Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-01-06
7TRRoRs OF FETCH.
SuDerstitions OF the Natives OF the
the Congo Country.


the Congo Country.
Like all aboriginal people, the Congo
blacks are very superstitlouS, put 10
what extent they believe in a future
state can only be conjectured. They
believe in the existence of good and bad
spirits. which they believe are all the
time lowering around, and when one OF
them dies they believe that his spirit or
soul is seized upon by either the good or
bad spirits. and carried away to become
one of them. Hence, when a native IS
diving, his friends come around, TIRE OIL
guns. and make horrible noises, for the
purposes of frightening off the evil
splrits. What effect this may have on
the good spirits is not stated.
Their religious ceremonies are not oil
propiatory nature, or for the purpose OF
warding off danger, disease, etc., and
here the fetch plays an important part
They do not make human sacrihces Ike
the Ashantes, but when they want any
fayors from the inviSibles they bring a
goat or a chicken to the fetch man to
be sacrificed, and are given in return an
amulet or charm, or fetch, as they call
it. The fetch is the terrible, the un-
known power, at once the prosecutor or
the avenger, according as It's power is
invoked or directed. This the present
informant illustrated by an anecdote.
The Dutch have factory at Banana
point. which is approached by two
roads, one on each side OF the narrow
peninsula. On the boundary line oil
their property, on each road, watch
house was established, to regulate ad-
mittance from the outside. But the
laborers, servants and sailors from out
side came in IN such uumbers, and gave
so much trouble by getting drunk and
creating disturbances that the agents
finally thought it best to make a fetch,
as it is termed, on the boundary line.
They employed feitich man to make
feitich. This consisted first in bring
ing his fetch or idol on to the line,
making figures in the sand around 1t,
and flourishes or signs around and
above it with his hands and arms, and
then taking a chicken, cutting Its head
off and sprlnkling the blood around.
This ceremony was performed on each
road. In about twenty-four hours time
the news of what had been done spread
far and wide, and so effectually did It
frighten the natives that they ceased to
go to the Dutch factory town thereafter
unless they had business there. They
supposed that if they passed that line
and made any trouble they would be
subject TO the penalties of the feitich,
whatever they might be, and they were
10 doubt all the more terrible because
their precise nature was not known.
One of the chief uses of feitlch by the
factors on the Congo is to recover stolen
articles of any value, for unless the loss
be considerable it often costs more to
recover il by this means than II is
worth, though the thief has invariably
to pay the cost of prosecution If he can
be held TO do it. When an article has
been stolen and the aid of the fetch IS
invoked, all the men upon whom suspi-
cIon falls are called out into an open
place and made to stand in semi-cir-
Gle facing the fetch man. The fetch
which is kind of idol made OF wood,
representing in rude carving a man or
beast, usually with two heads-is first
placed on a cloth on the ground, the
Teitich man handling il with the same
care and treating it with the same con-
sideration as if it were aliying, seRtient
being, as undoubtedly the natives gen.
orally also regard il. He then delivers
a kind of hSrangue to the men IN front
of him, telling what has been stolen,
and calls upon the thief to own up and
make restitution before he invokes the
power and wrath of the fetch.
In the majority Of cases, this exurta-
tion is effective, but If not he gets
down upon his knees and mumbles to
his idol, making it presents of say a
bottle of gin, piece or more of cloth,
brass wire, looking glass, printed cot
ton handkerchiefs, etc. ETC., If It VIII
only point out the. .thief-the things thus
promised being those agreed upon be.
forehand with the loser for the recovery
Of the stolen goods. Having done this
the feitich man again calls upon the
culprIt to own up, and if this appeal
does not have the desired effect tie fet-
ich man proceeds to gradually work
himself mp into a state of eXcitemen,
similar to that affected by the MOham-
medan dervIsheS in their religious fren
zies, in the course of which he calls
down all manner Of dire calamities and
evil happenings upon not only the
actual culprIt, but his wife, children,
parents, relatives, and even his whole
tribe, including his chief, the same pen
alties being invoked also in behalf of
any one or more Of the persons who
know of the theft and will not reveal It.
During the continuance of the incan
tation, the fetch man watches the
countenances of the men before him,
and is quick to note those that may
show guilt or guilty knowledge of the
act. Ii is rare that the fetch is con-
tinued beyond this point, but if, as oc-
casionally happens, the culprit is still
obdurate, the last act of fetch is begun,
being the most serio-comic Of all. The
fetch man, finding his idol Will not do
his bidding. now begins to upbraid and |
abuse it, and, to carry out his harsh |
treatment to the end, begins TO drive |
into its body an eight penny nail. The |
nail is driven into it slowly, the fetch |
man, before every stroke, calling upon |
the culrrit to repent and confess his sin |
before 1t is too late. The nall is driven |
in about one-third Of its length, and |
there it must stay to goad the idol on TO |
the terrible vengeance, invoked against |
the sinner, the crownlng act, or seal to
this ceremony, being made by Smearing
the head &c the nail with the blood of |
a fowl, an OK or a goat, according to the
nature of the misdemeanOr to be pun.
ished. Once the seal of the blood is set, |
there is no forgiveneSs-the punishment |
is relentless and to the bitter end. The
small number of nails that are driven in
idols attest how seldom this last act has |
been done.
An Island Nanishcs Into the Sea.