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From: Joe Lukong
Date: 10/9/02
Time: 6:50:49 AM
Remote Name: 65.29.28.137
Thank you for the interest you showed in our paper.As far as stuttering here in Cameroon is concern, a hebalist will refer to one who treats stuttering using a particular herb or a combination of different herbs. From those we know, they use colanut leaves, the cover of the colanut seeds themselves and others use the back or skin of some medicinal plants.There is also another group we call here as tradi-practioners, native or traditional doctors, soothsayers, witch doctors etc. These may treat stuttering using not only herbs but certain objects and magical powers. Some of those objects may include the droppings from the elephants or elephant dung, eating of an insect called KIMBEM, drinking water from a snail shelf, drinking a substance that comes out of the roots of a raffia palm bush etc. Others treat it by trying to find out the cause. They are soothsayers who are able to tell what happened in the past. They may tell you that you stuttering is caused by you offending your grand parents and to please them you have to offer a sacrifice to stop your stuttering. There is a debate in our group whether this methods help. Some people believe they do. But I personally have gone through some of these methods with no postive results.