ABSTRACT
The Konkomba say that anyone may be a sorcerer and that anyone may be accused of sorcery. Konkomba sorcery may be taught by a father to his son or by a mother to her daughter. The essence of Konkomba sorcery appears to be this use of medicines. The Konkomba lineage is not so protected: the possibility of accusing an agnatic kinsman of learning his sorcery from his father exposes that lineage to disruption. Young women accused of sorcery thus belong to a category which the Konkomba recognize as unhappy and dissatisfied. They are persons who are discontented in their personal lives and resentful of their place in society. An examination of the accusations shows that, with two exceptions, the accusations are made by the unmarried men against the younger married men against men who in Konkomba society are between the ages of forty and fifty years, or against young and usually childless married women.
