The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-10-07
Funeral Rites OF an African Of Rank.

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Funeral Rites OF an African Of Rank.
| A correspondent of the London Timcs
gives the following vivid description OF
| the scenes which attend the death Of q
caboccer," or man of rank in AShantcs
Well, Immediately after demise, tho
body of cabocccr is washed, anointed
with sweet oils and grease, and spIinklcd
with gold-dust. The oils and grease
cause the gold-dust to stick to the corpse
which being black, throws off the bright
color of the gold to perfection. The
board is trimmed into knots, and upon
each knot are tied small beads Of glass
and thin PARTICLES of gold. Tho Asian
tees, you perceive, are ~ dainty in the
decoration of the beads Of their dead aS
the Assyrian dandcs were of their own
when living In cloth Of costly silk
embroidered damask, or in velvet
or in other rich garments, the
body is dressed and ornamented with
armlets and necklaces of gold and silver.
Very of ten pure lumpsof unwrought mug
gets of gold, bored through and through,
are strung upon piece of hcmpen string
and twisted round the forearms in the
form of bracelets Thus gayly bcdizened
and performed and clcanscd the body is
placed upon chair in sitting attitude
or is shown recumbent upon n bed,
trimmed with gaudy drapery, When
this combined rite of publication and
garniture has been completed the rela-
tions assemble and begin to dance and
sing. While the relations and friends
are making merry a fetishman, or priest,
is led slowly into the festive throng, and
the female slaves of the dead caboceer
are brought before him. After the utter
ancc of various incantations he pretends
that the fetish has denoted, by means of
his mediation a certain slave for election
to follow her master to the next world
but | need not bc a much trouble to
suggest to you that the members of the
family always decide beforehand among
themselves which unfortunate wretch
shall accompany the deceased chief. BE.
ing chosen, and by the choice condemned
to die, the slave is stripped naked.
Around her neck wisp of hay is sw~und |
and her arms are rudely pinioned with a
rope of straw She is now roughly
dragged Il second time to the presence of
the fctishman, who recommends her. in a
speech of blasphemous rhodomontadcs
and rhetorical parade, to serve her
master dutifully through the mazcs OF
the unknown sphere to which he has
been summoned on a journey. During
the delivery of the portcntous eXhorta-
ton he is busily employed in daubing "A
white-coored earth over the face of the
weeping slave; and when the admonitory
harangue has been exhausted he strikes
her severely with his open palm upon
either cheek. In benighted zeal the com
pany snatch up the saccrdotal cue. They
strive to rival one another in repeating
the assault with the harshcst violence,
and in dealing the kecncst pain on her
nude and trembling person.
the executioners, moreover are blessed
and the congregated band of caboccers
manifest their profound respect by raising
the foot of each executoner with both
hands and by rubbing the sole upon the
crown of their heads. The natives of the
Gala coast have a loose conception OF
state of 2urgatory or probation, and en-
trrtain the idea that the soul Of the dead |
wanders unrestingly for many ycarsnbo.
the world, and requires servant for the
performance of menial duties in his long
and ceascless wandcrings. Hence comes
the custom of killing slave at the death
of caboceer, tor caboceer may not draw
water, nor hew wood, nor cook food.
Having been removed by dint of cuffs
or manual force from the sight of the te-
tishman, the slave is hurried toa wooden
box, into which the carcass OF the cabo-
cecr will eventually he squeezed. Along
the lid of the box the slave is stretched
upon her stomach, and her feet and head
are grasped by two executioncrs, 50 that
her struggles may be subject to control.
A friend of the dead caboceer approaches
the prostrate creature and slashes her
with sword Just below the right shoul-
der-blade. Catching the blood that flows
from the wound, he smcars the box.
When a sufiiciency of blood has been
drawn 1Or tllls puTIbSc Sht - hi''' '''',
the lid. and is reviled, struck and covered
with spittlc by the bystanders All the
while she uttcrs the loudcst and most
gricvous lamentations; and the louder
and more grievous they are, the more ac-
ceptable do the torturers deem the sacrl-
fetal gratuity to the dead caboccer She
i. then driven to the spot where she is to
be slain. When the head has been cut
off the heart is plucked out through an
opening in the back. AneIccutioner re-
ccives the head with yells and frantic
signs of 10y, and runs with it through the
town. Myagely and furiously he tosscs
it to the ground and kicks it like ball
before him, snatches it up in his flight,
spits upon it, fingsit into the air, catches
it in it's descent, or, permitting it to drop
heavily, kicks it again and again. The
body il never buried, but is spurned aside
to be eaten by wild beasts or vultures.