Abstract
Spirit Beliefs in Suriname IN the course of a detailed account of the folk-lore of the negroes of Suriname (Suriname Folk-lore: by Melville J. Herskovits and Frances S. Herskovits, Columbia Univ. Contrib. Anihrop., 27), based on material collected in Dutch Guiana in 1928 and 1929, it is pointed out that the essential factor in the beliefs of the Paramaribo town negroes, is divination, for through the work of the diviner all the elements of their system are drawn together, explained and controlled. These elements are four in number: the akra or soul, the winti or the gods, obia and wisi, good and evil magic, and the spirits of the dead. Winti, the negroes say, means wind. It is in every place, and is the air we breathe. The spirit too is everywhere. The term defines the gods and spirits, which rule the universe; among the bush negroes gods are usually termed gado, and in both city and among the bush negroes other terms are encountered. Although among the bush negroes a term for Supreme God frequently occurs, it is seldom that a sky-god is invoked in the town. The only reference is in the dance to the seven gods of the sky, the thunder gods. The earth gods are headed by the Earth Mother, who even in ritual is referred to by this euphemism, and is named correctly only in songs sung by those under possession. The Earth Mother has a large number of these ‘strong’ names, used only by initiates and in ritual performance. This variety of names may be due to the fact that the negroes are descendants of ancestors who hailed from very different parts of Africa. While other winti receive offerings only from their own devotees, the Earth Mother receives from all. The most prevalent type of winti among women are those associated with the snake. While some snake spirits may enter into possession of men, others possess women only. This seems to be connected with childbirth and the belief that ancestor spirits may make use of the snake. Other winti are connected with the river, or the bush, living in the ground, in trees and in holes. Winti may be acquired by inheritance, by choice of the spirit, or through the ‘bad magic’ of an enemy.
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Research Items. Nature 139, 678–679 (1937). https://doi.org/10.1038/139678a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/139678a0