Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-01-21
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MONDAY EVENING. JANUARY 81.
Africa's Superstiti0ns.

AIE1C6 SuPCESShSAVAOs
Mr.. Paul B. Du Chaillu leotured in New
York Friday night on the "Witchcraft and So.
perssitions tf Africa He said:
The people Of Equatorial Africa are scattered
in GREAT tribes, divided into clans, and the clans
into families, the chiefs aud the old men max,
inc the laws. Three institutions are everywhere
preyaent-polygamy slavery and Wltchcratt.
il il wonderful how these people love to get
married. They marry all tho limo aud never
Get tired of it. Some of them marry as old as
eighty Eve or ninety years. The largest num-
her Of wives have seen belonging to one man
was about three hundred, and when 1 asked
him how many children he had, he SAID be-
tween ak and eight hundred. Two hundred,
more or less, didn't seem to trouble him at all.
The wives are not slaves, but their husbands
buy them when they are three or Tour years old
from their fathers ; that 10 sort or doWIy.
Pojveamy is also political institution. The
tribes arc always at war, and hence man tries
to get as many wives az he can from the sur
rounding tribes 30 as to have trlepds among
them. They have q great adherence OF blood
relationship and 90 man is allowed to lake
wife Of bis ow0 clan:
stilions. and it is very hard to get at the bot
tom facts about their religious belief. They
have two names which represent our ideas OF
God and If tho Devil. The Devil is thes source
Of all evil and witchcraft. When person is
sick he is bewitched by rome one, and the sor-
oerer or sorceress has to be killed. The dec
tors point them out, and they have to swallow
poson to prove their Innocence. This poison
u the root of Tree called bundo, belonging to
the stryohpine order, but these doctors take 1t
and do not die. Here, II man sees the new
moon ever bis right shoulder, or his lett, 1t IS
lucLy or up!uoky; but there it Is unlucky it he
sees the new moon at all, and on the day OF the
new moon nobody dare 60 out of bis hut. The
oueen Of Witchcraft lives 10 the moon. and the
people of the world are the insects on which
witchcrars feeds, and when wltcherstt ls very
hungry she sends the plague and KILLS more
people. Those who have any connection #,tn
the spirit in the moon are women and must
be in trance The people are honest 10
their beliefs. but of course there Is lug
gery among them. Among many trioes
cannibaiism exists, but l thick it Is q
sort of religious feast, as thay do not kill PEG
pie purposely except prisoners OF war. As
among the Indians, they have 10 mercy 90
those taken in war. l made inquiries about
this capnibalism. l wanted to know which were
best eating, women or men. They all agreed
that the women were best. Their var dance u
perfectly terrible. They cover themselves all
over With war paint and with clay that has been
saturated with the decsyed flesh and brains
from the heads Of their dead warriors, which
they always keep 10 particular house 10 every
village. Then they have dance, and when
morninp comes each man cuts bis hand in sew
eral places and lets the blood flow into large
wooden dish, and they rub themselves with
that blood and then 70 to wsr.
The most difficult thing the missionaries
have to do il to briog themselves to level OF
thinking with these people. Some OF the ne
groes are very fierce. They would not oe 30
bad if the traders did not bring them such an
amount Of spirits: 1t is lsaehable sometimes to to
see the missionaries on the deck OF ship and
the barrels of rum under the deck. both going
To the same place.-M 7. Herald.