The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-05-07

been discovered by African explorers,
and tribes of people, not only unlike
other human, beings in their minds Dut
even in their bodies, have been met with.
One of our countrymen, Henry Stanley,
made a journey across the center OF the
African continent, and, in so doing,
traversed vast regions never seen before
by white men, and, although he saw and
described so much, there are no doubt a
great many strange things yet to be dis
covered in Africa. lN' rf'" t"ts'tL
| Among the most difficult puzzles in
this great riddle-box are the customs OF
the African tribes. Of course, all say
age and heather people do very strange
things in connection with their religion
and their laws, yet, however odd and
ridiculous some of these may seem to us,
the people themselves believe them right
and proper, because they are so taught
by their priests and yulers. ot'11e
But some African tribes have fantastic
and absurd customs in which it would
seem that they could not have any faith
whatever; still they really attach great
deal of Importance to them.
Among these are the trials by Mumbo
| Jumbo, character met with in many
villages on the west coast of Africa.
Mumbo Jumbo, is nothing at all but 3
man on short stills, with a sort Of cloak
wrapped about him, and a great false
head fastened above his own head. All
this, of1eourse, makes him look very tall,
and a pair of wooden arms, which stick
out below his big head help to give him
the appearance of a man about twice as
big as anybody else. l-r '' tfN
Dressed up in "a strange way, he
stumps about through the village, and
the people believe that he has the power
to point out any person who has COM
mitied a crime; or, in case Of family
quarrels or disputes, he can show which
party is in fault. Accordingly, when
there is an occasion for the exercise of
his wonderful power, Mumbo Jumbo,
| followed by crowd of his fellow-sav-
ages, beating drums, blowing horns,
shouting and dancing, sets out on his
business of discovering the person who
has broken the laws of the tribe. ./.....
1t may be that a theft has been COIN
mitted, and that the thief has managed
his affairs so secretly and cunningly that
the people of the village can not find out
who he is. So Mumbo Jumbo, with a
great deal of twisting and stamping
about, goes from house to house, and
pretends to examine the faces of the peo-
pie he finds within. When he has fin
iShed this examination, he looks at every
man, woman, or child whom he may
meet, and even goes among the crowd
accompanying him, making believe to
glare down, with his painted eyes, into
! the faces of the bowling and dancing
negroes, to see if he can discover the
guilty person. 48usa
OF course it would never do for Num-
DO Jumbo to give up the search without
pointing out some one as the thief, and
SO, after he has led the crowd about as
long as he pleases, he settles upon some
unfortunate person, who is as likely as
any one else to have stolen the missing
property, and declares him to be the
thief. This man is then seized, tied to
post and whipped, and everybody be-
lieves him to be justly punished, When,-
in reality, Mumbo Jumbo himself may
have been the thief. .i- .- sr. .i.... :.
In disputes between families or indi-
viduals, Mumbo Jumbo lays down the
law in the same way. He goes, with his
stills, and his mask, and his noisy crowd
of followers, to the place where the dis
putting parties are assembled, and de-
clares which side is right.
Now the most curious thing about all
this is the fact that these negroes know,
all the time, that Mumbo Jumbo is moth
ing but man on stills, with big false
head and long cloak There does not
seem to be any attempt to conceal this
fact, for, when Mumbo Jumbo is not
needed, his cloak, head, arms and stills
are hung upon convenient tree in the
village. 1t is likely, also, that these
foolish negroes know just what man
among them is performing the part Of
Mumbo Jumbo, when that important
person is stalking about. And yet they
believe in the decisions of the false head,
which could make decisions Just as well
when it is hanging on the tree as when
borne about by one of their fellow-ne-
groes.
Now does not all this seem very much
like a riddle, and pretty hard one, too
Why should these people believe in a
thing which they know is all nonsense ?
But it is not easy to give answers to all
the puzzles in the great African riddle
box.-John Lea0ees, IN ST. Nicholas.