On the basis of one and a half years spent in the Western Region of Nigeria, an attempt has been made to describe some Yoruba beliefs and practices relating to the magical power of words and language.
Methods of Cursing, Blessing and Invocation have been described in some detail and some examples of psychiatric disturbances and possibly deaths due to these methods have been given.
In the discussion a hypothesis of a four stage scheme for the evolution of language and reality mastery is presented. This hypothesis is based upon certain psychoanalytic concepts and upon observations during model psychoses. It is suggested that the Yoruba belief in the omnipotence of the word is a memory of one of the early phases of ego development.
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