Svikiro

Svikiro is a spirit medium of the Shona people of Zimbabwe.

A Svikiro is an ancestral spirit primarily known to possess a living human and will give advice based on that communication.[1]

The word comes from the verb kusvika meaning 'to arrive at or reach a place'. It also stems from "kusvikirwa" meaning 'to arrive upon' , as it is believed that the ancestral spirits arrive in the bodies of the mediums. [1]

Other types of mediums (svikiro) include "mhondoro" which are possessed by the ancestor spirits of the same name. Mhondoro means lion in Shona. It is believed that mhondoro spirits reside in the bodies on maneless lion until they have a host to possess. Mhondoro spirits are royal ancestral spirits of deceased chief and kings or any other royals. They are believed to be concerned with matter of the clan and territories including the nation.[2]

References

Bethwell A. Ogot (1992). Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century. Paris, France: UNESCO. p. 984. ISBN 978-9231017117.
Ngoro, Roderick B. (2004). Jestice, Phyllis G. (ed.). Nehanda Nayakasikana. Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia. 1. p. 633. ISBN 978-1576073551.

External links

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[ogot-1992-1] Bethwell A. Ogot (1992). Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century. Paris, France: UNESCO. p. 984. ISBN 978-9231017117.

[Jestice_2004-2] Ngoro, Roderick B. (2004). Jestice, Phyllis G. (ed.). Nehanda Nayakasikana. Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia. 1. p. 633. ISBN 978-1576073551.