A visit to a sangoma or healer

Our walk took us to the home of a teenage sangoma or healer, or witch doctor as we call them in the west. She seemed very young. Apparently, she had been called to be a healer at the age of 13 and had gone through nine months of training to achieve her certification. With Sindy acting as interpreter, she explained the clothing a healer wears and the herbs he or she uses to heal her patients. The treatment she offers does not replace orthodox medicine. Rather, it complements it. She then danced for us, accompanied by a boy playing a drum. It was all very interesting. I’m sure it works for some people.

It is more usual for sangoma to be much older than the one we met. We were told of two healers in their fifties. One had been called by the ancestors of her grandfather. When she danced, she made very masculine, guttural sounds as the spirits came through her. The other had been called by the spirit of her grandmother. She was much more feminine when she danced. Both had gone through six years of training up in the mountains to become fully fledged sangoma. They were not allowed any contact with males during this time, and both had to follow a strict vegan diet, the belief being that male or animal spirits could contaminate them. After six years, a cow and a goat were slaughtered, and they each had to drink a horn filled with their blood!

The first sign that a person is called to be a sangoma is that they become ill. If they refuse to accept their calling, they will surely die!Read more