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Religio-Magical Phenomena and Power, Prediction, and Control
Author(s): David F. AberleSource: Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, Vol. 22, No. 3 (Autumn, 1966), pp. 221-230Published by: University of New MexicoStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3629371.
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2/11
SOUTHWESTERN
JOURNAL
OF ANTHROPOLOGY
VOLUME 22 *
NUMBER
3
*
AUTUMN *
1966
RELIGIO-MAGICAL HENOMENA AND
POWER,
PREDICTION,
AND
CONTROL
DAVID F. ABERLE
M
NY
APPARENTLY
DIVERSE
TOPICS
seem
o
be
united
y
the
fact
hat
hey
elateo
unpredictability
nd
uncontrollability,
nd
o
efforts
to
cope
with
npredictability
nd
uncontrollability.'
hese
opics
nclude
agic,
religion,
harisma, ana,
nd
divination.
suggest
hat
t
is
through
heun-
predictable
nduncontrollable
hatman
most
xperiences
ower,
hether
n
the
world
f
naturerof
man,
hat
e endows ith
ower
hatwhich
r
those
ho
help
im
ope
with
he
helplessness
hat esultsromhese
xperiences,
ndthat
due onsiderationf mountsndkinds funpredictabilitynduncontrollability
may elp
o
order
variety
f
beliefsndacts
elating
o
supernatural
ower.2
This
paper
will
egin
with
magic
nd
religion,
eal
with
harisman
more e-
tail,
nd
turn
riefly
o other
opics
uch s mana
nd
divination.
The
relationship
etween
he
use of
magic
nd the
unpredictable
nd un-
controllable
as etforth
y
Malinowski,
n hisfamous
xample
f
agoon
nd
deep
ea
fishingMalinowski
948:
sp.
13-14;
f. also Parsons
949:57).
or
present
urposes
e
will
ollow
evy
n
definingagic
s the
se f
non-empirical
1 Thispapers a revisionfoneread t theAmericannthropologicalssociationnnual
Meetings
n
Detroit, ovember,
964. am
grateful
o Kathleen
ough
Aberle nd
Ray
Hyman
or
elpful
iscussions.
2
Although
his
aper
oesnot
ake
position
ully
ongruent
ith wanson
1960),
t
was
stimulated
y
Swanson's
oncern
ith
he
experiencing
f
purpose
n
social
ife,
y
his
treatmentfmana
nd
pirits,
nd
by
his
onception
f
primordial
ndconstitutionaltructures
(Swanson
960:
sp.1-31,
1-64,
20-221).
wanson
ppears
o
consider
hat
ll
experiencing
f
supernature
erivesrom
ocial
xperience
Swanson
960:
sp.
17-18),
whereas allow
or
he
possibility
hat
xperience
ith
he
natural
world-specifically
ith
humanlyignificant
n-
controllability
nd
unpredictability-may
lso
generate
onceptions
f
supernature.
ike
Swan-
son,
acknowledge
n
extensivendebtedness
o Durkheim
1947).
This
paper
lso
echoes
ad-
cliffe-Brown
1952)
on
dependence.
221
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3/11
222
SOUTHWESTERN
JOURNAL
OF
ANTHROPOLOGY
means
oward
mpirical
nds
Levy
952:243-244),
nd
will ollow
alinowski,
Parsons,
nd
Levy
n
the
ssumption
hat
magic
ends o
be used
where
mpirical
knowledgerovides
nadequate
echniques
f
prediction
nd
ontrol,
ith
espect
tosignificanteaturesfhumanife. hat s,not verynpredictablendun-
controllableventwillbe
enveloped
n
magical
ction,
ecause,
arying
rom
cultureo
culture,
he utcomef
ome vents
ay
ave
minimal
ignificance
or
human
ffairs.3
The
relationship
etween
eligious
ction nd the
unpredictable
nd
uncon-
trollable
s
not
o
mmediately
vident.
e
will
se
Levy's
efinition
f
religious
action s action
mmediately
riented
o
ultimate
nds,
which
s
to
say
to ends
requiring
o
ustification
ut
held o
be
good
n
and
f
themselves,
ike
harmony,
salvation,
he
good
ife,
nd Nirvana
Levy1952:244).
