ABSTRACT
Fourteen-year-old Kia, fatherless and abandoned for nine months by her new husband Muli, becomes possessed by a malevolent spirit. Kia probably was calling attention to her plight, as suggested by the words that the spirit within her is said to have uttered: “…I came from that hill. Why aren’t people worshiping me? That’s why 1 am traveling back and forth without finding any shelter.” Demonic possession often occurs among young Indian women confronted with personal conflicts that they are afraid to discuss openly or directly (see Opler 1958:553–566; and the Freeds 1964[1967]; 295–320).
The exorcist curing ritual of a possessed person consists of removing polluting substances and spirits from the body, thus cleansing and purifying it. Exorcist curers throughout South Asia use items symbolizing purity and pollution in their rituals (see, for example, Yalman 1964:115–150). To cure Kia, the magician draws a picture of a house in which he places polluting items on the upper half and pure ones on the lower half. By beating her repeatedly with a cane and pushing her face into hot burning peppers, he weakens the spirit in her, gains control over her, and ultimately draws out the spirit.
Successful exorcist-magicians usually are skilled at uncovering the social tensions and personal problems that have contributed to possession attacks. Once Muli had brought his wife back to his home, she suffered no further attacks.
