Travels into the Interior of Africa (21 page)

The Negroes, as hath been frequently observed, whether
Mohammedan
or Pagan, allow a plurality of wives. The Mohammedans alone are by their religion confined to four; and as the husband commonly pays a great price for each, he requires from all of them the utmost deference and submission, and treats them more like hired servants than companions. They have, however, the management of domestic affairs, and each in rotation is mistress of the household, and has the care of dressing the victuals, overlooking the female slaves, etc But though the African husbands are possessed of great authority over their wives, I did not observe that in general they treat them with cruelty, neither did I perceive that mean jealousy in their dispositions, which is so prevalent among the Moors. They permit their wives to partake of all public diversions, and this indulgence is seldom abused; for though the Negro women are very cheerful and frank in their behaviour, they are by no means given to intrigue. I believe that instances of conjugal infidelity are not common. When the wives quarrel among themselves, a circumstance which, from the nature of their situation, must frequently happen, the husband decides between them, and sometimes finds it necessary to administer a little corporal chastisement before tranquillity can be restored. But if any one of the ladies complains to the chief of the town that her husband has unjustly punished her, and shown an undue partiality to some other of his wives, the affair is brought to a public trial. In these
palavers
, however, which are conducted chiefly by married men, I was informed that the complaint of the wife is not always considered in a very serious light, and the complainant herself is sometimes convicted of strife and contention, and left without remedy. If she murmurs at the decision of the court, the magic rod of
Mumbo Jumbo
soon puts an end to the business.

The children of the Mandingoes are not always named after their relations, but frequently in consequence of some remarkable occurrence. Thus, my landlord at Kamalia was called
Karfa
, a word signifying
to replace;
because he was born shortly after the death of one of his brothers. Other names are descriptive of good or bad qualities, as
Modi
, ‘a good man;’
Fadibba
, ‘father of the town,’ etc; indeed the very names of their towns have something descriptive in them, as
Sibidooloo
, ‘the town of ciboa trees;’
Kenneyeto,
‘victuals here;’
Dosita,
‘lift your spoon.’ Others seem to be given by way of reproach, as
Bammakoo
, ‘wash a crocodile;’
Karankalla
, ‘no cup to drink from,’ etc A child is named when it is seven or eight days old. The ceremony commences by shaving the infant’s head; and a dish called
Dega
, made of pounded corn and sour milk, is prepared for the guests. If the parents are rich, a sheep or goat is commonly added. The feast is called
Ding koon lee
, ‘the child’s head shaving.’ During my stay at Kamalia I was present at four different feasts of this kind, and the ceremony was the same in each, whether the child belonged to a Bushreen or a Kafir. The schoolmaster, who officiated as priest on these occasions, and who is necessarily a Bushreen, first said a long prayer over the
dega
, during which every person present took hold of the brim of the calabash with his right hand. After this the
schoolmaster
took the child in his arms, and said a second prayer, in which he repeatedly solicited the blessing of God upon the child, and upon all the company. When this prayer was ended, he whispered a few sentences in the child’s ear, and spat three times in its face, after which he pronounced its name aloud, and returned the infant to the mother. This part of the ceremony being ended, the father of the child divided the
dega
into a number of balls, one of which he distributed to every person present. And enquiry was then made if any person in the town was dangerously sick – it being usual in such cases to send the party a large portion of the
dega
, which is thought to possess great medical virtues.
*

Among the Negroes every individual, besides his own proper name, has likewise a
kontong
, or surname, to denote the family or clan to which he belongs. Some of these families are very numerous and powerful. It is impossible to enumerate the various
kontongs
which are found in different parts of the country, though the knowledge of many of them is of great service to the traveller; for as every Negro plumes himself upon the importance or the antiquity of his clan, he is much flattered when he is addressed by his
kontong
.

