Research source

The Eithaga are believed to have the power of protecting forest, and their powers are sometimes invoked for…

Date of account: Published 1922
Source: Bantu Beliefs and Magic With particular reference to the Kikuyu and Kamba tribes of Kenya Colony; together with some reflections on East Africa after the war
Reference: Bantu Beliefs and Magic With particular reference to the Kikuyu and Kamba tribes of Kenya Colony; together with some reflections on East Africa after the war · selected passage 101
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-25

Record summary

The Eithaga are believed to have the power of protecting forest, and their powers are sometimes invoked for this purpose

Published source text

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Source passage

Source text · mention only

The Eithaga are believed to have the power of protecting forest, and their powers are sometimes invoked for this purpose. If a man wishes to protect a patch of forest on his property, he sends for a Mweithaga to put a spell on it; the magician proceeds to the spot with the local elders and brings with him a cooking pot taken from the deserted hut of a deceased person. He fills this with water drawn from each spring and stream in the piece of forest, and boils it on a fire made on a path in the said forest; the pot is supported on three stones. After this a little of the water is poured back into each of the springs or streams, and the pot is then shattered by dropping one of the hearth stones on it.

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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