may not cross a river or a stream without a knife in hand. This is because the demons are at enmity with the river spirits (which are the spirits of the evil men.) The spirit doctors drive these river spirits away during their exorcism and treatments. Though most people do not like to do it, if normal sacrifices fail, sick people go to the spirit doctors for treatment. He will thoroughly interrogate the person with a view to pin-point causes of trouble and particular sins or even hatreds harbored 149
COMPARITIVE STUDY OF KUKU AND HEBREW CULTURES M. M. NINAN within the hearts. He is an expert psychiatrist who can hypnotize people and get to their secret problems. Then he will prescribe sacrifices for these to the ancestors or to the spirits who are grieved because of that. If it is a small sin, spirit doctor will chew some sim-sim seeds and spit it on the patient and will .chant his magical words over the patient. 'Otherwise sacrifices of cock, sheep, ram, cow or bull may be required. Since spirit doctors are in great demand and since they earn very well people voluntarily seek such possessions. When these people die they do not go away. Instead they take possession of the eldest son or daughter in the family. This may go or even 16. Blessing and Consecration. Oil is of great importance to the lives of Kuku and symbolizes peace. Sim-sim as they contains oil has an important part in most ceremonies. Consecration. and blessings on people are made by the council of elders - the "Temejik'. The person's uncle and the chief of the clan and the tribe are usually present for all such ceremonies. They all chew the aim-aim seed and mixes it well with their saliva. This oily paste is then taken out and of the mouth applied on the person - on their head, arms and feet making the sign of a 150
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Prof. M. M. Ninan and Pastor Immanu
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Cultural Anthropology for Missions

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