Often
n
general
r
specific
nalyses
f
religious
itual e aretold hat tunderscoreshemorality
of
the
ociety
r
ffirmshe
olidarity
fthe
roup.
uch
tatements
ay
well e
correct,
ut
slight
ephrasing
f
Levy's
efinition
rings
ut ome
ommonalities
between
agic
s
defined
nd
religion
s defined.
eligious
itual
ealswithhe
discrepancy
etween
he
ormative
nd he ctual. ot
only
oes t
require
ffort
to ive
p
tothe
moral
ode
f
ny ociety,
ut here
s no
society
n
which
iola-
tions
f
the
moral
ode
renot
ound
romime o time
see
Parsons
937:298,
396,
67, 19,
nd
sp.
09-450,
n
the ole f
effort).
hese
iolations,
oo,
all
into
he ealm fwhat
s
unpredictable
nd
uncontrollable.
hus
religious
ction
attempts
o
cope
withhe
ap
betweenhe xistentialndnormativenthe ealm
of
themoral
ode,
whereas
agic
ttempts,
or
hemost
art,
o
cope
withhis
gap
n
the
ealm
f
nature.
his
distinction,
f
course,
s
not
bsolutely
harp.
Most
magic
ealswith
fforts
o attain
ood
weather,
ood
rops,
ealth,
ood
catchesf
fish,
afety
n
he
eas,
nd o on.Black
magic,
n
ts
ttempts
o
njure
or
kill
eople,
till
allswithinhe rea
f
nature.here
s,however,
ome
magic
that
ttempts
o nfluencehebehaviorf other uman
eings-to
make hem
fall
n ove ndto make hem
enerous
n
trading
r
reckless
n
gambling,
or
example.
nd ome
eligious
itual
oes
not
o
much
ttempt
o
close he
gapbetweenhenormativendthe ctualnhuman
ffairs,
s to
explain
t
away-
as,
for
xample,
y
xplaining
he
vil
f the
world
y
referenceo the
decrees
of
n
nscrutable
od.
To returno
the
ommon
eatures
f
religion
nd
magic,
t
s
not o much
that n
ancestor
ult
underscores
he
anctity
f
the
ncestors,
he
mportance
of
worshipping
hem,
nd he
olidarity
fmembers
f
the
kinship
nit,
s it s
3 The
outstanding
pplication
f
Malinowski's
heory
f
magic
s
that
f
Vogt
nd
Hyman
(1959).
t
may
well e the
ole
ffortt
empirical
upport
or
Malinowski's
heory
s
well. t
is an
extraordinary
iece
fwork.
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RELIGIO-MAGICAL
PHENOMENA 223
that
he ult
ttempts
o
cope
with he
erpetual
onflicts,
mall nd
arge,
hat
inevitably
eature
ifewithinhe
upposedly
olidary
nd monolithic
inship
unit. ike
magic,
hen,
eligion
eals
withwhats
uncertain
nduncontrollable.
We next xamineherealmfcharismarom hepoint f view funpre-
dictability
nd
uncontrollability.
or
present
urposes,
e
will
define
harisma,
in itsmost
eneral
ense,
s
a
special
ift
f
occupants
f
offices
r of other
persons
hat
s notbased
olely
n
training
r
experience.'Of
course,
t is a
special
ift
romhe
oint
f
view f the ctors
n the
ystem
ndnot
neces-
sarily
romhe
oint
f
view
f
the
bserver.)
henever
ersons
re
regarded
as
having
upernatural
ower,
hen,
hey
re to be
regarded
s endowed
ith
charisma,
lthough
herere ther
tyles
fcharismas well. n
the ther
and,
if
the
upernatural
ower
nheres
olely
n the
rocedures
hey
se ndcould
e
equallyffectiveor ny newhoearnedhose rocedures,hepractitionerso
not
have harisma.
n
more
eneral
erms,
o the
degree
hat
he
power
esides
in
the
echniques,
harisma
s
diminished;
o
the
egree
hat t resides
n the
er-
son
orthe
ccupant
f
an
office,
harisma
s
magnified.
ut
t
s not
nly
hose
who
rebelieved
o
possess
upernatural
ower
ho
have harisma.
hosere-
garded
s
having pecial
kills
hat
hey
annot ommunicate
o others
ho
lack
the
gift
re,
tautologically,
ut
mportantly,
ndowed
ith harisma:
champion
thletes,
hampion
hess
layers,
hose
ho now
he
mysteries
f
cer-
tain
rafts,
hose
apable
f
special
mental
tates,
eaders
f mass
movements,
andmanythers ithpecialndowments.
