Witchcraft is a practice of appealing to the spirits of the ancestors and clan. It was often used by the Wola of the Southern Highlands to attack enemies during war. A divination process was also used to determine if someone is guilty of witchcraft. To do so, the victim’s decomposing body is passed onto a pig and eaten to find out who was guilty. The essence of the victim is thought to act as a poison. If the accused person is innocent, he must swear not to have committed witchcraft.

Discourses

Discourses of witchcraft are often present in everyday conversation, as in court cases, or in the public discourse. They are also sometimes found in more drastic anti-witchcraft measures, such as periodic collective actions against suspected witchcraft practitioners. These neo-colonial interventions are often accompanied by a history of colonial interventions, which is important to understand the dynamics of the discourses surrounding witchcraft.

Practices

While there is a long history of appropriation and colonization in witchcraft, the practices themselves are not inherently unethical. Rather, they can be made more ethical without denying the history of colonization.

Accusations

Accusations of witchcraft have historically been used as a means to evict women from valuable land. The violence resulting from such accusations can be a serious issue, particularly for women who are unable to support themselves. The accusations of witchcraft are not a valid cause for eviction, but they can be a convenient excuse for a societal failure. In fact, some people in India blame witchcraft for the failure of agriculture and health care systems.

Reactions

The reaction to witchcraft has been varied throughout history. While Christian beliefs have traditionally been opposed to witchcraft, many other religions have also challenged it. In the Bible, it is stated that any person who practices witchcraft must be immediately killed. The Salem Witchcraft Trials were especially horrific, affecting mostly children. However, this incident did spur humanitarianism.

Changing of everyday events

The history of witchcraft has been shaped by a number of factors. First, there were the Salem witch trials of 1692. These trials saw 141 people tried for being witches, and 19 were executed. One woman was crushed to death by a pile of heavy stones. Today, witchcraft charges are increasing throughout the world. Witchcraft is a practice associated with the power of nature.

Sorcery

Sorcery in Witchcraft is the power to manipulate nature to achieve an outcome. This practice is often associated with black magic. In some cases, it was used in place of devilry.