On Southern African Indigenous Healing

Abstract

This article illuminates some perennial features of Southern African indigenous healing. These include ancestral, familial and communal spirituality, healers and specializations, illness prevention and health promotion, the role of rhythm, music, song, dance and various forms of empathy as for example facilitated in Nguni divine healing and San healing dances. The need for future in-depth research into related psychological themes and issues is identified and explicated.

Keywords: Indigenous healing, illness prevention, health promotion.