The Anthropology of Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion It’s Magic!

In the Pantheon of Anthropology… Bronislav Malinowski 1884-1942 Franz Boas 1858-1942

on the Trobriand Islands Bronislav Malinowski Studied physics and math Interest in psychology Focused on the individual in culture Malinowski on the Trobriand Islands (1918)

The Sorcerers of Dobu Based on Fieldwork Carried Out in the 1920s by Reo F. Fortune

Background an island east of New Guinea participants in the kula ring primarily horticulturalists – primarily yams acephalic society status achieved by success in different ventures feared by members of neighboring islands cannibals deadliest witchcraft

Social Organization based on matrilineal families called suso = “mother’s milk ca. 25 people per village (late 1920s) villages are exogamous (but sexual relations are allowed) 4 - 20 villages joined into localities localities are endogamous ambilocal residence

World View inside the suso outside the suso trust fear mistrust jealousy suspicion

World View jealousy of possessions adultery is a measure of prestige mother’s advice to daughters: fidelity in marriage results from a woman keeping her husband sexually exhausted poisoning of food and drink is common sharing food, drink, cigarettes is a sign of the greatest trust

World View no concept of accident all misfortunes result from witchcraft sorcery attack each has a supernatural cause world is controlled by competing forces

kasa sona on earth approximately 5 generations (= time of creation) before Fortune’s field work born with the sun, the moon, and the earth used magical formulae to make things happen gave many of these formulae to people must follow the will of those who know a formula most accurately

Magical Formulae the basis of all wealth and success on Dobu not even brothers will share them learned from mother’s brother (avuncular inheritance)

Magical Formulae every member of the village in which Fortune lived possessed 1-5 formulae for causing illness since introduction of money, formulae could be purchased (1 formula = 4 months wages)

Sorcery Sorcerers = ♂ ♂ claim to be able to cause particular illness occurs by day leaves behind a physical record

Witchcraft Witches = ♀ ♀ say nothing about the magic they can produce occurs at night leaves no trace can also produce wind and rain (good for kula) as a result, ♀ are not allowed on kula expeditions

Two Magical Principles Law of Similarity Law of Contagion “imitative” or “homeopathic” magic “like produces like” “exuvial” magic “part affects the whole”

Magic practiced by all adults the most compelling magic is produced when the formulae are spoken correctly a formula’s potency can be increased chew ginger root drink salt water

Death when the cause is unclear, it is often considered the result of witchcraft when it results from a clearly identifiable illness, usually attributed to sorcery when the cause of death (or the source of a disease) cannot be determined, a diviner from another locality may be brought in

Sex & Marriage after a boy turns 13-14 (puberty), he must find the hut of an unmarried girl to sleep in must leave before the girl’s parents awaken if the mother catches a boy with her daughter, then marriage preparations will begin

Love Magic the cause of all sexual desire formulae for love magic are possessed by both ♂ & ♀ formulae are primarily used against married persons Fortune was able to learn many magical formulae, but none for love magic

Gardens yam seeds are inherited matrilineally ♂ & ♀ have separate gardens and seeds people and yams are related tomot refers to both (but not to Europeans) ♀ & yams are both considered the property of ♂ (according to the ♂)

Yams since they are related to people, they have similar lives yams enjoy early period of freedom (like Dobuan children) young yams are able to wander at night, but must be back in their own garden before daybreak

Yam Magic similar to love magic as the yams grow older, people will sing songs of seduction (= magic) to a few of their yams the other yams become upset because they were excluded and grow more vigorously in protest

Yam Magic seduction is also used to coax yams from other people’s gardens illness-causing magical formulae (known as tabu) are used to protect gardens against this size of a person’s crop reflects the potency of their magic (yields are not made public)

Functions of Magic serves in place of a legal system ♂ have a general alibi, for death could be due to any ♀ ♀ have an individual alibi, for each illness is due to a particular ♂, and counter-magic can be learned

Functions of Magic diviners and others usually know if a ♂ has claimed to be able to cause a particular disease if a ♀ has had a conflict with someone if one person has crossed another

Functions of Magic also serves as a leveling mechanism wabuwabu during marriage arrangements during kula trade Dobuans as cannibals?