Sangoma and Inyanga: traditional healers of Swaziland

A Sangoma or diviner usually starts out as a normal person who, through dreams or visions that are interpreted by another sangoma as indicating that his or, more frequently, her (in Swaziland there are far more women sangoma than men) ancestral spirits are calling him or her to become a diviner. Although the "calling" is often resisted at first, as a sangoma is distinguished by her appearance with her hair in ochred plaits, decorated with small bottles of traditional medicine and subject to many taboos, it gradually becomes irresistible and she becomes a learner sangoma in the household of a senior sangoma.

She learns to use the traditional medicines, "umuti" and the ceremonies associated with it. These medicines are mostly made from herbs and ground bark but sometimes animal parts are used as well. Sometimes the tangoma perform a ritual in which medicine, put in water in a clay pot, is stirred with a special stick so that it frothes; they then "eat" a little of the froth and apply it to their face and on top of their head.

There are also "inyanga", who are mostly herbalists and do not usually perform rituals that are common to the "sangoma". Often men, they have a large variety of "umuti" that are kept in often artistically carved vessels. The costume of the inyanga may also be different, especially among those men whose ancestry is from outside the country.

	Preparing "umuti"	Foaming medicine	Around medicine pot	"Umuti" on head
	Grinding medicine	"Sangoma" pose	Healer with medicine	Healer's attributes
	Medicine vessels	Traditional healer	Carved vessel	"Inyanga" pose

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