Healers and diviners are apprenticed to their elders to learn a great wealth of communal and esoteric knowledge. They are then relied upon to deploy their knowledge of the spiritual world to cure and protect the community.
Divination and healing are different arts that can be practiced by one person. Because they must deal with the spiritual world, diviners and healers frequently occupy an ambiguous place in the community.
In the West, divination is often connected to "fortune telling." In Africa, divination is intended to address and redress negative experiences in the past. If left untreated, these events can impact individuals and whole communities through misfortunes ranging from disease to social, political and economic problems.
Diviners are problem solving "detectives" who identify the cause of a disease. The diviner's role is to establish, on behalf of his client, a contact with the spiritual world. The diviner is able to read and translate the supernatural signs that are produced during a ritual. Their interpretation will help him to find the origin of the problem. If he can cure the patient himself, the diviner will prescribe a treatment; otherwise he will send the client to a healer.
Healers make use of herbal medicines and natural and spiritual forces. A healer's repertoire of medicines includes substances that are administered to the body by drinking and eating. In addition, materials can cause physical or spiritual transformation by being worn on the body or held near the patient. (Refer to photo of Kakuungu mask.)
Kakuungu is the largest of the initiation masks danced by the Suku and the Yaka peoples. It has a female counterpart named Kazeba. Both masks are called upon for the treatment of impotence and sterility. They are displayed in mbwoolo shrines when not in use. Mbwoolo is a society that ensures communal and individual health and vigor.
