THE EVIL EYE IN WEST INDIES

Evening Star, Issue 23103, 1 November 1938, Page 1

THE EVIL EYE IN WEST INDIES

Miss Peggy Cos, who has lived for the past 11 years on her uncle’s sugar estate in Barbados 1 , told the West India Royal Commission in London recently about the “ evil ’’eye ” and “ black magic ” as practised in the Wcst—d'ndies, says the ‘ Manchester Guardian.’ “ I do not think,” she said, “ any servants of mine questioned directly would admit that they believed in it, because it is a thing no one will confess. It is a thing they are ashamed of, but it is extremely prevalent. One of my own household servants died suddenly after a short and inexplicable illness. Her children believed that another woman who hated 1 ' her had put the evil eye on her and caused tier death.” Natives, she said, paid money tc the witch doctor as an insurance against harm coming to them from people who possessed the evil eye. Dame Rachel Crbwdy (a member of the commission!: Does this affect their health?—Undoubtedly it does, because if a man seriously believes that-the evil eye is put on iiim he gets worse ia health. Miss Cox suggested to the .commission—who are going out to investigate the social and economic conditions ia some of the West India islands—that the Government should at mice guarantee the interest of a loan for the development of land settlement and agriculture in the West Indies. She also urged the establishment of a Caribbean marketing board and a training college for instructors in agriculture.