ABSTRACT
It is not easy to draw a dividing line between religion and magic in Kikuyu society, nor between white magic which is beneficial and black magic or witchcraft which is anti-social. The Kikuyu methods of administering oaths are intimately connected with the belief in magic and witch craft and some understanding of the effect of oaths is essential if we are to fathom the methods which have been so successfully used by Mau Mau.
