SPIRIT-WORSHIP 195 



but the spirit-worship it entails is complicated 

 by magic and sorcery. The number and variety 

 of the spirits is very great, and the people appear 

 to believe in woodland elves and goblins as well as 

 spirits. 



The profession of its priests or witch doctors 

 (called N'ganga) includes a great number of 

 specialists, each dealing with one or other mental 

 or physical malady, or devoting himself to the 

 arts of divining, spiritualism, or rain-making ; 

 while the witch doctors work with a surprising 

 wealth of ritual, incantations, taboos, and other 

 devices.'; 



Finally, a fetish is not an idol and is not 

 worshipped, but may be considered as were 

 charms and amulets in those mediaeval days- 

 objects which have acquired virtue through 

 spiritual influence, brought about by the witch 

 doctor in the one case or the blessing of some 

 saintly Christian in the other ; in fact, it is possible 

 that the cult of the fetish was encouraged by the 

 introduction of Christian charms, sacred images, 

 medallions, and elaborate ritual into Angola four 



7 o 



hundred years ago, and that the very Catholic 

 faith that came to destroy idolatry unwittingly 

 developed it. 



In contrast with the negro's disregard of a 

 vague but beneficent deity, who, he thinks, will 

 not harm him and so need not be propitiated, is 

 his dread of evil spirits, the souls of evil people 

 come back from the tomb, to people the forest 

 and haunt and harm the living, and which must 

 for this reason be appeased, 



