Anthropos: Anthropos, 69.1974

Anthropos, 69.1974

Bibliographic Data

Journal

Structure Type:: Journal

Works URN (URL):: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-714820

URN:: urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-714820

Persistent identifier:: BV043334262

Title:: Anthropos

Sub Title:: internationale Zeitschrift für Völker- u. Sprachenkunde

Place of Publication:: Fribourg

Publisher:: Ed. St. Paul

Year of Publication:: 1906

Collection:: Journals and Newspapers > Journals of Ethnology

Domain:: Social and cultural anthropology > General overview

Journal Volume

Structure Type:: Journal Volume

Works URN (URL):: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-711778

URN:: urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-711778

Persistent identifier:: 1510649436189

Title:: Anthropos, 69.1974

Year of Publication:: 1974

Call Number:: LA 1118

Collection:: Journals and Newspapers > Journals of Ethnology

Journal Issue

Structure Type:: Journal Issue

Title:: Bd. 69, 1974, Heft 1-2

Collection:: Journals and Newspapers > Journals of Ethnology

Journal Article

Structure Type:: Journal Article

Title:: To Kill a Thief: A Kallawaya Sorcery Session in the Lake Titicaca Region of Peru

Other person:: Bolton, Ralph

Collection:: Journals and Newspapers > Journals of Ethnology

To Kill a Thief: A Kallaway a Sorcery Session 213 assuming that the accusation is false” 25 . In this essay I have attempte to br fog to bear a different perspective, the perspective of the sorcerer and the Person who hires him. In the case which I have narrated, it is clear that the individuals involved thought their actions to be morally justified. They were seeking to correct the injustice which had been done to them by the thieves. Having exhausted all other avenues to redress, they resorted to sorcery. The Ver y powerlessness of the theft victims induced them to employ sorcery tbei r own defense. In this instance sorcery can be seen as a quasi-legal device, ° ne which is especially suited to the needs of the weak. I would not be surprised to find that in most cases when sorcery is per formed, the practitioners believe that they are working to right a wrong In the Andes it seeems that the wrong tends to be theft, and for that reason tbere exists a strong connection between sorcery and theft. Certainly the soi- Cer er inflicts harm on the enemies of his clients, but the question can be raise . Hoes he ever do so without provocation? In the ritual that I witnesse , t sorcerer repeatedly stressed that innocent suspects would suffer no harm. 1 he details of the present case have illustrated the applicability o n °tion of the transitivity of power to Andean sorcery. This demonstration is hardly unique. Catacora, a Peruvian scholar, took note of this aspect o Andean sorcery in his recent book, Del folklore al delito. He stated ( Esta práctica nos invita a reflexionar que ella no representa sino el deseo icpii mi do de venganza de la persona que recurre al brujo para eliminar a su enemigo o a c Pers «na que no es de su simpatía. El hombre o la mujer que recurre al brujo, cuanto Quisiera descargar su cólera, castigar a su enemigo, pinchándolo o liqui an o o p me nte. p ero como e jj 0 no je es posible, ya sea por temor a la justicia o porque puridad de la superioridad física o moral del otro, tiene que recurrir al brujo, qui bac er esas operaciones con un muñeco, lo consuela, no sólo porque le da una esperanza re h Ue Sus deseos serán satisfechos sino porque ha materializado los ánimos que t Sa do habría querido ejecutar. Ihe wronged person would like to use physical foice against his entn y, but fo most cases of theft this is not possible. Thus, he seeks vengeance or fostice (one must be careful with these value-laden words) by other means. , H is interesting to note, though, that a subtle but important escalation ^ kes Place with respect to the punishment inflicted upon the enemy If caught, * he thief is merely beaten; a beating is not considered to be terribly serious by the Qoiia. As uncertainty increases, however, the retribution be c°nws har sher. I n situations of extreme uncertainty, when sorcery is applied the Penalty i s death. perhaps only a dramatic punishment, an event such as deat h, can reduce the uncertainty felt by the aggrieved m these troublesome ases - One can attempt to kill a thief, but in the end, only (iod 'nows. Nevertheless, the ritual itself brings some relief, as we note earle Hmotea was visibly comforted by her participation in the ritual. The others Who attended had' been less distraught, and they displayed lower levels of ?■/,,, ' n this quotation Douglas is not utilizing the semantic distinction between rcer y and witchcraft.

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