Salutations among the Negroes to each other, when they meet, are always observed; but those in most general use among the Kafirs are
Abbe
paeretto
–
E ning seni
–
Anawari
, etc, all of which have nearly the same meaning, and signify,
are you well
?
or to that effect. There are likewise salutations which are used at different times of the day, as
E ning somo
, good-morning, etc The general answer to all salutations is to repeat the
kontong
of the person who salutes, or else to repeat the salutation itself, first pronouncing the word
marhaba
, my friend.

T
HE MANDINGOES, AND, I BELIEVE
, the Negroes in general, have no artificial method of dividing time. They calculate the years by the number of
rainy seasons
. They portion the year into
moons
, and reckon the days by so many
suns
. The day they divide into morning, midday, and evening; and further subdivide it, when necessary, by pointing to the sun’s place in the heavens. I frequently enquired of some of them what became of the sun during the night, and whether we should see the same sun or a different one in the morning; but I found that they considered the question as very childish. The subject appeared to them as placed beyond the reach of human investigation; they had never indulged a conjecture, nor formed any hypothesis about the matter. The moon, by varying her form, has more attracted their attention. On the first
appearance
of the new moon, which they look upon to be newly created, the Pagan natives, as well as Mohammedans, say a short prayer; and this seems to be the only visible adoration which the Kafirs offer to the Supreme Being. This prayer is pronounced in a whisper – the party holding up his hands before his face; its purport (as I have been assured by many different people) is to return thanks to God for His kindness through the existence of the past moon, and to solicit a continuation of His favour during that of the new one. At the conclusion, they spit upon their hands, and rub them over their faces. This seems to be nearly the same ceremony which prevailed among the heathens in the days of Job.
*

Great attention, however, is paid to the changes of this luminary, in its monthly course; and it is thought very unlucky to begin a journey or any other work of consequence, in the last quarter. An eclipse, whether of the sun or moon, is supposed to be effected by witchcraft. The stars are very little regarded; and the whole study of astronomy appears to them as a useless pursuit, and attended to by such persons only as deal in magic.

Their notions of geography are equally puerile. They imagine that the world is an extended plain, the termination of which no eye has
discovered
– it being, they say, overhung with clouds and darkness. They describe the sea as a large river of salt water, on the further shore of which is situated a country called
Tobaubo doo
– ‘the land of the white people.’ At a distance from Tobaubo doo, they describe another country, which they allege is inhabited by cannibals of gigantic size, called
Koomi
. This country they call
Jong sang doo
– ‘the land where the slaves are sold.’ But of all countries in the world their own appears to them as the best, and their own people as the happiest; and they pity the fate of other nations, who have been placed by Providence in less fertile and less fortunate districts.

Some of the religious opinions of the Negroes, though blended with the weakest credulity and superstition, are not unworthy of attention. I have conversed with all ranks and conditions upon the subject of their faith, and can pronounce, without the smallest shadow of doubt, that the belief of one God, and of a future state of reward and punishment, is entire and universal among them. It is remarkable, however, that, except on the appearance of a new moon, as before related, the Pagan natives do not think it necessary to offer up prayers and supplications to the Almighty. They represent the Deity, indeed, as the creator and preserver of all things; but in general they consider him as a being so remote, and of so exalted a nature, that it is idle to imagine the feeble supplications of wretched mortals can reverse the decrees, and change the purposes of unerring Wisdom. If they are asked, for what reason then do they offer up a prayer on the appearance of the new moon; the answer is, that custom has made it necessary; they do it because their fathers did it before them. Such is the blindness of unassisted nature! The concerns of this world, they believe, are committed by the Almighty to the
superintendence
and direction of subordinate spirits, over whom they suppose that certain magical ceremonies have great influence. A white fowl suspended to the branch of a particular tree, a snake’s head, or a few handfuls of fruit, are offerings which ignorance and superstition frequently present, to deprecate the wrath or to conciliate the favour, of these tutelary agents. But it is not often that the Negroes make their religious opinions the subject of conversation. When interrogated, in particular, concerning their ideas of a future state, they express
themselves
with great reverence, but endeavour to shorten the discussion by observing –
mo o mo inta allo
, ‘no man knows anything about it.’ They are content, they say, to follow the precepts and examples of their forefathers, through the various vicissitudes of life; and when this world presents no objects of enjoyment or comfort, they seem to look with anxiety towards another, which they believe will be better suited to their natures, but concerning which they are far from indulging vain and delusive conjectures.

