Kalu hungo
Kaluli · numen · Kaluli traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
The kalu hungo, whose name is glossed 'dangerous men', are the place-spirits of the Kaluli unseen world, a class of being tied to particular streams, pools, and sacred spots on the plateau. Aloof and territorial, they punish trespass rather than seek out the living: a person who fishes, fells timber, or lingers where a kalu hungo dwells may fall ill, meet bad luck, or bring on storms and flooding. Their existence charges the everyday landscape with forbidden places that must be approached with care or avoided, and they stand among the several kinds of spirit with which mediums and hunters must reckon.
Domains
- place and boundary
- misfortune and weather
Powers
- afflicts trespassers on its ground
Sources
- The kalu hungo, 'dangerous men', are place-spirits that inhabit particular creeks and sacred spots in Kaluli territory and bring misfortune, sickness, or bad weather to those who trespass on their ground.: Edward L. Schieffelin, The Sorrow of the Lonely and the Burning of the Dancers (1976). (secondary); 'Kaluli - Religion and Expressive Culture', Encyclopedia of World Cultures (everyculture.com). (secondary)