Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 196, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 August 1910 — Page 2

Strange and Terrible African Ceremonies

O MORE fascinating, thrilling study could be followed than that of the old, quaint and sometimes harrowing ceremonies of the tribes of central and eastern Africa. For the most part, these are grounded in religious and superstitious beliefs and too involved a matter for detailed study, but

some illuminating experiences may be entertaining. ' RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. Most of these people believe in the existence of a Supreme Being, who lives above the clouds and does not trouble himself about mortals whom he has created. More attention, however, is paid to their, fetiches, or petty gods, who are thought to busy themselves with the affairs of men. These, especially the fetich of death, are addressed through priests (the ministers of fetich worship), who consult the image or fetich, in cases of crime or injury, in order to discover who is guilty of the deed. Crowned with leaves, and decked with tinsel, carrying in his left hand a bag of eagles* beaks and jackals’ claws, drunk with palm wine, the priest dances and yells, and ends presently by declaring the name of the offender. At other times he will pose as a physician, or medicine man, and make himself a terror to the simple folk by his assumption of supernatural powers, which, to their credulous minds, cloak his cruelty and avarice. A STRANGE CEREMONY. A little chief Insisted on becoming my blood brother and, anxious to see how it was done, I consented. The

rite was carried out In the following manner: In the open air and in th<3 presence of all the assembled chiefs and people, I was seated opposite my prospective brother. A small incision was made in each of our forearms, half way between the hand and elbow, from which a little blood oozed. The proper performance would have been for each of us to lick the blood of the other, but on this occasion we decided to dispense with that part of the rite, merely rubbing the cuts one against the other, and thus commingling our blood. When this was done, the representative of my “brother’’ got up and began to beat two pieecs, of metal together—a knife and a gun-barrel, I think they happened to be —keeping up a monotonous tink, tink, tink, and talking to me as he did so. He recited a sort of commination service, somewhat to the following effect: “If you ever make war on me, if you ever steal from me, if you ever wound me, etc., etc., may you die!” This is a good opportunity for him in case he may want to get anything from you, so his incantation often contains such threats as, "If you do not give me plenty of guns, may you die!” After this, a similar performance was gone through by my representative, whose business it was to nullify my new brother s subtle demands. Finally the compact was sealed by an exchange of small presents. This custom is not by any means a local one, but is found among nearly all the tribes that inhabit the districts of central Africa. Stanley submitted to the operation often enough to have reason to complain that his arm became quite sore from the effects of these frequent incisions. WITCHCRAFT. "At a small Azande settlement on the road some of my men came to tell me that the chief of the village was going to kill one of his men with witchcraft The unfortunate fellow, a small and ugly specimen of his race, bad, it appears, been guilty of an amiable Indi'■•’•etion with one of the chief's wives. After some conversation with the chief, I ransomed the prisoner at the price of two yards of white cloth, on the condition that I might take him away with me. Needless to say, this victim of circumstahces was only too glad to fall in With my terms; and he remained with me for some fifteen months in the capacity of a servant, eventually returning to his village at his own request. By some of the tribesmen names are given to the months in keening with what is " them/ Thus one is

named as that in which they sow maroo, the chief ingredient used in brewing native beer; another as the season when maroo must be cut. Following this comes the ‘‘bad-water” month, when the risk of fever is greatest; then elephant month, when they catch elephants by burning the grass; and the white-ant month, during which white ants are collected, and considered a great delicacy; and a second maroo month, when a second crop is sown. The month next to this has no distinctive name, and is succeeded by the second maroo harvest month; the hungry, or water-month, when provisions are scarce; the second ant-gathering month; a later sowing month; and, finally, another with no particular title. This very simple method is a decided improvement on the scheme set forth in exquisite elegiacs by Ovid in his ‘‘Fasti.*” Nothing supernatural is suggested; no names of deities are introduced, but each month is directly connected with some current and natural event.

RACIAL TRADITIONS. So far as I could gather by inquiry and observation, the characteristics of each tribe are constant and continuous. At their head in point of interest and superiority stand the Azande, w'ho, according to tradition, came down from the north. Being now settled north of the Welle, they'are gradually pushing their way southward to the more fertile land across the river and toward the north bank of the

HIDEOUS AFRICAN WAR DANCE.

