Oomphel in the Sky ♦ By H. Beam Piper

The natives of Kwannon practiced ritualistic magic under supervision of their Terran rulers. Hunting, farming and raising children required the spells only a shoonoon could cast. But when prophesies of the end of the world send the natives of Kwannon swarming, it may also be the end for the Earth and it's humans! The natives actually desire the end of the world, as they've been promised a much better life by the shoonoon... It's now up to Miles Gilbert, reporter for the Kwannon Planetwide News Service, to be the ultimate hero; only he can change the minds of the natives with the special magic of Earth: the machine-giving Oomphel..!