Xhosa amagqirha divination practices

Record summary

Xhosa amagqirha are diviners or healer-specialists whose training may involve ukuthwasa, dream experiences, apprenticeship, ritual instruction, and consultations concerning illness or misfortune. Mid-century accounts from the Eastern Cape document these practices within a changing environment of Christianity, segregation, and biomedical medicine. The lead is valuable for comparing spirit calling and professional ritual training without treating the experiences as clinically or supernaturally settled. Sources differ in spelling, translation, and interpretation, so researchers should search both Xhosa terms and older ethnographic labels.