E. E. Evans-Pritchard

So they were quite serious decisions, and yet some of these oracles, as I observed them, seemed very primitive and unscientific.

One of the best examples was a British anthropologist called Evans Pritchard who studied a tribe called the Azandi who used to mix up poison and feed it to baby chickens.

And they would ask the chickens a question.

And if the chickens died, the answer was no.

yeah it's it's more connected than i realized and that i think people might realize with you know supernatural magic that is to say stage conjuring is very connected with uh supernatural powers and and supernatural magic you know i had uh sort of referred symbolize that in the in in the book with um with with with tarot cards you know in in some some tarot decks the magician is somebody doing the ball and cups type game is a conjurer in other other tarot decks you know the right right away smith smith deck it's it's you know the magus with his uh you know wand up to the sky is a is a magical uh magical practitioner yeah There are definitely some traditions of supernatural magic that also involve sleights of hand.

You talked about some examples then in some of the kind of mystical magnetizers and other forms of healers in sort of late 1800s, early 1900s Europe and America, but there are others too, the sort of colonial English anthropologist E. Evans Pritchard.

He did this sort of classic study of witchcraft and magic and oracles among the Azande, among people of Central Africa.

And he got his, described as his servant.