The Mandingoes seldom attain extreme old age. At forty, most of them become grey-haired, and covered with wrinkles; and but few of them survive the age of fifty-five or sixty. They calculate the years of their lives, as I have already observed, by the number of rainy seasons (there being but one such in the year); and distinguish each year by a particular name, founded on some remarkable occurrence which happened in that year. Thus they say the year of the
Farbanna
war
; the year of the
Kaarta war
; the year on which
Gadou was
plundered
,
etc etc
; and I have no doubt that the year 1796 will in many places be distinguished by the name of
Tobaubo tambi
sang
, ‘the year the white man passed;’ as such an occurrence would naturally form an epoch in their traditional history.

But notwithstanding that longevity is uncommon among them, it appeared to me that their diseases are but few in number. Their simple diet, and active way of life, preserve them from many of those disorders which embitter the days of luxury and idleness. Fevers and fluxes are the most common and the most fatal. For these, they generally apply saphies to different parts of the body, and perform a great many other superstitious ceremonies; some of which are, indeed, well calculated to inspire the patient with the hope of recovery, and divert his mind from brooding over his own danger. But I have sometimes observed among them a more systematic mode of treatment. On the first attack of a fever, when the patient complains of cold, he is frequently placed in a sort of vapour; this is done by spreading branches of the
Nauclea orientalis
upon hot wood embers, and laying the patient upon them, wrapped up in a large cotton cloth. Water is then sprinkled upon the branches, which, descending to the hot embers, soon covers the patient with a cloud of vapour, in which he is allowed to remain until the embers are almost extinguished. This practice commonly produces a profuse perspiration, and wonderfully relieves the sufferer.

For the dysentery, they use the bark of different trees reduced to powder, and mixed with the patient’s food; but this practice is in general very unsuccessful.

The other diseases which prevail among the Negroes are the
yaws
, the
elephantiasis
, and a
leprosy
of the very worst kind. This last mentioned complaint appears, at the beginning, in scurfy spots upon different parts of the body, which finally settle upon the hands or feet, where the skin becomes withered, and cracks in many places. At length, the ends of the fingers swell and ulcerate; the discharge is acrid and fetid; the nails drop off, and the bones of the fingers become carious, and separate at the joints. In this manner the disease continues to spread, frequently until the patient loses all his fingers and toes. Even the hands and feet are sometimes destroyed by this inveterate malady, to which the Negroes give the name of
balla jou
, ‘incurable.’

The
Guinea worm
is likewise very common in certain places, especially at the commencement of the rainy season. The Negroes attribute this disease, which has been described by many writers, to bad water; and allege that the people who drink from wells are more subject to it than those who drink from streams. To the same cause they attribute the swelling of the glands of the neck (goitres), which are very common in some parts of Bambarra. I observed also, in the interior countries, a few instances of simple gonorrhoea; but never the confirmed lues. On the whole, it appeared to me that the Negroes are better surgeons than physicians. I found them very successful in their management of fractures and dislocations, and their splints and bandages are simple, and easily removed. The patient is laid upon a soft mat, and the fractured limb is frequently bathed with cold water. All abscesses they open with the actual cautery; and the dressings are composed of either soft leaves, Shea butter, or cow’s dung, as the case seems, in their judgment, to require. Towards the coast, where a supply of European lancets can be procured, they sometimes perform phlebotomy; and in cases of local inflammation, a curious sort of cupping is practised. This operation is performed by making incisions in the part, and applying to it a bullock’s horn, with a small hole in the end. The operator then takes a piece of bees-wax in his mouth, and putting his lips to the hole extracts the air from the horn; and by a dexterous use of his tongue, stops up the hole with the wax. This method is found to answer the purpose, and in general produces a plentiful discharge.

