TANGHIN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5227, 6 April 1895, Page 1

TANGHIN.

; "^ POISON ORDEAL OF'"^'-' MADAGASCAR.

iOhanibert't \Tournal.)

Though ordeals by fire and water are, or have been, national judicial institutions of world-wide distribution, resource to a deadly poison as a legal remedy has not met with such universal recognition. With the exception o£ the "Bed Water" ordeal of the Papuans, and the "Bitter Water" of certain Melaneßian tribes, Poison Ordeals are strictly confined to the Dark Continent, of which the ordeal of the Calabar Bean as practised by the negroes of Old Calabar is the moßt popular and well-known instance. Although. Livingstone, Dv Chaillu, and other African explorers mention the use of certain roots for poison ordeals by Central - African tribeß, and Guinea natives are known to use a form of strychnos for the ; same purpose, we think we are justified ia stating that no exact analogue of the Tanghin of Madagascar can be found in . any of the ordeals practised elsewhere.

THE TANGHIN TBES is somewhat like a chestnut in appearance ; ■ As its foliage is of a dark-green- hue and its flower of a gorgeous crimßon, it presents, a very attractive eight during the months of October and November. Botanists would more accurately describe the tree as belonging to the order of the " Apooynacese," and ita fruit as a drupe $ but as'botanioal names only appeal to the initiated, we will continue the description without employing them. About the middle of November, the flowers fade, and a small green fruit appears, which rapidly increases in size until Christmas, when the fruit attains maturity. It is then something like a large yellow egg-plum, though the skin ia . -not of one uniform tint, but it is streaked with varying tints of red and brown. The pulpy portion of the fruit is of a repulsive gray colour, and possesses a correspondingly disgusting taate ; and in the centre of this is found the kernel, which is enclosed in a . bivalve like the common almond. The kernel is the poisonous part of the fruit, and has been found to contain a most violent poison, which is not strychnine, or, in fact, an alkaloid or nitrogenous compound at all, but a substance which is probably unparalleled in the whole range of toxicological chemistry.

The Tanghin was reserved for the detection of such crimes as treason 1 and witchcraft, or Anything directly or indirectly due to the intervention of the supernatural ; and as such crimes were frequent and the circle of suspicion wide, it acted aa a constant drain on an already scanty popu« lation. Ellis computes that three thousand persons perished annually under this ordeal,, that a tenth of the entire population drank it in their lives— come four of five time— while, of those who drank, more than half died on the epot or from the after-effects.

FOB MINOR OFENCJEB the ordeal waß performed thus : If tiro parties disputed on a subject on which no direct evidence could be got, each selected a dog from a pair of equal Bize and condition, and both animals received similar doses of Tanghin. The party whose dog first succumbed was adjudged to be in the wrong; and if both dogs expired simultaneously, the case was decided on a basis of equality; of if this waß out of the question, the ordeal was repeated. . CURSERB OF THE HEAD. In the caee of serious crimes, however, being alleged against any one, the ordeal waß much more severe, as the persons suspected had themselves to swallow the Tanghin. The ordeal was a truly national institution, Government official? , called mpanozon-doha, or " curaerß of the , head," or, more colloquially, mpampinona, . that is, "those who compel to drink," administered the ordeal ;, and to be a vnpawpinpna waa considered both a lucrative, respectable, and even an honourable position. The mpampinona, by personal and secretly transmitted experience, could so manipulate the ordeal that their clients had a chance of escaping with little more thana violent fit of vomiting j while they could insure with deadly; certainty the removal o? an obnoxious individual. The Tanghin tb.ua ad-

ministered became a most powerful agent, in carrying out the crooked ends of an unscrupulous state policy ; and wo n°ed hordly Bay that tho Government in power freely availed tbemsslveß of this convenient method for THE BBMOVAL OV PROMINENTLY OBTBTJBIVE MEMBEIIS OP THE OPPOSITION. A great gathering always collected to •witnos3 a Tangkin ordeal, the centra of attf action, cf courae,being the mpamfinona, hiß executive, and the victim or victims To inspire confidence, the poison waa prepared in public by the mpampinona, who took two kernels of the fruit of tho "Tanghinia venenifera," and having split each carefully in half, no ground two halves of different kernels—to insure uniformity of, poison — on a atone with a "little water. A whifco emulsion ia thus obtained, which, on dilution with the juice of a banana leaf, partially dissolves. Having administered thiu potion, the "curser ' of the head " placed hia hand on the brow of • the victim, and broke forth into a wild -stream o£ denunciation and invocation, beginning, "ArymtvndranesftjmandraQEsa, ManamßnKO. Listen, listen, oh Haua- • mango (the Poison Spirit or ' Searcher of Hearts'). Thou hast no eyes, but thou Heeafc ; ears hast thou not, but thou heareat ; a round ogg brought from afar, from lands across the great waters (possibly an allusion to the introduction of poison ordeal by tho Arabs), thou art here to-day. Here and judge, for thou knowest all things, and wilt decide truly. If thiH man bath, nofc done aught by witchcraft, but has only employed natural powers, let him live. ft he hos only committed a crime against; the moral code (in the original, a long category of these offences is given), slay him not; bub by tho door whera down thou wentest, return, oh Manamango ! (The poison ie a violent emetic.) But if he has employed witchcraft, then hasten; etay not; end him; •slay him ; choke him ; 3aizo his vitals in tay deadly clutch, and destroy at once and for ever the foul life of ' this wioked man, oh Manomansjo, thou that knowest all things, and who searcheat the .secret hearts of all men."

Some years ago, a friend of fcho writer's took a verbatim copy of tho above harangue aB reproduced by a native who had twice Buocesofnlly undergone the ordeal, and on whom the whole ceremony had Jef b very vivid and lasting impressions. The above ia a fair of the leading' points in the argument, which in the original are fully expanded by minute detaila as to tho crimes within and tha misdemeanouro without the jurisdintion of the Taughin, as well as by very horrible minutiae of the fearful agonies to be inflicted on the guilty, aad the exhilarating prospects for the'selfrighfced innocent.

This adjuration ended, the accused, was.; forced to swallow three pieces of fowl-skin, ] each about an inch square } without tonch- j ing them with his teeth. Copious j draughts of rice-water were thea given to ! wash down the three pieces of skin; and! wheu this was at laafc effected, warm water •; ■was added to accentuate tho emetic i character or the poiaon. If the thrae j pieces of akin are discharged intact, f Manamango hsß decided on the innocence j of the euspect; and hia frienda are then free to do anything they please to increase his chances of recovery. If tho three pieces are retained, or are only partially discharged, the man is declared guilty; and one of the executive, whoso especial duty it ie, puts an end to the

WBITHING AND SPBECHLESB AGONY of the unfortunate victim by a blow from a wooden rice-pestlo or/ajioZo. Esfcabliahmenb of iunocsaca by this method more often than nob resulted in death from the after-effecto, unless special, precautions had been taken, or the subject was possessed of an abnormally tough con- • Btitutioji. Practised experts, by ucing im- ■ mature fruij; and selecting kernels of light* colour, which ore not bo poisonous as tho redder onea, aad also by skilful arrangement of things, could secure a satisfactory termination—from the patient'a point of; view— of the ordeial, bo that it became ' quite noticeable that filthy luore could often tempt the immaculate M&namango to favourable decisions. Notwithstanding fchia i obvious corruption, the masses of the people • believed confidently in the Tanghin and in \ Manamango ; and even now, many natives ! wouid avail themselves oi it, i£ allowed to do so. !