Talking with Spirits: Onto-epistemology, Intimacy, and the Force and Tone of Communication

Abstract: Bori healers and malams of the Nigerian Sahel talk with spirits during intimate healing rituals, yet the force and tone of their communications signal divergent relational ontologies, from inclusive co-habitations to assertions of human/spirit boundaries. Whether calling Bori spirits with the songs they like, or using powerful Qur’anic readings to expel them, spirits in these conversations also talk back at times berating or taunting humans who blame them for human activities. A close analysis of human-spirit intimacies, as the force and tone of their communications exert palpable pressure, offers rich perspectives on the relational indeterminacies of healing, onto-epistemologies, and differences in communicative styles that affect the efficacies of healing