Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-04-12
IN THE NIGER DELTA.
Horrible Superstitions Prevailing
in that Part Of Africa.
Lizard and Snake WOrship-A Mother Re
joicing to See Her Child DevOured by
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
the Niger Delta'' in Africa, of which the
following synopsis has been made for the
New York Ledger;
The Ijos 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 a number of
natural principles in the forms of certain
animals, or in concrete representation Of
"fetishes" or idols.
Each little community had its ''totem, A." or
sacred animal, in whose species the ances-
trail 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 a GER
tain amount of recognition. Europeans
were forbidden to kill the sacred lizard of
Bonny, 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 g. Cookson's firm found large python
in his house and killed it When the mis-
deed ocean e known the Brass people made
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
600 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 a
sickening nuisance. They devoured 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-lilxe serrated tails, and if you
wounded or killed one of them, there was
no end of to-do. You were assaulted or
robbed by the natives, harangued by the
Consul on board of man of war, and pos
Bibly fined into the bargain.
In other parts Of the delta it might be the
shark, or the crocodile, or some water-bird
that was worshiped, but nowhere was this
zoolatry carried to greater lengths than at
Bonny and Brass. For its effectual abolish
ment, which has been'of the greatest benefit
10 the well-being Of Europeans and natives
alike, we owe our thanks not to the inter
gention of naval or consular officials, nor to
the bluff remonstrances of traders, but to the |
Quiet, unceasing labors of the agents of the |
Church Missionary Society, VINO, by win
hing the natives from these absurd prac-
tices 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, |
ns regards the latter animal, there was
father 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 (who
then meant almost the entire population of
The place. to the sticking point. A grand
Daughter of lizards was arranged to take
place on Easter Sunday. AS soon as the
morning bells of the mission church rang
but a large number of Bonny men and
boys armed themselves with matchets and
sticks and commenced the slaughter of the
izards. By the end Of the day there was
hot one left alive in the town, and so great
we're the numbers slaughtered that the
stencil almost brought about a sickness, and
Tor four or five days the town was unap-
proachable.
But in slaughtering the lizards much else
of the cd superstition seemed to go, and |
ihat event marked the real revolution, and |
! turning 9 towards better things on the part
Df the Bonny people. A change almost Sim
larly abrupt put an end to the python wor-
In. hot
python seized a child in the street in its
eoils and slavered it with it's vicious saliva,
Ihe mother-so far from interfering to save
it-must stand by and call out her thanks,
Ind summon her friends and relatives to
Rejoice with her that the god-python had so
honored her family as to devour her child.