The Missionary and the Rainmaker

The dialogue between the missionary and the rainmaker found in various forms in David Livingstone’s writings needs to be interpreted against the background of Livingstone’s relationship with the Bakwena during the late 1840s, a time of severe drought and one in which chief Sechele’s repudiation of h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social sciences and missions
Main Author: Stanley, Brian (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2014
In: Social sciences and missions
Further subjects:B David Livingstone Bakwena Sechele rainmaking irrigation medicine
B David Livingstone Bakwena Sechele faiseur de pluie irrigation médicine
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Summary:The dialogue between the missionary and the rainmaker found in various forms in David Livingstone’s writings needs to be interpreted against the background of Livingstone’s relationship with the Bakwena during the late 1840s, a time of severe drought and one in which chief Sechele’s repudiation of his rainmaking functions after his baptism threatened the displeasure of the ancestors. Livingstone’s recording of the dialogue reveals his indebtedness to the moral philosophy of the Scottish thinker, Thomas Dick, but also suggests that Livingstone remained fascinated by the very African cosmology that his Christian faith and Scottish scientism led him to repudiate.
ISSN:1874-8945
Contains:In: Social sciences and missions
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/18748945-02702003