16 May 2009

This is NOT EXORCISM: New Zealand makutu exorcism ceremony leads to death

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Convinced that their family member had contracted a curse after moving a sacred object, members of a New Zealand native tribe performed their version of an exorcism rite on nine members of their family.  One woman died, several more were injured.

This case has attracted an immense amount of attention in the New Zealand press, and understandably so.  I have said before that all tribes, from all traditions, all over the world have concepts of evil, demons, and therefore exorcism rituals.  This is further proof.  Unfortunately it is proof I would rather not have.

Caveat: I am not personally familiar with exorcism rituals of native New Zealand.  Any mistakes in this article are my own.

Synopsis:  elders from a native tribe in New Zealand meet and decide that a young woman is cursed in connection with a concrete lion statue which the elders believed to be an ancient relic.  They performed an exorcism rite on the child and several others which consisted of pouring water into the eyes and down the throat as well as gouging of the eyes.  (I am very sure there was more to this ritual than just this – prayers, chanting are likely, possibly vision seeking – but that is what is being reported in the media to date.)  Obviously the recipient was restrained.  In the course of several hours of this, one child died of drowning and another lost vision in one eye due to having the eye gouged.  Several elders of the tribe are now on trial.

So let’s be clear: THIS IS NOT EXORCISM AS WE PRACTICE IT.

I find learning about the exorcism rites of various tribes to be completely fascinating.  I have studied the practices of several different groups, and in the process have learned a few things:

  1. Different exorcism rites work in different situations.  A Catholic exrocism ritual, for example, probably would not have worked.  (If the girl was indeed cursed, which I am not sure I’m convinced of.)
  2. Some exorcism rituals are more effective than others!

I find that last point particularly fascinating.  What makes one ritual more effective than another?  To a large extent it has to do with whether the ritual depends entirely on the faith/devotion/personal power of the exorcist alone or whether the ritual and/or the tools used in the ritual have intrinsic power by themselves.  A simple  example: a ritual that uses holy relics will be more powerful, all things equal, than a ritual that does not.  The holy relic is an object that has intrinsic power of its own accord.  Added to the power of the prayers and other aspects of the exorcism ritual makes the ritual more powerful and more effective.

When selecting an exorcist, it is important to consider what traditions they have studied and mastered.  At Demon Slayer we have studied at least 5 different traditions of exorcism and we continue to study, hone, and refine our skills on an ongoing basis today.

PS: A particularly meaty question, which has not been taken up by the media in New Zealand yet, is this: IF the girl was indeed cursed, could there have been a different/more effective/less brutal way of ridding her of that curse?  Either within the native tradition or from another native tradition or from another tradition altogether?  I do not know the traditions or beliefs involved…but from my own experience working within other native traditions of exorcism, I strongly suspect the answer is “yes”.

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