Monday 19 March 2012

Witchcraft Beliefs in the Upper East


*It’s spread through feeding, not birth
*it’s harder for men to spread witchcraft because they don’t feed the children – there are less male witches
*There is a different balance in the blood, which can be tested
* They cannot see each other as witches, so it is harder to affect a different household
* There are witches who confess
* They live in trees; witchcraft is only done at night
* They can fly
* There is a society among witches with a witch king who demands the sacrifice of a loved one
* Witches don’t just kill, sometimes they make a person act out of character
* It is an old traditional belief, though Christianity has reinforced it
* Punishment depends on the level of witchcraft; both witches and ju-ju men can do good and bad
* If it’s natural hatred, a society will know
* A trial is by ju-ju, not law (which is actually illegal in the Constitution)
* Witches eat humans; they change a person into an animal, sacrifice the animal at gatherings (killing the spirit of the person) and eat the animal. The body of the stolen soul will die shortly after.
* Witches do not have souls
* After something happens, a witch will be revealed depending on the family
* The spirit of a village will protect from witchcraft; or it won’t
* It’s a gene – mothers can choose among their children to pass it along; the chosen child may not know (it depends on the relationship)
* It’s a gift given to a favourite child
* Some of the chosen refuse to use their magic for evil, but they still have the witch spirit
* In the UE they live in their communities,  unless something bad happens
* The Ju-ju man is always right, but it depends on circumstances
* Witches posses people to influence their actions
* You cannot tell the difference between a normal person and a witch unless under special circumstances
* Ju-ju men never lie
* Ju-ju men are also not corrupt; they do not demand anything special to ensure a certain result
* Depending on the spirit, a ju-ju man can also shape shift like a witch
* Witches are only banished in the North
* If the witches are children, depending on the spirit, the child is punished accordingly (including death)
*If you go against the wishes or warnings of the ju-ju and your acts are unnatural, you are a witch and punished – even children.
* If it’s a natural death, it’s find, but every death is consulted to authenticate its reason; there is no rush to bury the dead, traditional homes consult ju-ju, Christians will bury their dead, but over time a person will confess to having a hand in the death if need be.
* If you kill innocents, the spirit cannot sleep and you will confess to the crime. No confession: no witch

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