Let us
begin
with
he
harismaticeader s
delineated
y
Weber nd move
to
charisma
f
office.
he charismaticeader
s an
anti-traditionalist,
rising
n-
der
risisonditions.
is
authority
s,
n Weber's
hrase,
foreign
o
all
rules
(Weber
947:361).
n one
ense,herefore,
e
s a
source
f
unpredictability
nd
uncontrollability
o his
followers.
n
another,owever,
e is
the reducerf
ambiguity,
he
wellspring
f action
n
situations
f
unpredictability,
he larifier
of
ims,
nd
o
on.
He
reduces
mbiguity
n
everal
enses.ure
harismaticead-
ers risewhereld nterpretationsave ost heir italitynd where ew nes
either
avenot
emerged
r have
notbeen
nunciatedo
disturbed
eople
n
meaningful
erms. he charismatic
eader,
n
touchwith
he
higher
ealities,
knowing
he
will f
the
upernatural
r
the
rift f
history,
ivifies
nd
clarifies
4
Cf.
Weber
946:245, 947:358-359;
963:2.
My
phrasings,
n
many
espects,
imilar
to
all
of
these,
nd closesto Weber
1947):
The
termcharisma'
ill
be
applied
o
a
certain
quality
f an
individual
ersonalityy
virtue
f
which
e is set
part
rom
rdinary
en
nd
treateds
endowed ith
upernatural,
uperhuman,
r
at least
pecifically
xceptional
owers
r
qualities.
he other
efinitions
mphasize
ore he
reatment
f
the
harismatically
ndowed
s
deriving
heir
ifts
rom
upernatural
orces.
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5/11
224
SOUTHWESTERN
JOURNAL
OF
ANTHROPOLOGY
existing
ew
nterpretations
f
the
ituation
r
puts
orth
is
wn
ovel
nterpre-
tations. ore
mportant,
n
ituations
here
mpirical
nowledge
oes ot
rovide
criteria
o
tell
whether
ction
eeds
obe
taken r
not,
whether
t will
ucceedr
fail,whentshould eundertaken,owmany eople,nd whichnes,hould
act-in
these
ituationshe
harismatic
eader
educes
ncertaintyy
being
will-
ing
o
declare or
cting
r
waiting,y
etting
date,
nd
by
ssuing
rders.
As
Weber
epeatedlyointed
ut,
he
eadermust
ucceed
part
f the ime
to
retain
harisma.
o
restate,
pure
harismatic
eader
perates
n
a
rule-less
situation.t
is
not
o
much hat t
s
rule-less
ecause
e
s
charismatic,
s
that
he s
charismatic
ecause
t
s
rule-less.
e
is the
ource f
unpredictability
nd
uncontrollability
ndthe
educerf both
or is
followers,
ho
erceive
im
s
a
power
n this
ccount-so
ong
s
he
s
at least
artly
uccessful.
Although eber'samescommonlyssociatedithhe onceptfthe ure
charismatic
eader,
e
also
hought
fcharismas an
aspect
f
all
authority
nd
not
merely
s a
special ype
f
authority.
hus
Parsons
inds
hat or
Weber,
all
uthority
as
charismatic
asisn ome orm
Parsons
nWeber
947:76).
We
will
ollowhis
lement
n
Weber's
hought
nd
maintain
hat
harisma,
s
defined
ere,
s
attributed
o
persons
olding
ffices;
nd,
pecifically,
e will
argue
hat
he
ess
he
ffice-holders
bound
y
rules,
he
arger
he
cope
f his
arbitrary
ecisions,
he
reater
he
harisma.
he
charisma
f
office-holders
ith
authoritypproaches
ero
when
here
s
a
clearlypecified
ule or
very
ituation
thatmay onfronthedecision aker-whenhe nly ecisionsemustmake
are hose
hat
esult
n
lassifying
ndividuals,
ctions,
r
ituations
s
falling
nto
one
of
a setof
categories,
ith
ules
s well s
to what
e
must
o
after
he
classification
as
beenmade. ince
n fact
t s
impossible
o
devise
perfect
ule
book,
here
s
some
nherent
rbitrariness,
nd hence
harisma,
n
every
ffice
where
here
s
power
ver ther
ersons,
ut t often
eacheshe
anishingoint.
