10 h 56 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
How do people explain sudden illness, uncertain rain, or the sense that the dead remain close?
In Bantu Beliefs and Magic, C. W. Hobley examines the religious life and customs of Bantu-speaking peoples in East Africa. His account draws on years among the Kikuyu, the Kamba and their neighbours. It explores how people understand sickness, death and misfortune, and the rituals they use to face them.
Spirits, magic and family ties run through this study, published in 1922. Birth, naming, adulthood, marriage and death each bring their own customs. Hobley writes as a British colonial administrator, so his account asks for a careful reading: alongside the beliefs he records, you encounter the assumptions of the observer.
What you’ll discover
- The dead and the living Explore beliefs in which the spirits of the dead remain near their living kin.
- Questions behind misfortune See how Hobley records magic as a way to explain illness and sudden death.
- Life marked by ritual Follow customs surrounding birth, naming, adulthood, marriage and death in the communities he describes.
- Belief in daily life Consider how explanations of rain, sickness and loss connect spiritual beliefs with everyday concerns.
- An observer under scrutiny Read with attention to the colonial outlook that shapes Hobley's descriptions and limits his account.
Who will love it
For readers who love African history, religion and anthropology, and anyone curious about spirits, ritual and how early observers recorded local belief.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The dead remain part of the family
- Magic gives an answer to misfortune
- Ritual marks every stage of life
- Hobley, colonial official, and the Kenyan focus
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Creencias y magia bantúes
by C. W. Hobley · 1922
Meet the spirits, ancestors and rituals through which the Kikuyu and Kamba explain sickness, death and misfortune.
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In short
Bantu Beliefs and Magic is a study of the religious life, customs and magic of Bantu-speaking peoples in East Africa. It was written by Charles William Hobley and published in 1922.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The dead remain part of the family
A central idea in Hobley's account is that death does not end a person's place in the community. The spirits of the dead are thought to stay near their living kin. They are believed to watch over the household, and they can help or harm depending on how they are treated.
Because of this, much of daily religious practice is about keeping on good terms with ancestors. Offerings of food and beer are made to honour them and to settle their anger when trouble comes. When a family suffers illness or a poor harvest, one common question is whether an ancestor has been neglected or offended.
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What is Bantu Beliefs and Magic about?
It describes the religious beliefs, magic, witchcraft and customs of Bantu-speaking peoples in East Africa, especially the Kikuyu and Kamba of Kenya, as observed by a colonial official in the early twentieth century.
Who was C. W. Hobley?
Charles William Hobley was a British colonial administrator in Kenya and Uganda. He wrote about local peoples and history, and this study of their beliefs and magic appeared in 1922.
What does Bantu mean?
Bantu names a large family of related African languages spoken across central, eastern and southern Africa. It is a language grouping, not a single tribe, nation or religion.
The author
C. W. Hobley
1867–1947 · British colonial administrator and ethnographer
C. W. Hobley (1867–1947) was a British colonial administrator who worked in Kenya. His full name was Charles William Hobley. He wrote about the peoples and customs of East Africa. His book Bantu Beliefs and Magic was published in 1922. He lived in Britain and East Africa.
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