Anthropological Study of Azande and Nuer Cultures

Running head: SOCIOLOGY 1
SOCIOLOGY
Name
University

SOCIOLOGY 2
Introduction
Edward Evans Pritchard, studied Anthrophony in Africa, and made a compilation called
‘Strange Beliefs’ which tries to show how Africans have Underlying assumptions and notions
which affect their beliefs. Edward found the beliefs to be logical. He shows how, many cultural
ideas are common with our own, although also different and unique. He lived among the Azande
and Nuer people of Sudan and made intense, revolutionary anthropological findings.
When Edward was carrying out his research, anthropology as a discipline was largely
influenced by colonialism. The colonized subjects were perceived as primitive and inferior. Their
beliefs on witchcraft was seen as ridiculous, misguided and irrational. Edward however, saw the
beliefs of Africans as logical and made sense to him; as they were forms of cultural relativism
and unconventional. He recognized the beliefs of the people as unique while observing them and
respected how he had differently experienced the practices. He did not dismiss them as
backward, primitive and illogical, as compared to their civilized understanding and that of
sophisticated cultures. The colonialist failed to understand the cultures of their subjects and aptly
colonized them because of their primitivity and backwardness.
The belief in witchcraft was manifested every day in the cultures of the Azande people.
They believed in Power of witchcraft and magic. They were primitive people with primitive
mentalities. A serious misfortune like a falling granary and injuring someone is attributed to
witchcraft even those misfortunes leading to death. While in reality the granaries were falling
because of engineering technicalities. They believed that death was caused by witchcraft because
of the mysteries surrounding death which was something unknown to them and they could not
fully understand. The only source of witchcraft the Azande knew was other human beings;
whether consciously or unconsciously. Therefore, to prevent misfortunes and perhaps death, they

SOCIOLOGY 3
consulted the witchcraft doctors to offer them solutions. Azande consulted oracles on witchcraft;
which were procedures to nagging suspicions involving witchcraft. The doctors could perform
spells and other procedures in predicting who had bewitched another and what medicine they
should seek. The procedures were done through an establishment of contact with evil powers
through oracles.
The witchdoctor was an important person in Azande society, and they could see and
guard the society against the menace of misfortunes by combating them before they happened.
The Azande had so much faith in the witchcraft even when it failed to prevent misfortunes and
deaths. The faith in which craft was relentless even when it proved unhelpful. Despite the
failures of the witchcraft; it not being proved or disapproved by Marxism or Christianity, the
Azande never gave up on their beliefs on witchcraft. It remained a culture and a belief system
which was rational to them. It raises the question of what can be considered rational thinking in
any culture. Witchcraft can be seen as an expression about human spite, envy and anger; where
they are able to manage. Culture was a practical way of organizing the Azande, even compared
to world religions today, one would understand why they perhaps practiced their cultures as they
did.
The Western people took superior positions as compared to the rest of the world cultures,
hence they never took the Azande cultures seriously. According to Edward, the westerners failed
to realize that some of their belief systems and ideologies were based on similar belief systems
such as those of Azande (Salzmann, Stanlaw, and Adachi 2014;3). The Azande belief system
was one that brought hope to people and gave answers to most of their unanswered mysteries
(containing adherents who transferred certain practices).