Thisnotionfthe
elationship
fcharismao rbitrarinessnwhat
Weber
would
call
rational-legal
nd
raditionaltructureseads o the
xpectation
hat-as
x-
amples-the
abaka
f
Uganda
n the
arly
9th
entury
ould avemore
charismahan lizabeth ofEnglandnthe ate16th entury,ndthat he
charisma
f he
resident
f
small
niversity
ith
o tandardized
rocedures
f
operation
ould e
greater
han hat fthe
resident
f
large
nd
well-bureau-
cratized
niversity,
llowing
n both
xamples
or
modicumf
success
n
the
5
When hehero
f F. Scott
itzgerald's
he
Last
Tycoon
as
sked o
explain
he
role
of the
eader,
e
responded,
n
effect,
y
aying
hat he eader
was
the ne whowould
make
a
decision
hen here
were
o rational
rounds
or
hoosing
etweenlternatives
Fitzgerald
1941:19, 21).
6 That
s
not o
say
hat
ny
ne
can
become charismaticeadern a rule-less
ituation,
butthat risisituations
equiring
ew ules lso
require
harismatic
eaders.
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6/11
RELIGIO-MAGICAL
HENOMENA
225
operations
f the
kingdoms
nd universities
n
question.
he
testing
f
this
hypothesis
as
ts
omplications.
or
ffices
ithimilar
mounts
f
authority,
e
expect
hoseeast ound
y
ules
o have
he
reatest
harisma
ttached
o
their
occupants.
On
the
ther
and,
f the
cope
f
arbitrariness
pplies
o
relativelyetty
affairs,
e
expect
elatively
ittle harisma:
harisma
aries ith he mount
f
authority
s
well
s with he mountf
arbitrariness.
robably,
owever,
ro-
vided
hat
uperordinates
ave ome
egree
f control
ver
he
abor, ncome,
and
property
f
ubordinates,
he
ariability
s
greatery
reason f
arbitrariness
than
y
reason f
cope
f
authority.
e
might
herefore
xpect
hat he
heads
of
some hiefdoms
nd
imple
tates
might
ave
more
harismahan he
heads
of
some
laborated
tates,
nd
that he
heads f
relatively
ew
ystems
ight
havemore han heheads frelativelyraditionalizedr bureaucratizedystems.
It
is
nteresting
hatWeber
peaks
f
mana,
nsofar
s
it nheres
n
persons,
as
nothing
ore or
ess han
harisma,
n
his
definition
f
both
erms.
hether
or not
Weber
ntendedharismaticffice-holderso be
possessors
f
mana,7
t
will e
argued
ere hat
mana--disembodied
nd
mpersonalupernaturalower
-when
attachedo
persons
r
offices,
s
charisma,
ndoffice-holders
elievedo
hold
upernaturalower
ave
mana nd re
charismatic.he
greater
he
uper-
natural
ower,y
definition,
he
reater
he
harisma.
It
should e noted hat
in
some ases
he
harismatically
ignificant
ffice-holder
s the
ymbol
f the
state, hereashe xecutiveowersreactuallyestedna council. hiscom-
plicates
ut
doesnot
adically
lter
he
ropositions
dvanced ere.
f
the
ym-
bolic
igure
s
regarded
y
his
rdinary
ollowerss
the
riginator
f he
ecisions,
we
would
xpect
is harisma
o
be
correspondinglyreat.
f
he s
seen s
symbol,
and
the
ouncil
s the
ctual
riginator,
is
harisma
hould e
correspondingly
diminished.)lthough
eber's
iscussion
f
pure
harisma
mphasizes
ts
uper-
natural
alidation,
y
efinitionoes
not.
ossessors
f
supernaturalower
re,
by
definition,
harismatic,
ut harisma
s
alsofoundn
positions
nd n
cultural
traditionshere
upernaturalower
n
any
usual ense s weak
r
absent:n
modern,
ighly
eculartructures.would
refer
orestricthe ermmana o
instances
nvolvingupernaturalower.
