Traditional healers of Southern Africa

What it is

Traditional healers in Southern Africa operate as both diviners and herbalists within Nguni, Sotho, and Tsonga societies. They address physical, emotional, and spiritual illnesses by mediating between the living and the dead. Practitioners are highly revered figures who maintain social harmony and guide community rituals. Their work involves diagnosing afflictions caused by witchcraft, pollution, or neglected ancestors. The practice is holistic, treating the patient's entire existence rather than isolated symptoms. Healers are estimated to number around 200,000 in South Africa alone, serving a majority of the population alongside biomedical services.

Where it comes from

The tradition stems from the Ngoma philosophy, which centers on belief in ancestral spirits. Different cultures use specific terms: sangoma for diviners, inyanga for herbalists, amagqirha for Xhosa diviners, and amaxhwele for Xhosa herbalists. Northern Sotho speakers use ngaka, while Venda people call them mungome. Colonialism and urbanization have blurred distinctions between these roles, leading many modern healers to practice both arts. The tradition persists despite historical suppression and transculturation, adapting to contemporary needs while maintaining core spiritual principles.

How it is done

Healing sessions begin with establishing contact with ancestors through prayer or bone throwing. Diviners interpret the landing of bones, coins, or shells to diagnose the cause of illness. Possession rituals involve drumming, dancing, and chanting to enter trance states where ancestors speak through the healer. Purification methods include bathing, steaming, vomiting, and nasal snuffing. Patients may receive herbal remedies or be referred to other specialists. Animal sacrifices and burning incense like impepho appease spirits. Dreams and visions guide the collection of medicinal plants and timing of treatments.

Tools and materials

Healers use bones, dice, dominoes, coins, shells, and stones for divination. Each item carries specific symbolic meaning, such as hyena bones indicating theft. Medicinal preparations called muthi combine plants, animal fats, and minerals. Impepho leaves are burned as incense to communicate with ancestors. Snuff is used for prayer and sneezing to expel disease. Sacred huts called indumba house healing tools, while portable shrines known as imsamo serve those without permanent spaces. Drumming instruments facilitate trance induction during possession rituals.

What it is for

Patients seek healers for physical pain, mental distress, social disharmony, and spiritual difficulties. Healers aim to restore balance between afflicted individuals and causing spirits. Treatments address witchcraft accusations, ancestral displeasure, and environmental pollution. Muthi provides protection, love, luck, and courage through symbolic substances like lion fat. Divination identifies root causes of suffering and prescribes appropriate remedies. Healers also assist in birth and death rituals, find lost property, and protect warriors. Their guidance helps navigate life crises and maintain community cohesion.

Who does it

Both men and women become traditional healers through a calling process involving initiation illness. Symptoms include psychosis, headaches, stomach pain, and shoulder complaints. Trainees undergo ukuthwasa or ubungoma journeys to develop their abilities. Some practitioners experience amafufunyana, previously misidentified as demonic possession but now recognized as schizophrenia. Healers train through apprenticeship and ancestral guidance. They store herbs in sacred huts and consult dreams for collection advice. Experienced healers combine ancestral knowledge with personal training and community experience.

Peoples and places

Southern African communities maintain distinct terminology for healers based on ethnic groups. Zulu and Xhosa societies distinguish between sangomas and inyanga, though colonial influences have merged these roles. Northern Sotho use ngaka, Southern Sotho use selaoli, and Venda use mungome. Tsonga practitioners are called n'anga or mungoma. Bapedi healers specialize in reproductive health using specific plant families. Practices vary across regions while sharing core beliefs in ancestral mediation. Urbanization has created hybrid approaches combining traditional and biomedical methods. Diaspora communities preserve these traditions through adapted practices.

What people believe

Ngoma philosophy holds that ancestral spirits guide and protect the living from the afterlife. Spirits intervene in human affairs, sometimes causing affliction through conflict or neglect. Healers create harmony between helpful and harmful spirits to alleviate suffering. Possession states allow ancestors to communicate directly with patients through trained mediums. Dreams provide guidance on plant collection and treatment timing. Spirits use human bodies as battlegrounds for their disputes. Healing requires restitution and appeasement through rituals. The worldview emphasizes interconnectedness between physical health and spiritual relationships.

When it is done

Healers respond to illness and crisis whenever they occur rather than following fixed calendar dates. Treatment preparation involves abstinence and fasting periods. Plant collection follows auspicious times determined through dreams and ancestral advice. Rituals may align with seasonal changes affecting plant potency. Life events like births and deaths require specific ceremonial interventions. Daily consultations address ongoing health concerns and social disputes. Divination sessions determine appropriate timing for treatments and sacrifices. The practice operates continuously without rigid scheduling constraints.

Questions people ask about Traditional healers of Southern Africa

Good reading and sources

• Traditional healers of Southern Africa on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data