Trobrianders And The Azande Analysis

While the Trobrianders and the Azande that Bronislaw Malinowski and E.E. Evans-Pritchard describe in their respective ethnographies are miles apart in terms of physical distance, both groups place a great emphasis on magic in their society. In describing such a concept that in Western terms is associated with fiction and skepticism, Malinowski and Evans-Pritchard differ in the way they explain the role magic has in each community.

When describing how important magic is to the Trobrianders, Malinowski continuously points out how essential it is to their lives. They attribute every facet of their life to magic; it has an “overweening influence” over them (Malinowski 392). Malinowski starts his in-depth analysis of magic with emphasizing how

Their dependence on magic is similar to very religion-like. It is akin to how a pious group of people consider their faith as sort of a protection. But the Trobriander magic extends to more realms than most religions. Malinowski mentions the varied aspects of their lives that magic plays a part in. It is used to explain death. Physical ailments and illness can be attributed to magic. There is a team of human sorcerers, the bwaga’u, who induce the “deepest dread and most constant concern of the natives” because of how magic can extinguish human life (393). Health is closely tied to magic as it can ruin or improve one’s health. Magic also plays a part in social events such as “ambition in gardening, ambition in successful Kula, vanity and display of personal charms in dancing” (394). Individuals can perform magic to improve the chances of success for their gardens while also casting black magic on the gardens of their rivals. Magic governs the weather. One of the more interesting aspects of

Evans-Pritchard does a more encompassing analysis of the magic used by the Azande by trying to understand the abstract questions from their perspective. Magic, in the case of the Azande being witchcraft, runs their society. It is their “natural philosophy”, used to explain occurrences instead of rationalism (Evans-Pritchard 18). It runs their system of values. Evans-Pritchard describes how it affects every aspect of Azande life from domestic life to fishing. Their misfortunes are due to witchcraft unless it was done by sorcery. Witchcraft is the “idiom in which Azande speak about them and in which they explain them” (19). Evans-Pritchard is quick to explain this facet about the Azande and it shapes how he observes a Zande. He was able to learn their idiom and apply the “notions of witchcraft as spontaneously as themselves in situations where the concept was relevant” (19). Like Malinowski, Evans-Pritchard states that he cannot expect to ask a Zande to analyze his or her own “doctrine” (23). It would be beyond their capabilities. But, Evans-Pritchard provides a solution. By observing many situations that involve witchcraft, he can “extract the principles of their thought” (23). He hopes that by watching the Azande and the witchcraft he will get a better idea of how their logic system works. He clarifies that the Azande’s use of witchcraft does not account for “the existence of phenomena” (21). Evans-Pritchard gives scenarios that explain a Zande’s chain of thought. If an