7
.
.
.
Not
every
tone
an
serve s
a
.
.
source f
magical
ower.
or
does
every
person
ave
he
apacity
o achieve
he cstatic
tates hich
re
viewed
.
.
as
the
reconditions
for
producing
ertainffectsn
meteorology,
ealing,
ivination,
nd
telepathy.
t
is
primarily
-
...
these
xtraordinary
owers
hat
have
been
designated
y
such
pecial
erms s
'mana,'
'orenda,'
ndthe ranian
maga'.
..
We
shall enceforth
mploy
he erm
charisma'
or
uch
extraordinary
owers Weber
963:2).
t is not learwhether eber lso
viewedhe
harisma
of
office-holders
s
identical ith
mana,
ut
his
comments
n
Polynesian
charismatic
rinces
at east
uggest
his iew
Weber
963:38).
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226 SOUTHWESTERN
JOURNAL
OF ANTHROPOLOGY
Examples
re
again
appropriate.
ahlins
1958)
has shown
hat,
with
minor
xceptions,
hemana-taboo
omplex
fchiefsaries
irectly
ith he
ower
of the hief.
is
analysis
f
Polynesianower
lso
clearly
ndicates
hat
he
chief's
ower
s
likely
o bemanifestedn
arbitrary
ndoften udden
ctions,
ratherhan
n
elaborateodes
nd bureaucratized
rocedures.
he
arbitrary
actionsfthe ast
African
ings
ave
ften een
matterfcomment
or
arly
European
bservers
nd
for
nthropologists,
nd
these
ame
kings
re
clearly
imbued
ith n
elaborate ana-taboo
omplex.
In
secular,
odem
ystems,
he harismaticffice-holder
s
not,
n
any
iteral
sense,
ndowed
ithmana r
mana-taboo
omplex,
lthough
ertain
nalogues
canbe found:n
some
ases,
nd n some
ontexts,
voidance
f
physical
on-
tactwithhe ffice-holder;nothers,ffortstphysicalontact;ouvenir-hunt-
ing;
nd
conophilia.
ore
mportant,
owever,
he harisma
f office
ppears
in
attributionsf
near-perfect
isdom,ove,
majesty,
tc.,
o
these
igures.
t
should
e
noted
hat
harismas
only
n
part
product
f
the
amount f
arbitrary
ecision-makingrovided
or n
particularolitical
tructures.
t inheres
in
part
n
the
ituationshat hese
tructures
onfront.ther
hingseing qual,
systems
hat
ace
table nd familiarituationso not
requirennovating
eci-
sions othe
egree
hats
required
or
ystems
hat
onfrontituations
f
change.
Hence,
ven ffice-holdersn
highly
ureaucratizedr raditionalized
ystems
ay
findcope orudgmentnddecisionsotbound yrulesnsofars theymust
cope
with
ew
ituations.n
this
way
hey
may
ncreaseheir
harisma,
f
they
seize he ccasion.
Weber nsistedhat harisma as a value-free
erm.
am
using
t
as
a
neutralne.We
may
peak
f
positive
harisma
hen
he harismatic
erson
r
office-holder
s valued
y
those
who
ndow
im
with
harisma,
nd
negative
charisma hen e is
disvalued.
hus,
harismatic
eads f
modem
tates re
positively
alued
y
many
ersons
ithinhe
tate,
ut
negatively
alued
y
somelienatedeople ithinhe tate ndbymembersfanothertatewho eel
threatened
y
he irsttate. uch
negatively
alued
igure
ay
e
described,
metaphorically
r
iterally,
y
hose
ho
ppose
im,
n
quasi-religious
erms:
s
a
living
mbodiment
f the
nti-Christ,
evilish,
heDevil
himself,
r as a
pre-
ternaturally
lever,
r
diabolically
lever,
nemy.
itler
s a case n
point,
ut
8
Although
air
ays
pecifically,
In the
field
f
public
itual,
he
Gandaking
ppears
almost
s a
secularmonarch
esponsible
or
he
upkeep
f
an establishedhurch
1962:221),
she
also
comments,
,a
propos
he
growth
f secular
overnment,
it is also
nteresting,
hough
not
perhaps
urprising,
hat he
ritual f
kingship
s
more,
ot
ess,
laborate
here he
king
is the ead
f state
1962:232).
