Loading...
Indigenous Healing in Southwestern Zimbabwe
Schuessler, Sue
Schuessler, Sue
Author(s)
Contributor(s)
Collections
Files
Loading...
n2011-34.pdf
Adobe PDF, 353.36 KB
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Online Access
Abstract
"During my research on indigenous knowledge in African healing, healers often brought up the importance of dedication to “doing the work of the amadlozi” (ancestral spirits), doing that which is in the best interests of the community, and “having a good heart.” This implies that, for example, if the community needs rain for its crops, the healers doing the work of the amadlozi must put their energy into activities they believe will bring rain rather than activities the individual healers may prefer instead. Doing that work may also mean that the healer stay in the community to be of help there rather than moving to another country or region to make more money. “Having a good heart” means being humble and not putting oneself above or before others. It also means doing that which is constructive, not destructive. For example, if one believes that someone else is engaged in an activity that hurts the family, one should not act to get revenge. “Having a good heart” also refers to the ability to control one’s anger. I was surprised by the healers’ emphasis on these actions and traits as the literature on African indigenous healing had few explicit references to this moral discourse with the exception of Pamela Reynolds’ Traditional Healers and Childhood in Zimbabwe (1996). This paper is an attempt to better understand this indigenous element of the healing discourse in this setting."(pg 180-181)
Note(s)
Topic
Type
Article
Date
2011
Identifier
ISBN
DOI
Copyright/License
With permission of the license/copyright holder