The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-02-04
Human Sacrifices N Dshomey.

Human Sacrifices In Dahomey.
A Catholic missionary who has spent
many years in equatorial Africa relates
the following:
Under the reign of Guezo, the late
King of Hahomey, human sacrifices had
become comparatively rare, but his sue
cessor, Grey, slave to fetish priests,
has revived them with greater cruelty
and more lavish expenditure of life than
ever. The missionaries, under his gov
eminent, have been powerless to check
this shedding of human blood. The
number. of slaves who annually perish in
this way is estimated at several thou
sand The King o. Dahomey is, as is
known, the most Nrocious and powerful
ruler in the whole region. During ten
months of the gear he makes incursions
on the .neighooring territories to catch
as large a number of slaves. as possible.
He is chiefly assisted in this work by his
two celebrated regiments of amazohs.
The prisoners made in these expeditions
are divided into three classes; one is
sold to the slave merchants of the inte-
rFior, and was formerly intended for the
European trader: one portion, chiefly
women, is fattened and sold to butchers,
who, revolving as the fact may be even
to relate, openly sell human flesh in
their shops; the third portion is reserved
for the human sacrifices, which take
place in the months of August and Sep
tember, during the celebration of the
s'Grand Customs" These ceremonies
have double purpose; that of pacify-
ing Ogun, .the god of war, and other del
ties, and also that of recalling the MEM
DRY of dead kings, and of sending to
them supplies of men and provisions.
There exists belief among the savages
that a man, passing into the future life,
takes with him all that is placed in his
grave. For this reason in Dahomey, as
In other savage countries, provisions are
placed in the tomb. When king dies,
all his women, slaves, and ministers
must follow him. ,..,...... ..,,...,
During the past year the King of
Porto Novo died of poison administered
by rival for the throne. His funeral
lasted nine days. For the whole of this
time considerable number of human
victims were sacrificed every night in
the fetish forest, destined for the "Grand
Customs The missionaries from their
neighboring dwelling could hear the
cries of the sufferers, whose mutilated
bodies could be seen every morning in
the public square Of the town, arranged
in lines. The heads had been cut off
:and nailed along the walls of the royal
palace. At o'clock on the morning
of the ninth day, the new King and his
suite, preceded by his fetish priests,
moved to the sacred wood where the
grave of the late King had been dug.
The sacrifice began. Seven slaves were
slain and their blood was mixed with
earth to form kind of plaster, with
which the grave was lined. The seven
heads of the victims, with provisions of
all kinds, were placed at the bottom.
The body of the King was then lowered.
Next were seen approaching nine of his
women in their brightest garments, pur-
posely intoxicated beforehand with copi-
GUS doses of British tafa, or rum. They
crossed through the throng, casting
smiles on each side, believing them
selves the objects of an ovation. When
they reached the edge of the open grave
with blow on the head before they had
any suspicious, and thrown, still alive,
~dewnupo the body of their royal spouse.
Earth was then thrown in to cover the
whole pile of dead and living. At q
- distance of few steps a stake was pre-
pared. There the Kings ministers were
to be burnt. But these astute politicians
had dressed up some slaves in their
robes Of Office, who persisted in their
stead, while they themselves made good
= their escape ..'a.- q.
The sacrifices to the gods are marked
by greater and more varied refinement
Of cruelty. The form of the shrines is
that of a dog-house, very appropriate
dwellings for such hideous- looking moa-
sters as their idols are. The ceremonies
begin with dance. A circle is formed
IN front of the shrine by the leaders of
rpeope sitting down, while the mob re-
mains standing. The priest dances in
the center, holding tuft of human hair,
while the circle utter savage cries, clap
their hands. or play some wild instru-
ments resembling bells, tamborines, and
cymhals. During the night the fetish
priests provide the god with one or more
victims. The most common form OF
sacrifice to the war god, Ogun, is to be-
head the human offering and nail the
BODY upside down to a tree, with the
head placed above the feet. AT other
times n Young tree is stripped of its
branches, bent down by means of rope,
and retained by kind of trigger. The
victim is either enclosed. with the ex-
ception of the head. in a wicker-work
globe, and suspended head downward,
or has his head encased in the stumps OF
the leaves which formed the crown OF
the palm-tree. The priest lets the rope
go, the tree springs back, and the man
Is left swinging in the air. Birds OF prey
soon dispose of his body.
"A Story With the Flavor of the Ara
bian Nights.