Citation

Ogembo JM. Ethos 2001; 29(1): 3-29.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, American Anthropological Association, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1525/eth.2001.29.1.3

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In 1992-94 during a period of communal hysteria about witches in Gusii, southwestern Kenya, three men involved themselves in the burning of their mothers, whom they accused of witchcraft. None of them was ever punished by the government or ostracized by his community in accordance with traditional custom. The community's response to such horrifying homicides is unusual, but it can be understood in terms of the dominant ideology of the patrilineage that gained great directive force (on the members) from the economic and political stress the country was going through at the time.

Language: en