Congo; indeed, had not the white man been present to check their advance, it is reasonable to suppose that by this time they would-have completely absorbed the various other tribes established south of the Welle. They have no records of their origin and possess no traditional history, save a mere genealogy of the last seven generations of the ruling chief’s family. In this respect they altogether differ from all Aryan nations, who invariablq preserve traditions of race and origin.

OCCULT DEMONSTRATIONS. Their method of forecasting the future is distinctive; it is performed by a professional, and is known as the mapingo. A banana is peeled and balanced horizontally on two upright pegs, not an easy feat, considering the smoothness of its peeled stem. On this are placed 39 heaps of short sticks, beautifully polished and oiled, each heap being composed of one stick resting upon two. The seer begins to walk around these, talking to them and clapping his hands, until one of them slips away; and it is on the movement of these little sticks that he will rely for an omen.

PECULIARITIES OF DRESS. The clothing of a woman consists of a little square of cloth about two feet by eighteen inches, worn as an apron, and a tail made of cocoanut fibers. She carriep a little stool wherever she goes, and generally enters a hut backwards. She wears both anklets and armlets, made of iron, brass, copper or beads. Her hair is plaited into a sort of crown or halo, and it is a good morning’s work to build up this structure in all its glory. The whole of their body is usually covered with designs when they are in full These are painted on with lampblack and gardenia juice in rings, hoops, spots, circles, and other patterns, according to taste and fashion. WIVES ARE BOUGHT. These women are not good-looking as a rule but are well built and strong; and, as they do all manual labor, as well as the house duties, a man buys his wife more for her physical strength than for her looks. Bought for hoes, spearheads, knives, and pieces of unwrought iron, they become the absolute property of their husbands and can be sold or given, away at will. There is no divorce among the Mang bettou. A man simply takes another wife when he is tired of the first. f They all live together and do not .quarrel, the former wife being

Captain Guy Burrows. Formerly Commandant of the Congo Free State.

generally consoled by the fact tha.t her eldest son, if she has one, will take precedence of her rival’s children. The daughters of big chiefs can only marry chiefs; while unmarried, they remain in the village and do just as they please until some euitor-bfthe required rank turns up.

SMOKING AND DRINKING. In smoking they only take two or three whiffs of the pipe, inhaling the smoke, and coughing violently always. When the chief sneezes, it is customary for all those around him to pretend to sneeze also, just as we may say, “God bless you!” or an Italian, "Viva!" When a chief smokes, the whole crowd standing round him clap their hands in unison until he has finished. The 'chiefs and their intimate friends are the only people who really drink in the country. They enjoy large howls of beer made from maroo, light brown color, and not unpleasant to the taste. The first sensation to the palate is one of sweetness, the after taste rather bitter. This beverage can only be used when new, as in two or three days it becomes acid and undrinkable. Women always brew it, and pride themselves on the accomplishment. When a chief drinks, strict ceremonial is observed, each having his own custom. One will have a drum beaten from the time he raises the bowl to his lips until he puts it down again; another will have

a man behind him whose business it is to attract people’s attention while his master drinks, by uttering some cry, or noise, or sljout; another will have bells rung; another used to have a forked stick placed on the back of his neck while he swallowed the beer. When a man makes up his mind for a first-class bout, the racket is continuous and distracting while he is “making a night ot iff" Drums are beaten to warn the natives of the chief? household that he intends to dance, and at the appointed hour most of his wives assemble in a large open space set apart for this purpose, the head wife seated in the center, and the others in order of precedence to right and left, thus forming an enormous semicircle. Each woman brings with her a round stool, about a foot high, cut out of a solid piece of wood, and on these they sit with their knees together and toes turned in. The orchestra is placed behind the head wife, in the center of the semi-circle, and is comf posed of drums, bsrns, and native bells, which are tiid together on a stick and shaken till they sound “like sweet bells jangled out of tune.” The chief in the meantime has been putting on the ornaments and

insignia due to the solemnity of the occasion, and during the Wait a few picked warriors give a performance illustrating a fight. The chief arrives. He has put on, besides his usual dress, a number of small skins attached to his belt in front and behind—not in a row, but three or four in a heap on top of one another, with the tails hanging loose. Similar skins adorn his arms, and a large giraffe’s tail is fixed behind, with bunches of parrots’ red tail-feathers at its end. He wears an enormous head-dress, and round his ankles are rings with bells attached. As soon as he steps into the circle a great shout is raised by the women present. He selects his dance, and as the orchestra strikes up ]he prances round and about this large circle, now stooping on one side, now upon the other, until he is out of breath, invariably ending opposite to his head wife, whom he salutes at the finish. He then refreshes himself by big draughts of beer, while fanned by two young women. When rested, he begins a new dance, and very often between the figures he will make a speech. If he is tired, his place is often taken by one of his sons, and so the proceedings often last for five or six hours. The Mang-bettou women during the dances sway their heads and wave their hands in perfect time, the chief wife leading them. They do not dance with the men, but have a dance of their own to close the ball.

