TRIBAL WITCHCRAFT

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 December 1936, Page 10

TRIBAL WITCHCRAFT

STRANGE RITES IN TOGGLANp ’’ The'-dangors of destroying tribal institutibiie, which might result in'the ■Vidfjfnbilibation” of the native and. the loss of all African atmosphere, were pointed out in the annual report on Togoland (which is under British’ mandate) preseffte<J ; to the League of Nations, sayff the **Manchoster Guardian.” The report states that the first principle of the Gold Coast/. Government has been to adopt, for the purpose of local government. -the. 1 institutions tßich'. the people .tliemselves have evolved through the modified where •necessity it. but moulded so that the pe.oplc.-.may develop on their own lines and in due course stand ..on their own foot. This policy is carried out in both spheres, and there has been no variation from it. .■> . • . : ' “Much,’Tit is added? J ‘haiLjheen said of the harnV\/Hone ; .brjtheTCQlonising European, Who divides and upsets those lands';on ''which his .shadow falls.” That- saying', howeyer, did not apply to Dagojtyba, where for a hundred years before the; doming of the European civil, war had.‘followed the death, of each chief. “Dagomba to-day islmore-closely knit than it has been for a centu’ry—and -for that It has to thank the /European. in deeprooted in the African..tohid; that any fetish which can establish® reputation for detecting the person who, consciously or unconsciously, may be casting ii 'spell upon a sick person, is certain to reap a good harvest.” the report says. “On interesting the Konkomba village is the old woman’s compound—a single, room with.a miniature Wall on a s.ix-fdot .radius'? round the door of th 4 room. .Tile area enclosed in this, tiny >alb is- beautifully beaten and polished and' the doorway often elaborately decorated. This concern for old women is caused by genuine consideration for the hged, but partly- also by fear. The lonely old woman almost inevitably earns;.the title of a witch—and a witch must have her own compound, so that she may not ‘eat’ the other inmates of a compound in order to prolong her own life.” "■' ■ -

At B’nioba there .is a secret society named Kwani to which only young .men just passed .the age of .puberty are admitted'. Little was known of the initiation ceremonies until recently, when the Commissioner of the district was given an opportunity of entering the hut where four young men were in- training. Following j£ aAdcscription of‘the society and its strange rites: — “The introduction of the cult is ascribed to one Kambl Boulari, after wlipni a magic horn is named, by means of which men had been first ‘killed’ and reborn seven days later, bping completely ignorant of their past life • and language. They are treated as-infants.during the fifty days’ period of. training, being washed, fed, massaged,- and taught the Kwani tongue by three or fbur qld members. They. are ; not permitted to uncover their eyes, before.,.,which each novitiatp clasps._a/,th'6nged whip with both fists/ Drums are played frequently and Kwani songs rendered in a curious growl. TRYING RITUAL •‘The training over,, each new memher ’leaves the hut<with Kwani markings on both thighs, a Kwani name, and a horse-tail. He will behave 'in a strange manner, gr’ofyl, shade his eyes and generally inspire terror. “Gradually he will become normal but is accorded considerable;. respect by the uninitiated.., The rites are a mental and physical trial to the novitiates, and though now the object of the society is to-day described as mere play, it probably has a deeper origin.” An. amusing story of how an aged chief “took on a new lease of life,” is told. In the Krachi division there had beeji. for some time,,; a n w unofficial treasury arid court, with a cash balance of £l3/6/7 at the end of 1934. The main item of expenditure was £6 a month, which was given to the Krachiwura to divide between himself, his seven elders, and h.is Kviami. This rriehnt that the Krachiwt'ira drew “the princelly salary” of 13/- a month, the remainder being divided between the others in accordance with native custom.. .

In January, 1935, the informal Treasury was reorganised on the lines of the properly established! treasuries, and the revenue increased from £7 7/2 in December to £B2/7/7 in the first month, reaching the peak of £l6O 2/2 in June. “This sudden access of wealth so surprised the old chief and the older elders that they took on a new lease of life anduleveloped an intelligent interest in the'affairs of their State. The Krachiwura and all his elders were put on to regular salaries, the Krachiwura receiving £5 a month and all the elders £1 a month.”

The story of the origiitof Mfam juju a powerful and widely disseminated form of . magic, is told? in the 1935 report on the Cam'eroons, British mandated territory, which is issued by the Colonial Office. ■>

.... Mt'am,' it is stated; can only be effectively sworn against another person when the person swearing is actually in possession of the At’fani liorns.. The juju is not immediately fatal in its effects but a premonitory illness.

If the person affected, fails to approach the Mfam juju society to have it revoked,• it is believed that death will inevitably ensue: nor can the the course of Mfam be stayed by any other means than by revocation by the society. Every revocation is made before the main juju of the particular society. Still used primarily as a protection against witchcraft, the Mfam juju was at the root of the so-called witchcraft cases which came before the courts. < It is the employment of this juju in the form of magic that is treated as a criminal offence. The swearnig of the juju occurs frequently in matrimonial disputes. A man’s- wife leaves him and he swears Mfam against her that, if she goes to another man before dowry has been refunded, Mfam will kill jier. ' Mfam is' also used in many courts for the Swearing of witnesses. In many cases a witness gives his evidence unsworn, and if there is any doubt as - to his veracity he is required to swear to the truth of his statements on Mfam. Such is the fear of the juju and the belief in its powers that it acts as a very effective deterrent to perjury. “Th increasing frequency with which the assistance of administrative officers is invoked in cases involving the practice of magic is a sign, if only a small sign, that some progress is being inade,” comments the report.