When a person of consequence dies, the relations and neighbours meet together, and manifest their sorrow by loud and dismal howlings. A bullock or goat is killed for such persons as come to assist at the funeral, which generally takes place in the evening of the same day on which the party died. The Negroes have no appropriate burial places, and frequently dig the grave in the floor of the deceased’s hut, or in the shade of a favourite tree. The body is dressed in white cotton, and wrapped up in a mat. It is carried to the grave, in the dusk of the evening, by the relations. If the grave is without the walls of the town, a number of prickly bushes are laid upon it, to prevent the wolves from digging up the body; but I never observed that any stone was placed over the grave, as a monument or memorial.

Hitherto I have considered the Negroes chiefly in a moral light, and confined myself to the most prominent features in their mental character. Their domestic amusements, occupations, and diet, their arts and manufactures, with some other subordinate objects, are now to be noticed.

Of their music and dances, some account has incidentally been given in different parts of my journal. On the first of these heads, I have now to add a list of their musical instruments, the principal of which are the
koonting
, a sort of guitar with three strings; the
korro
, a large harp with eighteen strings; the
simbing
, a small harp with seven strings; the
balafou
, an instrument composed of twenty pieces of hard wood of different lengths, with the shells of gourds hung underneath, to increase the sound; the
tangtang
, a drum, open at the lower end; and lastly, the
tabala
, a large drum, commonly used to spread an alarm through the country. Besides these, they make use of small flutes, bowstrings, elephants’ teeth, and bells; and at all their dances and concerts,
clapping of hands
appears to constitute a necessary part of the chorus.

With the love of music is naturally connected a taste for poetry: and fortunately for the poets of Africa, they are in a great measure exempted from that neglect and indigence which, in more polished countries, commonly attend the votaries of the Muses. They consist of two classes; the most numerous are the
singing men
, called
Jilli kea
, mentioned in a former part of my narrative. One or more of these may be found in every town. They sing extempore songs, in honour of their chief men, or any other persons who are willing to give ‘solid pudding for empty praise.’ But a nobler part of their office is to recite the historical events of their country; hence, in war, they accompany the soldiers to the field, in order, by reciting the great actions of their ancestors, to awaken in them a spirit of glorious emulation. The other class are devotees of the Mohammedan faith, who travel about the country, singing devout hymns and performing religious ceremonies, to conciliate the favour of the Almighty, either in averting calamity, or insuring success to any enterprise. Both descriptions of these itinerant bards are much employed and respected by the people, and very liberal contributions are made for them.

The usual diet of the Negroes is somewhat different in different districts. In general, the people of free condition breakfast about daybreak, upon gruel made of meal and water, with a little of the fruit of the tamarind to give it an acid taste. About two o’clock in the afternoon, a sort of hasty pudding, with a little Shea butter, is the common meal; but the supper constitutes the principal repast, and is seldom ready before midnight. This consists almost universally of kouskous, with a small portion of animal food, or Shea butter, mixed with it. In eating, the Kafirs, as well as Mohammedans, use the right hand only.

The beverages of the Pagan Negroes are beer and mead; of each of which they frequently drink to excess. The Mohammedan converts drink nothing but water. The natives of all descriptions take snuff and smoke tobacco. Their pipes are made of wood, with an earthen bowl of curious workmanship. But in the interior countries, the greatest of all luxuries is salt. It would appear strange to a European to see a child suck a piece of rock-salt as if it were sugar. This, however, I have frequently seen; although, in the inland parts, the poorer class of inhabitants are so very rarely indulged with this precious article, that to say
a man eats salt with his victuals
is the same as saying
he is a rich man
. I have myself suffered great inconvenience from the scarcity of this article. The long use of vegetable food creates so painful a longing for salt, that no words can sufficiently describe it.