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RELIGIO-MAGICAL HENOMENA 227
there
re
many
ther
nstances.
nterestingly
nd
parenthetically,
t s
as
difficult
to
persuade
he
pponents
f uch man
hat e acks
egative
harisma,
hat
e
is
reallytupid
nd
blundering,
ot
fiendishlylever,
s
it is to
persuade
is
proponents
hat e acks
ositive
harisma,
hat e s
really
ishonestnd hort-
sighted,
ot aithful
nd
wise.9
The
following
ropositions
merge
rom his
onsideration
f
charisma
f
office.
1) By
definition,
harisma
s
associated
ith
ny
ffice
ot
wholly
ound
by
ules,
nd
no
office
an
be
wholly
ound
y
rules.
2)
The
variation,
owever,
is from
lmost o
charismao a
great
eal.
3)
Charismaaries
irectly
ith
unpredictability
nd
directly
ith
power.
Office-holders
re,
within
ertain
limits,
ncontrollable
ecause
hey
ave
power. 4)
Because
many
hiefdoms
andproto-ndprimitivetates ave rather ide ange f arbitrarinessortheir
eads,
heres
oftenmore
harismanvestedn
such
officeshan n the
similar
fficesf more
raditionalized
ndbureaucratized
rdersn
arger
tates.
(5)
This,
ather
han
he
endency
f
upernatural
ower
o
compensate
or ela-
tiveweaknessf
natural
ower, ay
ccountor he
laboration
f
upernatural
power
n
chiefdoms,
roto-states,
rimitive
tates,
nd,
or hat
matter,
ome
f
he
great
grarianmpires.
6)
Variation
n the ituationhat onfronts
system
also
operates
o
create ariationn
the harisma
f
office-holders.
7)
Insofar
s
charismas viewed
s
supernaturally
ased,
t s identical
ithmana nsofar
s
mananheresnpersons.8) As nthe ase freligionndmagic,harismaakes
us
nto he
ealm
f
uncertainty
nd
uncertainty
eduction.
We
turn
ow
o
a
different
opic:
he
use
of
what s
really npredictable
and
uncontrollable,
ut
trival,
o
cope
with
what s
really
npredictable
nd
uncontrollable,
ut
mportant.
his s
particularly
rue n
therealm
f divina-
tion,
hethert
nvolves
finding
ut
what
as
happened
ut
was
unwitnessed
(e.g.,
he
inding
f
ost
bjects),
r
the
oretelling
f
future
vents.
mens re
of
this
haracter:irds
lying,
hunder,
lack
ats,
nd
many
ther
hings
re
trivial
nd
unpredictable,
ut
hey
rovide
rave
ortent
f
events
o
come.
t is
of nterest,owever,hat ot nlyhe xternalndunpredictablenduncontrol-
lable,
ut he nternal
nd
unpredictable
nd
uncontrollable
vent
s
used o
this
end.
Sneezes,
iccups,
ar
noises,
ven
latulence,ructation,
nd erectionre
used
s
omens
n
various
ultures.
o
are
dreams,its,
nd
rances,
he
atter
n-
predictable
nd
uncontrollableor he
ordinary
an,
whetherr not
they
re
for
he
virtuoso.he
various
rug
tates
hathavebeen
usedfor
divinatory
purposes
hare
he
haracteristic
hat he
drug
xperience
s
not
predictable,
s
users
f
daturand
peyote
ill
estify.
suggest
hat
heres a
power
n
these
9
I
am
ndebtedo
Albert
.
Spaulding
or
iscussionsn
this oint.
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228
SOUTHWESTERN
JOURNAL
OF
ANTHROPOLOGY
things
ecause
hey
annot e
constrained-that
npredictability
nduncontrol-
lability
re
power.
