Prior to my visit to Ghana I set my itinerary and all I
knew about Tindang was that I had an opportunity to
visit a witches village. My imagination about a village of
witches was fueled by images of Hollywood lore. I was
excited to meet " witches", thinking I might find some
inspirational images to paint. What I discovered left me
emotionally taxed. This is the story of the Witches of
Tindang.
Tindang is found near Ngani in the Yendi District of
North East Ghana, locally the name is referred to as the
Ngani-Tindang Witch Camp. It is here where I visited the
witches. At first the village appeared like most other
rural villages scattered across Northern Ghana but once I
had a chance to learn about the witches I was
overwhelmed with emotions.
" A Typical home for a few woman from Tindang."
The Ngani-Tindang witch camp has a resident adult
population of about 374 with women constituting 81%
(221) and 19% (53) men of the population. Unlike other
camps in the region Ngani-Tindang camp has both
males and females in the camp. It is worth noting that
some men alleged to have been wizards also suffer
discrimination to the extent of being rejected by their
families.
The Ngani-Tindang home is typical of such vulnerable
men and women with majority of the population being
above 70 years. It is estimated that there are 463
children staying in the camp with their fathers,
grandmothers and mothers accused of witchcraft. The
climate is hot and dry for most of the year. The people of
the witch camp must walk 1.5km to the river Oti for
water.
Growing up in Western Canada I only really thought of
witches around Halloween or in the movies, the woman
of Tindang are nothing like this. In most cases an elderly
woman has been accused of witchcraft, many of the
time, by family members. Once they are found guilty of
the accusation they must leave their homes and all their
belongings behind. Ngani-Tindang now becomes home
and the woman somehow scrape by an existence in very
harsh conditions. As I visited with the woman and a man
from Ngani-Tindang it became very clear that the most
important and pressing issue was the lack of water. The
woman have to walk 1.5km in one direction for water
that they collect from the river Oti.
" Some of the woman going to collect water and
firewood."
The people of Ngani-Tindang has never left my
thoughts. I have tried to help the people with the
drilling of a bore hole for safe portable water. The bore
hole was dry so we tried again a second time, again the
hole did not yeild enough water to work. So now the
only option left is to pump water from the Oti River
through a water purifacation system and into reservoirs.
I will continue to try and help with this situation. I hope
that others will as well.
" Drilling of the first bore hole. No success."
"National Geographic report"
Proceeds from the giclee { The Witches of Tindang. } will
help support in my efforts to complete this project.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions youas written several popular novels spiced
with magic, including “ The Physick Book of
Deliverance Dane.” As a lecturer on American
Studies at Cornell University , she also has a deep
knowledge of the culture of witchcraft . Her new
anthology , “ The Penguin Book of Witches, ” offers a
fascinating selection of historical accounts –
including the 1692 cross examination of the Salem
slave Tituba and the 1697 apology of Samuel Sewall ,
the only Salem judge to publicly express his regret
for participating in that deadly ordeal .
In the interest of public safety, The Washington
Post presents Howe ’ s sure -fire 10-step test to
determine if someone is a witch . Please report all
suspects to the appropriate authorities
immediately .
By Katherine Howe
1. Is the suspect a woman?
Women , as we know , are morally weaker than
men , and so more susceptible to temptations into
sin . Their natural hunger for ease of living and
fine things means the Devil can lure them into
signing their name to his book without too much
trouble . Okay , so she’ s illiterate , but she can still
make her mark in the book with her blood. Just
look what happened to Adam , when he didn’ t
provide his wife with sufficient moral guidance
and fortitude.
2. Does she have a pet ?
After she ’ s signed away her soul , the Devil will
give her a small spirit familiar to attend to her .
This creature can shape - shift and be sent out to do
her bidding, and she might be able to assume its
shape as well . She ’ ll try to convince you that only
black cats are suspicious , but she’ s lying . Don ’ t
believe her when she says “ Oh, this yellow bird ?
That ’ s just my canary .” Be on guard for small
snakes , birds , cats, rats , dogs , and griffins .
3. Does she have a wart?
Her spirit familiar has to nurse on her body , and
so she has a special diabolical teat concealed on her
person somewhere for that purpose . Check closely .
It could be between her fingers , or in a more
intimate area. If necessary you might need a panel
of expert women to help you search. ( Sometimes
men don’ t quite know how to find things in that
intimate area, and need guidance .)
4. Is she irritating?
She ’ s always asking for something , or coming by
when she’ s unwanted , or making a spectacle of
herself . Some people just can ’ t take a hint , can
they ? I mean, they come by , begging for scraps of
food because they’ re destitute, with no respect for
how tough other people have it .
5. Is she weird around your kids?
Maybe she doesn ’ t have any of her own. Or maybe
hers all died . Who knows? But she’ s definitely
prone to paying too much attention to your kids .
Maybe she wants to give them plums and entice
them to come live with her . Maybe she insists on
helping out with them when they get sick , and
comes by even when you don’ t want her to . See #4,
above.
6. Is she middle -aged?
No longer young enough to be beautiful , but not
old enough to be venerable , women at middle age
are in their peak risk years for temptation into
witchery . She ’ s somewhere between 40 and 60, and
so she should be a pillar of the community , head of
her own family, active at church, involved in
supporting her husband’ s work. If she ’ s alone, or
didn ’ t get elected to full church membership , you
should be suspicious .
6. Is she pissed?
Is she quick to anger ? Has she ever attacked a
constable for no reason ? Has she been known to
scream at people and call them whoremasterly
rogues ? Have you seen her hunch someone of
quality with her elbow? Inappropriate anger is a
definite warning sign . Women should really be able
to keep it together no matter what.
7. Has she stopped going to church ?
She might try to offer an excuse , such as being
dressed only in rags . Maybe she’ s too busy
romancing her former indentured servant. In any
case , she’ s supposed to be at church with everyone
else, for all eight hours. If she’ s not, it could be
because she ’ s too tired from attending witches’
sabbaths and drinking red wine in the rye field
behind the minister’ s house .
8. Has she ’s threatened you — and then it totally
came true ?
Remember that one time she came over to borrow
some butter, and you sent her away? She ’ s SO
annoying , always asking for things , isn ’ t she ?
Anyway. So remember how when she went away ,
she was muttering under her breath, and she said
you’ d regret not giving her any butter? And
remember how later that same evening, the butter
wouldn’ t come ? Yeah. That happened. Just saying.
9. Have you seen her spirit in your house at
night?
Okay , admittedly, some people think that the Devil
can assume anyone ’ s shape , regardless of whether
they ’ re really witches or not. So it ’ s possible, in
theory , that the shape you saw come in at the
window was the Devil pretending to be her.
Possible. Not probable, though. I mean , would God
really let the Devil assume the shape of an
innocent ? Would He really ? Didn’ t think so.
10. Has she confessed?
So maybe you did have to ask her repeatedly .
Maybe you did ask her to prove she wasn ’ t a witch.
And maybe you did have to help her remember her
guilt with a quick beating . Big deal. She ’ s
confessed! And there ’ s no better method to finding
out other witches than the word of a confessed
witch . Now she can tell you who her confederates
are. Now you can find them all.
Score
Count the number of times you answered “ Yes ” :
0-2 : You’ re probably safe – for now .
3-5 : Lock up your children – and your cows.
6-8 : Prepare the ducking stool.
9-10 : Get a rope .
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