Good Magic in Ovambo

Good Magic in Ovambo

History plays an increasingly important role in anthropological discussions. Historical sources for the cultures and societies traditionally studies by anthropologists are, however, scant. This not only affects anthropological research but it greatly affects identity building processes int eh independent nations of the Third World. Most of the early descriptions of the different cultures have been produced by travellers, traders and missionaries. The value of these sources has been recognized for a long time among the experts, but most of the collections have been buried in the archives of the former colonial powers, Finnish missionaries have worked in Namibia for more than a hundred years. From the very beginning they accumulated information about the local cultures. Maija Hiltunen has made a great contribution in this volume to the study of the area by publishing her account of magical practices. She thus continues the work begun earlier with Witchcraft and Sorcery in Ovambo, 1986. Both works make vast amounts of information collected by Finnish missionaries accessible not only to researchers able to read Finnish but also to a wider audience.

Maija Hiltunen

Finnish Anthropological Society (Suomen Antropologinen Seura)

1993

© Maija Hiltunen

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