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The Aim of This Paper is to describe an integral piece of behaviour which is vital to all healing practices and the training of amagqira (Xhosa healers) among the people of the Transkei and Ciskei. The Xhosa are part of the bigger Nguni group of African people including the Zulu and Swazi who inhabit the South-eastern coastal areas of Southern Africa (HAMMOND-TOOKE 5).
The term ‘Xhosa healer’ is unsatisfactory because it is too wide and includes practitioners whose methods are not covered by this paper. The Xhosa word igqira (pl. amagqira) leaves no room for misunderstanding. The amagqira on the whole employ psychological techniques in their therapy and restrict herbal remedies to a minimum, although they have an impressive knowledge of these. Their methods can be compared, although with significant differences, to those of Western psychotherapists (BÜHRMANN 2, 3).
The research was started in and is confined to a fairly small group of amagqira who live and work in a rural area but whose practices also extend to urban areas. The experiential nature of their methods and hence of the research findings can at times create obstacles when it has to be discussed or written about. Some words and concepts defy translation and are difficult for the Westerner to understand. I, to a large extent, rely on my subjective experience at the ceremonies and afterwards analyse these and compare it with my knowledge and experience of analytic psychology. Lengthy discussions with the amagqira naturally constitute the most important part of the research.
In a sense, this paper is a broad structural outline of a picture, the details of which can only be filled in later. It can, therefore, leave the reader with troublesome questions.
In addition to describing the ritual, an effort will also be made to achieve an understanding of its significance in the context of the theory and practice of analytical psychology. There are many meaningful aspects that will be touched on but cannot be dealt with