We
find
hem,
n
culturefter
ulture,
ertainly
n our
own
culturexceptor yper-rationaleings,sed ogive s clues bout ther, ore
important,
ut
nknown
vents:
hy
m
sick,
who
s
bewitching
e,
what
will
happen
n
mymilitary
ampaign,
ill he tockmarket
o up
or
down?
In this
onnectione
might
ote
hat
n
many
ultureshe
very
ucky
ake
on
a
positive
harisma,
nd
he
ery
nlucky
negative
harisma.
If
we returno
divination,
t
might
e
expected
hat hose
whodivine
ill
be
charismaticecause
hey
educe
ncertaintyymanipulating
ncertainty.
t
is
not hat
imple.
o
the
egree
hat he
manipulation
s a
gift
f the
person,
as in
the
ase
of
trance
r
vision,
r
the
nterpretation
f
complexatterns-of
dreams,ntrails,racksnscapulae,ndso on,to thatdegreehese ersons
have
harisma,
y
definition.
here
he
manipulation
f
uncertainty
nheres
n
the
ventr
technique,
s
n
throwing
ice,
oisoning
hickens,
tc.,
he ser oes
not
have
harisma.
ndeed,
ometimeshe
user eed
notbe a
specialist
t
all
if
the
echnique
rovides
ufficient
npredictability
nd
the
nterpretation
s
suffi-
ciently
imple,
s
in the
Azande
oisoned
owl
racle
Evans-Pritchard
937).
And whereearned
echniques
re efficacious
n
thehands
f whoever
earns
them,
s
in
some ormsfweather
agic,gricultural
agic,
nd
curing agic,
theuser ven
hough specialist,
s
not
harismatic.
But f t sthe echniquelone hatsefficacious,henmanamay e attached
to
t.That
s the
asefor heAzande
oison
racle
nd
rubbing
oard,
nd
to
a
very
onsiderable
xtent
or he
pparatus
nd
words f
Navajo
hants ather
than he hanter.
hus,
heuncertainventssed
or
ivination,
he
echniques
of
divination,
nd the
echniques
f
magic-all
nvolving
npredictability
nd
uncontrollability,
r
reduction
n
unpredictability
nd
uncontrollability,
r
both-
also nvolve ana.
inally,
he
gods
may
e
mplored.
f
so,
the
ower
nheres
in
the
gods, lthough
ometimes
powerful
echnique
r
a charismatic
igure
must e
used
o reach he
ods.
Thispaperwill ot ttempto tate he onditionsnder hichowernheres
in
the
erson,
he
echnique,
he
vent,
r the
upernatural
eing,
or,
everting
to our earlier iscussionf
charisma,
he conditions
nderwhichwe
find
charismatic
igures
ith
upernaturalower
r
merely
ecularharismatic
igures.
This
paper uggests,
hen,
hat
ower
s
experienced
hrough
ontact
ith
whats
unpredictable
nd
uncontrollable,
nd
hrough
ontact
ith hat
whichr
those ho
eem o
cope
with hat
s
unpredictable
nduncontrollable.
agic
s
a
technique
sed
o
try
o achieve
mpirical
nds
when
mpiricalechniquesro-
vide nadequateredictionndcontrol;eligions actionhatdealswith he
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RELIGIO-MAGICAL HENOMENA
229
inevitable,
npredictable,
nduncontrollable
ap
betweenhe
normativend
the
existential
rder;
harismatic
igures
re
unpredictable,
o
things
ther
eople
cannot
o,
nd
force
ecisions
n
spite
f
ackof
nformation;
ivinatory
ech-
niquesse he npredictableopredicthe npredictable.ower,rediction,nd
controlre nvolved
n
all of
these.
ust
s
Vogt
nd
Hyman 1959)
showed
that
requency
f
water-witching
aries
with
he
uncertainty
f
striking
ater
at
a
given
evel,
t should
e
possible
o
show hat
variations
n
amount
f
charisma
r n
use
of
magic
recorrelative
ith mountsndkinds
f
unpre-
dictability
nd
uncontrollability.
t is in suchvariationhat he
proof
f the
propositions
dvancedere hould
e
ought.
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http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp8/9/2019 Aberle, David F. - Religio-Magical Phenomena and Power, Prediction and Control
11/11
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