STRANGE RELIGIOUS BELIEF. The Mang-bettou believe vaguely in a supreme being, but. they have no name for him. Their nearest name is Kilima. The thunder is Kilima speaking when he is angry. Thunderbolts are the stones he throws down. By a charming poetical fiction the rainbow Is the actual embodiment of Kilima. If you ask them to describe him, they will tell you he is a “large animal with a curved red back.” A shadow is Kilima; the reflection in water is Kilima; anything they do not understand Is Kilima. Some of the tribes I met have neither religion nor superstition, nor do they practice, any occult or fetish rites. Others such as these now described, have a vivid belief in the unseen world, in a god, and in spirits of the departed, and so are higher in the scale of civilization than their more agnostic neighbors. If any head of a family dies, he is buried in the center of his hut, in a hole about six feet deep, in a sitting position, and is covered with layers or earth and sticks, till the hole is filled right up, and the floor is beaten down again, so that it shows no sign of disturbance. Outside the door they will build a little attaro, or hut. This is made

LEADING THE CHIEF’S WIVES AWAY TO BE STRANGLED.

with three sticks, painted black and white, with a conical thatch of grass. A similar hut is built right away in the bush. After the man is buried cooked food and oil are left at the attaro in the forest, so that the spirit of this dead man shall not return to his hous.e, but shall find food at his other attaro, should he want it. This custom is frequently found among North American Indians, and was also an Egyptian practice. In proof that these people believe that the spirits of dead folk will return to their old habitations, and can communicate with the living, the following incident came under my personal notice:' One evening I heard a tremendous noije outside my door. Running out to see what it was all about, I found a native woman in hysterics. She was lying on the ground, two -vyomen kneeling on each side of her, holding her down with grass mats, with the apparent intention of smothering the poor soul. I asked what they were (joiog. They told me that the spirit of her father had come back to call her, and that she must go to him. They really believed 1 this, and were very much disgusted when I threw a bucket of cold water over her. In

ten minutes she was asleep, and next morning was perfectly well. A GOD OF NATURE. They believe, too, in a god whom they call Ara, a name derived from Allah through the Arabs. They say he will punish them for doing wrong. “Will he punish them for murder?” I once asked. “Oh no, it is Ara who makes a man murder.” “Then how and for what will he punish man?” “He will punish a man for neglecting to make provision for himself and his family.” "How?” “By making him suffer hunger.” So it seemed that their god was simply Nature, and no more definite explanation could I get. SACRIFICE OF CHIEF’S WIVES. When a big chief dies, a new hut is built away in the bush on the banks of a stream. A hole is dug in the center, as described previously, into which he is placed, always in a sitting posture, and covered with sticks and earth. Five women, selected from . amongst his widows, are first strangled outside the hut, and then their dead bodies are laid on the surface of the ground, with the feet towards the central tomb. Then they all are covered over with several layers of bark cloth, on top of which are poured large cauldrons of palm oil. Another layer of cloth is added, and more oil poured over it, until the whole structure is about two feet high. After this it is absolute death for any native, except the ruling chief and one other man selected for the purpose, generally a brother, to be found even upon the road to the hut, which every week is visited by one of these two men. When the cloth and oil have rotted away, new layers are spread there, till all signs except the bones are gone. The hut itself is never repaired, but is allowed to decay and fall to pieces until it eventually disappears. The succeeding chief is very careful to supply every possible want of his predecessor. If he dreams during the night that the spirit of the departed has come to him and has told him to do this or that, a new chief will follow the advice thus given. If beer is wanted he will have two or three jars brewed next morning, which he takes himself to the tomb and breaks them there in front of the hut door. It is a favorite trick of a new chief to bid for popularity fcv working upon—the people’s feelingllin this way, pretending to have been visited by the late chief, who has warned him that unless his followers behave better, trouble will surely ensue. Burials usually take place at night. On the death of a great chief, everything belonging to him except the cloth, which is too valuable, is broken into small pieces and thrown away. When a chief dies, his death is immediately ascribed to “lucundoo,” and suspicion usually points to his successor as its author. Poison is very frequently used by the sons of a chief

