Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-22
IN THE NIGER DELTA.
Horrible Superstitions Prevailing
10 that Part Of Africa.
Lizard and Snake Worship-A Mother Ro-
jCicing to See Her Child Devoured by
a Python-Good Work Done by
Christian Missionaries.

In the last issue of the proceedings Of
the Royal Geographical Society" London,
there is an unusually interesting article on
4" the Niger Delta in Africa, of which the
following synopsis has been made for tho
New York Ledger:
The Iios represents to-day the ruling peo-
pie of the extreme lower Niger, of Brass,
OF New Calabar, Bonny and Opobo In
times past they were fanatic adherents Of
a savage type of animistic religion. Like
the ma jority of the Africans, they did not
know or conceive Of the existence of one
supreme God, but embodied number Of
natural principles in the forms of certain
ANIMALS, or IN concrete representation OF
"fetishes'' or idols.
Each little community had its totem" or
sacred animal, in whose species the ances-
tral spirit-the soul of the tribe. so to
speak-was supposed to dwell Thus in
Brass they worshiped the python snake; in
Bonny the monitor lizard. Only nine or
ten years ago this animal worship was so
real that the British authorities in the Oil
Rivers were compelled to afford 1t GER
tain amount of recognition. Europeans
were forbidden to kill the sacred lizard of
Benny, or the still more sacred serpent Of
Brass, and were heavily fined by their Con-
sui if they infringed this prohibition.
On one occasion, in Brass, some ten or
twelve years ago, an agent of Messrs. Hat
ton & Cookson's firm found large python
m his house and killed it When the mis-
deed becam known the Brass people made
a descent on the factory, dragged the agent
out of the house on to the beach, tied him
up by his thumbs, spat in his mouth, and
inflicted other indignities on him. Then
they broke open the store, and took out
go worth Of goods, which they confiscated.
The British consul, hearing of the disturb
ance, arrived in Brass, considered the case,
and was unable to afford the agent any re-
dress, because he was supposed to have
brought the punishment upon himself.
At Bonny the monitor lizards became
sickening nuisance They devoused the
Europeans fowls, turkeys, ducks and geese
with impunity; they might lie across the
road or doorways of houses with their six
feet Of length, and savagely lash the shins
OF people who attempted to pass them with
their whip-like serrated tails, and if you
wounded or killed one of them, there was
no end Of TODD. You were assaulted or
robbed by the natives, harangued by the
Consul on board of man of war, and pos
Sibly fined into the bargain.
In other parts of the delta il might be the
Shark. or the crocodile, or some water-bird
that was orshiped, but nowhere was this
zoolatry carried to greater lengths than at
Benny and Brass. For its effectual abolish
ment, which has been. of the greatest benefit
to the well-being of Europeans and natives
alike, we owe our thanks not to the inter-
veDtion of naval or consular officials, nor to
the bluff re1nonstrances of traders, but to the
quiet, unceasing labors of tie agents of the
Church Missionary Soclety, who, by win
ming the natives from these absurd prac-
tees, have brought about such change Of
affairs that now the python is promptly
killed at Brass whenever it makes its ap-
pearance, and the monitor lizard is rele-
gated to the woods and swamps Indeed,
as regards the latter animal, there was
rather curious revolution of feeling
About four years ago, when Bonny Town
was infested with numbers of these great,
sluggish lizards. the missionaries screwed
the courage of the Bonny converts Cwho
then meant almost the entire population of
the place) to the sticking point. A grand
slaughter OF lizards was arranged TO take
place on Easter Sunday. AS soon az the
morning bells OF the mission church rang
out large number of Bonny men and
boys armed themselves with matchets and
sticks and commenced the slaughter of the
lizards. By the end of the day there was
not one left alive IN the town, and so great
were the numbers slaughtered that the
stencil almost brought about a sickness, and
for four or five days the town was unap-
pruachable.
But in Strengthening the lizards much else
of the old superstition seemed TO go, and
that event marked the real revolution, and
a turning towards better things on the part
OF the Benny people. A change almost sim
ifarly abrupt put an end to the python wor-
ship at Brass Before that time, if a
python seized child in the street in its
coils and slavered it with its vicious saliva.
the mother-so far from interfering TO save
it-must stand by and call out her thanks,
and summon her friends and relatives to
rejoice with her that the god-python had Sc
honored her family as TO devour her child.
TIE ShGInI SWIM