WOMEN, WITCHCRAFT, AND FAITH HEALING: AN ANALYSIS OF SYNCRETIC RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT AND HISTORICAL CONTINUITY IN 20TH CENTURY ZIMBABWE
A thesis submitted to the Kent State University Honors College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for General Honors
by
David Austin
May, 2021
Thesis written by
David Austin
Approved by
______, Advisor
______, Chair, Department of History
Accepted by
______, Dean, Honors College
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………..iv
CHAPTERS
I. INTRODUCTION…………….…………………………………………..1
II. ANALYZING WITCHCRAFT ACCUSATIONS AND CONFESSIONS HISTORICALLY…………………………………………….…………...7
The Process of Witchcraft Accusations in Colonial Zimbabwe…………13
The Role of the n’anga in muroyi Accusation…………………………...15
Ways of Resolving Witchcraft Allegations: Ordeals and Others………..17
An Example of Witchcraft Confession in Colonial Zimbabwe………….22
III. SPIRITUAL SISTERS: ANALYZING CONTINUITIES BETWEEN CHARWE/NEHANDA, MAI CHAZA, AND AMBUYA JULIANA………………………………………………………………...27
Historical Archetype: Charwe/Nehanda…………………………………29
Resurrected from the Dead: Mai Chaza………………………………….35
Vatagensi (Sellout) Phenomena During the War of Liberation and a Transformation of Witchcraft Accusations and Spirit Mediumship……..45
Repentance and Rain: Ambuya Juliana………………………………….49
IV. CONCLUSION…………….…………………………………………….58
BIBLIOGRAPHY.…...... 61
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the advisor of this project, Dr.
Timothy Scarnecchia, for his thoughtful guidance and criticisms, without which this thesis would have been an impossible endeavor. I would also like to extend thanks to
John, a fellow student and brother of mine whose friendship, sharp thinking, and camaraderie surrounding this thesis helped make it what it is. Next, I would like to give thanks to my family for their continued support in my academic pursuits, principally to
Lynda, my mother, and Ashley, my sister, for their patience and love in the prolonged struggle to get to the finish, and my aunt Gayle and my cousin Ross, who have continually challenged me to reach higher heights in contemplative thought and educational achievement.
I also wish to thank those serving on my Thesis Defense Committee, namely, Dr.
Matthew Crawford, Dr. Davison Mupinga, and Dr. Suzy D’Enbeau who have graciously agreed to evaluate, critique, and challenge me in my defense of such a lengthy intellectual endeavor.
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Chapter One: Introduction
This Honors Thesis has its origins in my piqued interest surrounding gender, mystical experiences, marginalization, and empowerment that women have faced throughout history, especially taking shape after taking HIST 38595-002: Dangerous
Ideas: History of Heresy, 900-1800 under Dr. Crawford, and HIST-41132 History of
Africa: 1880-Pre en nder Dr. Scarnecchia bo h from Ken S a e Uni er i Hi or
Department. After attending the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURE) under the auspices of Dr. Scarnecchia and asking him to be an advisor for this project, was I able to narrow down the research focus to Zimbabwe, and then further to the topics of witchcraft, women, religious syncretism, and empowerment with his help. What follows is my own historical argument concerning incredible female figures of
Zimbab e hi or , namel Char e-Nehanda, Mai Chaza, and Ambuya Juliana, all of whom will be discussed at length later. Before beginning, some context regarding terminology is needed.
A variety of terms are referenced throughout this thesis that are drawn from historical accounts of traditional Shona religion. The Shona are the largest