17 th century European texts generally describe the Jaga as a disruptive element among the Central African populations, calling them savages, cannibals, and idolaters. The objective of this paper is to present these points of view through a study of the rituals attributed to the Jaga in the work entitled Istorica descrizione tre regni, Congo, Matamba et Angola, authored by Capuchin missionary Giovanni Cavazzi de Montecúccolo. Such rituals will be confronted with descriptions of the role played by the Jaga in the wars of the African hinterland during the conquest of the Ndongo.