to remove any possible competitor from their path who is likely to stand in the way of their succession to the thrdne. Sometimes also the ancient tragedy of David and Uriah the Hittite is played, but with a poisoned dinner in place of the “forefront of the battle.” STRANGE SUPERSTITIONS. “Lucundoo” can be made to work in various ways; one of the commonest in use is as follows: The person who wishes to do harm to his enemy goes in the dusk to the neighborhood of his victim’s village. The only appliance necessary to conjure up the dread powers of darkness is a simple whistle made of wood, hollowed out from one end, and blown as a schoolboy whistles with a key. Provided with this seemingly harmless weapon, the sorcerer walks along each path leading into the victim's village, blowing lustily on his whistle as he goes. This done, his vengeance is complete, for It is only necessary to inform his enemy that he has made “lucundoo” round his village to keep him from using the bewitched paths. New roads must be made, and until this is done the victim of this magic r(te will hot dare to stir abroad. (Copyright, 1969, by Benj. B. Hampton.}

The ONLOOKER by WILBUR D. NESBIT

by WILBUR. D. NESBIT

Well—uh—Tell yo’ Mlstah White Man, I ain’ wukkln’ none terday So yo’ needn’ ax me lissen when yo’ up en talk dat way. Es yo‘ got a lot ter tell me yo’ bes’ waif ontlll I’s broke 'Case wld money in mah pocket all yo* cussln’ is a joke. Wid mah high silk hat en mah gol’ haid cane En mah red hot ves’ an’ mah watch en chain I’s a walkin’ erroun’ fo’ folks ter view ’C’ase mah name’s Mistah Johnslng, too! I’se a goin’ ter de dentls’ foh some fillin’ in mah tees Des a hunk o’ gol’ foh dem on top ez well ez ondehneef; En I’s strollin’ down de sidewalk wld mah cane a swlngjn’ free En mah money in mah wallet, dess ez res’fulez kin be. O, mhh long black coat en mah bull dawg pipe En mah light, cream pants wid de puppie stripe, En maJh green necktie wid de spots o’ blue— , ’Case mah name’s Mistah Johnsing, too! Yes, we name de baby Ahthuh—we hed thought o’ Booker T. But I name ’im dat dis mawnln’ whilst I belt ’im on mah knee, En he soht o’ gib a chuckle whilst he look at me en grin— ! _ Cut his fust tooth on a dollah—silveh dol- . lah dat I win! Wid mah pul gray spats en mah shiny shoes En mah big receipt foh mah ol’ lodge dues I’s alive wid gladness thoo en thoo ’Case mah name’s Mistah Johnsin, too!

“I suppose your constituents are so mad over your position on the tariff that thej’ will sends some one else to congress next time,” says the visiting friend to the congressman. "Haven’t heard anything of the sort,” he smile?. “You see, I induced two of the wheelhorses to be candidates for the post office at home, and then had the appointment held up until next season. People don’t talk tariff when a post office is at stake.”

Try It.

Prof. L. O. Thayre, the well-known lexicologist, calls our attention to a most interesting phenomenon, or whatever it is. The professor occasionally whiles away an idle hour with experiments upon words. Especially ioes he enjoy discovering what combinations may be made of the letters In proper names. He writes us that he has arranged the letters in the name of THEODORE ROOSEVELT so that they form a complete and characteristic sentence. The professor offers to contest publicly with any and all challengers after the JeffriesJohnson debate on the Fourth of July, and claims that he can make morq sentences of the letters in Colonel Roosevelt's name than any one else of his weight and age. The professor’s first exhibit is this: O, HE DOES LOVE RETORT. Can any of our readers equal or excel this?

What He Is and Does.

And now the window-cleaner comes When things grow fresh and greener. The song of toll he hums And makes the window cleaner.

Couldn't Come Back.

Enoch Arden crept softly up to tW window and peered In. The former Mrs. Arden sat talking sternly to Enoch's successor. “Do as you like,” she was sayings "But remember this, It's just as I tolfi Enoch when he got to thinking he was boss of the house: You may go away, but you can’t come back. Fortunately Mr. Tennyson learned of the incident before the eminent, literatt! of the prize ring got to it.