FILM RE 1IE WS

munity, curing from social and physical ills,

which they see as related, and new dignity on
African terms meaningful through amalgamation of Christian and African symbols and
beliefs.
Much footage is devoted to a few contrasting
churches, such as the Jericho Christian Church
of Swaziland, the Maria Legio of Kenya, the
Aladura and followers of the Prophet Harris in
West Africa, and Kimbanguists of Zaire (4million strong), the last by far the most
sophisticated in organization and beliefs.
I warmly recommend this film for teaching
courses in Africa, religion, or social change. My
own class in comparative religion was captivated. Although 1 thoroughly enjoyed this as a
useful teaching device, the survey approach,
while indicating the diverse and widespread
nature of these churches, prevents any one
church from appearing entirely coherent
ideologically or socially. Furthermore, while
there is reference to how these groups were
persecuted under colonial rule, there is no suggestion that many remain sources of suspicion
and hostility for new African states because they
continue to represent attempts at social and
moral autonomy counter to the hegemony of
these governments. Finally, I must note that the
distributors enclose a brief instructional supplement that is disappointing. It cites Ogots and
Welbourns monograph on the Kenya churches,
but makes no mention of Halliburtons study of
the Prophet Harris, Sundklers classic studies of
South African churches, Martins study of Kimbangu. or Turners and Peels studies of
Aladura, just to mention key works on churches
emphasized in the film. No one expects a small
supplemental treatise, but as Tim Asch, John
Marshall, Napolean Chagnon, and others long
ago made clear, such supplements can make all
the difference: this film is too good not to merit
a better one.

A Zoroastrian Ritual: The Yasna. 1982. Produced and directed by James w. Boyd and
William R. Darrow. 31 minutes, 25 seconds,
color, videotape. Colorado State University, Office of Instructional Services, Ft. Collins, CO
80523.
William 0. Beeman
Brown University
This videotape may constitute the first
recording on tape or film of Zoroastrian ritual,

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and as such it is of intrinsic interest. However,

this is not a tape designed to introduce novices
to Zoroastrianism or to the rituals of that
religion. Rather it is an unadorned performance
of the Yasna provided in minute detail with
almost no interpretive commentary whatsoever.
Some commentary is supplied by the Zoroastrian priest, Firoze M. Kotwal of Bombay, who,
before the ceremony begins, speaks briefly on
the power and effectiveness of the priest in carrying out the ritual, but the viewer is assumed to
have basic knowledge of Zoroastrianism before
viewing the tape.
In many ways the ritual as performed for the
camera is far clearer than one would be able to
see in a Zoroastrian temple. Care is taken to
provide close-up shots of the objects used in
worship, many of which are minute and not
easily seen. However, the tape necessarily truncates the ceremony, eliminating approximately
two and a half hours of chanting of sacred
hymns by the chief priest (which he performs
sitting in a stationary position).
For students of comparative religion, one interesting aspect of the ceremony is the crushing,
mixing, and drinking of the sacred plant, hom
or homa (also variously soma or haoma in IndoEuropean religious tradition). There has been
much speculation concerning the exact identification of this plant in antiquity. Its scripturally
celebrated life-giving, invigorating qualities
have led to wide-ranging speculation - including one theory that it may have been a halucinogenic mushroom. In the present Zoroastrian
ritual it is a simple twig, crushed and mixed
with goats milk and water before being consumed by the priest. Students of Indo-European
civilization will be interested to note the important role played in the ceremony by a pair of
stylized bulls horns cast in brass.
The videotape will be best used in teaching
situations where students have had the opportunity to study Zoroastrian traditions independently. Those who come to it cold will
have little idea of how to interpret what they
see. Despite its austerity, however, this production is a valuable document-an
accurate
record of a largely inaccessible ceremony. As
such it shows the economic advantage of videotape over film. It is unlikely that a film of this
subject could have been funded, but a videotape is just the right scale for a scientifically important project of circumscribed interest such as
this.