ABSTRACT
A diviner was not present or immediately responsible for comparatively few of the wizardry allegations known to me; but although the number of cases where no diviner was involved is comparatively small, such cases are of importance. Where a diviner is involved, the reason why a person is named as a wizard, at least as far as the onlookers are concerned, is simply because the diviner says she is a wizard. It is true that divination techniques may enable a diviner to discover the sources of friction and tension in the community; but this is not realized by the diviner’s clients and usually no very great amount of the background information of the sort that an anthropologist would like is given in those cases where a witness describes a divination and its consequences. Rather more information is, however, given in those cases where no diviner is involved for, often, the immediate reason for the allegation is apparent to witnesses and regarded as relevant by them when they give evidence.
