IntroductionPart One. Chihamba the White Spirit: A Ritual Drama of the Ndembu1. Chihamba the White Spirit
2. Some Notes of the Symbolism of Chihamba
3. Some White Symbols in Literature and ReligionPart Two. Ndembu Divination: Its Symbolism and Techniques4. A Preliminary Analysis of Ndembu Divinatory Symbolism
5. Some Kinds and Methods of Ndembu DivinationAppendix
Bibliographic References
Index

Drawing on two and a half years of field work, Victor Turner offers two thorough ethnographic studies of Ndembu revelatory ritual and divinatory techniques, with running commentaries on symbolism by a variety of Ndembu informants. Although previously published, these essays have not been readily available since their appearance more than a dozen years ago. Striking a personal note in a new introductory chapter, Professor Turner acknowledges his indebtedness to Ndembu ritualists for alerting him to the theoretical relevance of symbolic action in understanding human societies. He believes that ritual symbols, like botanists' stains, enable us to detect and trace the movement of social processes and relationships that often lie below the level of direct observation.

Victor Turner is Professor of Anthropology and Social Thought at the University of Chicago.