Information AboutBwiti |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BWITI | |
| religion in gabon | |
| religion in cameroon | |
| animism | |
| religious faiths, traditions, and movements | |
| iboga | |
| african shamanism | |
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Bwiti ceremonies are led by a (male or female) spiritual leader called ''N'ganga'' who is a very important member of the community and has extensive knowledge of traditional healing practices, hexes and spells. The crucial rite of Bwiti is the initiation ceremony, when young Gabonese men take iboga for the first time in the men's hut to become members of the religion. There are many ceremonies at different times of the year to give homage to the ancestors. Special ceremonies may be held to heal sick persons or drive out harmful spirits. While early forms of Bwiti excluded women, modern chapels include men and women. During many ceremonies, a traditional torch made of bark and tree sap is burned. Musicians playing drums and a traditional Ngombi Harp are central to the rites. The N'ganga and other participants usually dress in red, black and white cloth. They may wear skirts of raffia material and small shells or beads. Animal skins, such as Civet Cat fur, are often worn. The iboga root may be made into a tea or more often taken in the form of scrapings. Ceremonies usually begin at night and may last for days as the doses of the drug used in these ceremonies is particularly long lasting. One of the best English language sources of information on the religion is James W. Fernandez's book, Bwiti: An Ethnography of the Religious Imagination in AfricaBwiti: An Ethnography of the Religious Imagination in Africa, Princeton University Press, 1982 . An excellent review article is that of Goutarel, Gollnhofer and Sillans, Pharmacodynamics and Therapeutic Applications of Iboga and Ibogaine Robert Goutarel, Otto Gollnhofer and Roger Sillans, Pharmacodynamics and Therapeutic Applications of Iboga and Ibogaine, Psychedelic Monographs and Essays, 6:70-111, 1993. [http://ibogaine.desk.nl/bwiti1.html . . REFERENCES
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