Witchcraft is generally believed to be a power more of evil than for good, lodged in an individual himself or herself. It may be inherited or acquired by undergoing special rites.

Sorcery may be used to detect or punish criminals. A sorcerer is a person who wittingly directs injurious magic on others. Neither may be anti-social.

Some persons, man, woman, also children, are believed to possess a certain power with which they are able to kill. 

In one case, it was done by staring or gazing at the victim. A snake or lizard was supposed to go out of the head of the sorcerer into the victim and cause death. No other means or objects are used. besides the word to send out the snake. This power is bequeathed from parents to children. I know only of one case when a woman pleaded guilty of having made kumo. Also a child, girl about  twelve years old whose mother had been killed because she was believed to possess kumo, had been playing with a small baby and the baby died a few days after, she was accused of having kumo. This girl was not normal in her mind, told her accusers that she did kumo, the snake went out of her head although she did not want to kill the baby.

In any case of death that cannot be explained naturally, and such are many cases, because of limited knowledge of our people of causes for ailments and sickness, somebody has to be found who made kumo. This if often the occasion to get rid of an unwanted or a social person in a community. The accused is ostracized from the community, at times killed and the body thrown into the river. For such a person there is no blood revenge.

I once had a young boy in school on the station about twelve years old. The boy died of pneumonia. His mother a widow, his uncle was the Luluai at the time. At the mourning ceremony for the boy the Luluai accused the boy's mother and younger sister of having killed the boy with kumo. Both had no defence and the Luluai grabbed both and strangled them on the spot. This happened in the early time of Govrt. influence. The Luluai himself went to the Kiap and confessed his killing and he was given six months confinement.

Cubeo

Men who specialize is sorcery - pushing poison in the nostrils of sleepers are feared. They can see in the dark and are difficult to observe. They lack specific motivations for their acts. When caught they are tortured by tearing flesh with fishooks, one tear for each victim.

Africa

In many parts of Africa there is usually a sharp distinction between the medicine man, who is called on to cure the deadly effects of black magic, and the sorcerer who is guilty of employing it. A medicine man is highly respected, but the sorcerer is held in deadly fear; and when he dies his body is often burned in order that no part of it may fall into the hands of those who could use it for compounding more evil medicines.