Svikiro
Svikiro is a spirit medium of the Shona people of Zimbabwe.
A svikiro is an ancestral spirit primarily known to possess a living human and will give advice based on that communication.[1]
The word comes from the verb kusvika meaning "to arrive at or reach a place". It also stems from kusvikirwa meaning "to arrive upon", as it is believed that the ancestral spirits arrive in the bodies of the mediums.[1]
Other types of mediums (svikiro) include mhondoro which are possessed by the ancestor spirits of the same name. Mhondoro means lion in Shona. It is believed that mhondoro spirits reside in the bodies of maneless lions until they have a host to possess. Mhondoro spirits are royal ancestral spirits of deceased chiefs and kings or any other royals. They are believed to be concerned with matter of the clan and territories including the nation.[2]
References
- ^ a b Bethwell A. Ogot (1992). Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century. Paris, France: UNESCO. p. 984. ISBN 978-9231017117.
- ^ Ngoro, Roderick B. (2004). "Nehanda Nayakasikana". In Jestice, Phyllis G. (ed.). Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. p. 633. ISBN 978-1576073551.
External links
- Chloe Frommer, "Bodies, Capsules and Fetishes: The Transfer of Control Over Traditional Medicinal Knowledge in Zimbabwe," Discussion Paper No. 97, Centre for Developing-Area Studies (CDAS), McGill University, 2002
- Spirit Mediums of among the Shona
- Diana Aureta, "The Mhondoro spirits of supratribal significance in the culture of the Shona," African Studies, Vol 41, Issue 2, 1982, pp. 173-187
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