This study of religion in a Rhodesian tribe is based on Dr Murphree's continuous field work in the Shona community from 1962-4. It is thus more than an examination of the impact of Christian ideas on a traditional religion. The author's thesis is that there were factors in the indigenous religious system of the Shona which allowed them to assimilate Christianity as a viable alternative form of religion, and there is therefore an emphasis on the historical factors involved in the contemporary sociological situation, which the author is also concerned to analyse.