Azande Culture

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Azande Culture Studying culture is an important aspect of understanding society. A culture can give a picture of one’s lifestyle and social habits that are defining traits of a people group. All cultures have characteristics that help uniquely define them. They are adaptive, learned, and constantly changing systems that use symbols and social behaviors to help define society and create norms that people live by. The following looks at the particular culture of the Anzande people in comparison to modern day culture, identifying similarities and differences from the Azande perspective. One of the unique aspects of modern culture is the family dynamic. Instead of staying with one’s kin after marriage, two spouses leave and create their own separate family unit. In the Azande culture it is typical for a wife to stay with her family while the husband works for her parents “A small part of the price was paid at the …show more content…

Many people deny witchcraft, which is the main source of Azande spiritual beliefs “Witchcraft is thought to be an actual physical property residing inside some individuals, who may themselves be unaware of their power. The witchcraft substance, mangu, can be inherited, passed from father to son and mother to daughter” In Azande culture the soul of a person is from a spirit of witchcraft that grows within, therefore the older the person the more powerful the witch. Elements of the witchcraft explain the happenings of things in Azande culture “The Azande believe that witchcraft is at the base of all misfortune, great or small. If a potter opens his kiln only to discover his pottery cracked, he intimates witchcraft; if a child stubs her toe at play, she suspects witchcraft; if a hunter is gored by an elephant, he lays blame for the injury squarely on a witch” (Peters-Golden, 2011: p10). In the odd modern culture, misfortune is attributed to the will of a God or

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