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Swahili Healers 2011 (3)

May (3)
The Swahili are a group of people from the East African coast who
A Basic
speak Swahili as a first language and share certain Muslim ideals Introduction
and culture. These Muslim practices are combined with certain to African
Shamanism
indigenous African practices to create the healing system that a
majority of Swahili people utilizes. There are several different kinds Annotated
Bibliography
of Swahili healing specialists including scholars/teachers, diviners
and traditional healers. Additional
Resources

Traditional Female Swahili Healer

The Swahilis beliefs about spirits are complex and vary depending on the location and tribe. Some
are influenced by Middle Eastern concepts and Islamic beliefs depending on their level of Islamic
training, literacy or religious tolerance of the spirit world. The main distinctions in spirit typology
are whether the spirit is Muslim or pagan, and whether its from the coast or the interior of East
Africa. The spirits can be further divided into different groups, which are often the focus of specific
spirit possession cults. Although most spirits are harmless, there are some that can enter into
humans and cause illness, bad luck, barrenness or other misfortunes. Relationships with spirits can
take two different forms; either possession or association. Often, these relationships begin
unintentionally or as a result of inheritance. This spirit is said to climb into the person and often
first manifests itself as an illness. Once this happens it is up to a spirit medium or healer to diagnose
the spirit and either exorcise it or placate it. People can also enter into spirit cults to protect
themselves from this possibility or seek help once this happens. Because spirits are seen as the
ultimate cause of disease and illness among the Swahili, it is the spirit mediums that are viewed as
traditional healers within the culture.

*The map in the top right corner depicts the community location of the Swahili people

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