Buda (
Ge’ez: ቡዳ) (or bouda), in
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
n and
Eritrean
folk religion
In religious studies and folkloristics, folk religion, popular religion, traditional religion or vernacular religion comprises various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized re ...
, is the power of the
evil eye
The Evil Eye ( grc, ὀφθαλμὸς βάσκανος; grc-koi, ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός; el, (κακό) μάτι; he, עַיִן הָרָע, ; Romanian: ''Deochi''; it, malocchio; es, mal de ojo; pt, mau-olhado, olho gordo; ar ...
and the ability to
change into a hyena. Buda is generally believed by the wider society to be a power held and wielded by those in a different social group, for example among the
Beta Israel or metalworkers.
[Wagaw, Teshome G. ''For Our Soul: Ethiopian Jews in Israel''. Detroit: Wayne State Univ. Press, 1993.] The belief is also present in
Sudan,
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
, and among the
Berber people
, image = File:Berber_flag.svg
, caption = The Berber flag, Berber ethnic flag
, population = 36 million
, region1 = Morocco
, pop1 = 14 million to 18 million
, region2 = Algeria
, p ...
in
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
.
Belief in the evil eye, or buda, is still widespread in Ethiopia.
[Turner, John W. "Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity: Faith and practices". ]
A Country Study: Ethiopia
'. Thomas P. Ofcansky and LaVerle Berry, eds. Washington: Library of Congress Federal Research Division, 1991. The Beta Israel, or Ethiopian Jews, are often characterized by others as possessing buda.
Other castes such as ironworkers are often labeled as bearing the buda.
In fact, the Amharic word for manual worker, ''tabib'', is also used to denote "one with the evil eye."
[Beckwith, Carol, Angela Fisher, and Graham Hancock. ''African Ark''. New York: Henry N. Abrams, Inc., 1990.] The alleged evil power of the tabib is believed to be at a level similar to that of
witches.
Buda's alleged prevalence among outsiders correlates with the traditional belief that evil eye curses themselves are rooted in envy. As such, those allegedly possessing the power of buda might do so because of malevolent spirits. One study specifies that they are believed to be "empowered by evil spirit".
[Geleta, Amsalu Tadesse. ]
Case Study: Demonization and the Practice of Exorcism in Ethiopian Churches
". Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, Nairobi, August 2000. Niall Finneran describes how "the idea of magical creation underpins the perception of artisans in Ethiopia and in the wider African context. In many cases these skills have been acquired originally from an elemental source of evil via the paternal lineage, rather like a
Faustian pact."
The power of the evil eye allows its bearer to change into a
hyena, allowing him or her to attack another person while concealing his or her human identity.
Some Ethiopian and Eritrean Christians carry an
amulet or talisman, known as a ''kitab'', or invoke God's name, to ward off the ill effects of buda.
[Kemp, Charles. ]
Ethiopians & Eritreans.
" ''Refugee Health – Immigrant Health''. Waco, TX: Baylor University. A
debtera
A debtera (or dabtara; Ge'ez/Tigrinya/Amharic: ደብተራ (''Däbtära)''; plural, Ge'ez\Tigrinya: ''debterat'', Amharic: ''debtrawoch'' ) is an itinerant religious figure among the Beta Israel and in the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahe ...
, who is either an unordained priest and/or educated layperson who practices traditional medicine and sometimes magic, creates these protective amulets or talismans.
Ordained
Ethiopian Orthodox
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...
priests also continue to intervene and perform exorcisms on behalf of those believed to be afflicted by demons or buda. Such persons are brought to a church or prayer meeting.
Amsalu Geleta, in a modern case study, relates elements that are common to Ethiopian Christian exorcisms:
It includes singing praise and victory songs, reading from the Scripture, prayer and confronting the spirit in the name of Jesus. Dialogue with the spirit is another important part of the exorcism ceremony. It helps the counselor (exorcist) to know how the spirit was operating in the life of the demoniac. The signs and events mentioned by the spirit are affirmed by the victim after deliverance.
The exorcism is not always successful, and Geleta notes another instance in which the usual methods were unsuccessful, and the demons apparently left the subject at a later time. In any event, "in all cases the spirit is commanded in no other name than the name of Jesus."
See also
*
Zār
In the cultures of the Horn of Africa and adjacent regions of the Middle East, ''Zār'' ( ar, زار, gez, ዛር) is the term for a demon or spirit assumed to possess individuals, mostly women, and to cause discomfort or illness.
The so-cal ...
References
Further reading
*Hagar Salamon, ''The hyena people: Ethiopian Jews in Christian Ethiopia'', University of California Press, 1999, .
*Reminick, Ronald A. 1974. The evil eye belief among the Amhara of Ethiopia. ''Ethnology'' 13:279-291.
*Reminick, Ronald A. 1976. The evil eye belief among the Amhara of Ethiopia. ''The Evil Eye'', Clarence Maloney, ed., pp 85–101. New York: Columbia University Press.
*Vecchiato, Norberto. 1994. Evil Eye, Health Beliefs, and Social Tensions among the Sidama. In ''New Trends in Ethiopian Studies: Papers of the 12th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies'', Harold Marcus, ed., vol 2, 1033–1043. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea Press.
{{Superstitions
Religion in Ethiopia
Religion in Morocco
Religion in Sudan
Religion in Tanzania
Berber culture
African folklore
East African legendary creatures
African witchcraft
Hyenas
Shapeshifting
Eyes in culture
Folklore
Superstitions of Africa