Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1890-01-26
reversnce ror ne snake. ana some w1ia rr1p~

reverence Tor TIE snake, ana some W1fu u1De
| even now do not XIII them. The same idea
| prevails among al such people-that the ser
! psut is -wsse-aud II the reader wants proof
/ that our own ancestors once thought 50, he
can find il IN the many kinds OF jeweIry IL
| tie serpentine forn-even to the extent 81
having brilliant stones set il for eyes Al
/ this is what Darwin would call survival
that is, these things we're once worn IS
charms against evil, and still hold place by
custom.
The Indian in his untaught state always
lies when the white man asks hinl about his
religion, and the black African either cannot
or viii not explain his ideas On the subject
but any one who can get at the real feeling
OF negroes Of the ignorant class il the gulf
states or West Indies will discover that they
retain many superstitions about the snake.
The chief god OF Dahorney is 4 thick. harm
less snake about six feet long, generally white
and yellow in color; and probably the largest
serpent temple in the world Is st Whydah
Formerly any one who killed q serpent there
was put 70 death; nov he IS heavily fined
Burton, the British traveller, prevailed upon
the natives TO let him witness the leading
ceremonies, the scene being as follows:
Throughout the long shed every pole, raj
ter and beam was almost hidden By the
squirrning monsters, and the esarthen floor
was SO covered that the priests could with
difficulty move among them. Bowls of fresh
milk were set before the largest. and milk
poured in little holes over the floor, the priests
all the tine strolzing the serpentS and iuton-
ing prayers for health and wisdom Finally
the priests kI2eeled in the csater of the shed
and the band with rude cru.Ilsl struck up
Al the horrible din every serpent erected it
self, rolled aud ''bioved" with a strange
whistling sound, rolling and writing, knot
ting themselves IN great maSseS and quiyering
as they .'blowed,f until the air was SO load
ed with vile odCr that the white spectator
turned away sickened and the black priests
sank down In a sort Of stupor.
From that region came the ancestors Of the
Haytian negroes, and since the whites were
driven from power there the worship has
beeu re-estabiished. In Africa it IS called
Vodun, in Hayti VaudoUx, il other islands
Voodoo and in the Gulf states that or Hoo
doc The chief priest and priestess are
named Papa Roi and Aanan Roi Father
King and Mother King, but In Eaytian
pronunciation OF French these are run into
Papaloi and Mamaloi. Their priessly robes
are red with girGles of blue, the box con-
tanning the sacred snake Is placed before the
two and the secret ceremonies begin They
are very long and have only been witnessed
by daring spies: for great secrecy is observed
and death is the penalty for eavesiropper or
informer.
The main sect must rest content with the
blood of a spotless goat or lamb, but the IN
I'll ,I-tr hir~sd Of tIs.
goat without hornsn-that is, a child or
woman. Sometimes the dances which follow
last ten or twelve hours and are interInxed
with gross debauchery. Despite their pre-
cautions many white men familiar with the
sort of French spoken on the island, have
witnessed the ceremony In disguise. OF these
the most interesting experience perhaps, was
thatof a French priest, the Cure de L Archaye,
whose account closes thus:
All the favors asked by worshipers had
been promised by the Mamaloi, when white
cock and white goat were killed and ell
present marked with their blood, then a
gigantic negro bounded to the front space
and kneeling said, %, Maulan, l have favor
to ask What is it, my sanP Give US TO
complete the sacrifice the goat without horns
She waved an assent and instantly two ne
groes bounded IL, carrying q child tied
tightly. The priestess approached with a
large knife. The child uttered loDd scream,
and the Mamaloi sGrucls her knife into its
throat. It was held so that its blood flowed
into vessel Unable to restrain myself l
stepped out and hastened to the nearest po-
lice; they would not stir till morning, and
then we found nothing but some remains OF
the feast and near the hut tEe boiled skull OF
the child"
An American gentleman, in like manner,
witnessed the sacrifice of a little boy and
girl, and, having more nerve than the priest,
through the subsequent ceremo-
MES, but they Were too filthy for description.
OF course, no negroes in the United States,
even the most ignorant, whose parents were
natives Of Africa, have sunk TO the level Of
child sacrifice, and VooCtooism as pTacticed
in Louisiana is q harmless. though extremely
foolish, affair. Tree and serpent worship
in India" is the subject Of an elaborate report
by the British official, Ferguson; but it is
only among the black aborigines of the coun-
try, a few tribes of whom still survive in the
hills, that the practice is found In upper
Egypt there is also a small district where
serpents are held sacred.
classical Greek and Roman serpent myths. (
which are really poetical; and still more TO
the sacred snake stories of the Teutonic
races The white snake of old TeutoBic !
mythology was thought to be good spirit
IN disguise, and after Christianity was intro !
iuced it was still thought of as a good angel /
assisting the afflicted. One Nothbtirga, a 7
Christian princess, being prosecuted By a /
1eathen adrnirer, fed to the wilderness, /
where the white snake" protected her and 4
'ecured her food. II relieved all sorts Of sut- /
ering Christians, especially females and mis- /
and finally was transformed to /
beautiful prince. And this is ali that is .
Known land a good deal rlore) of this truly .
cultivated and gentlemanly snake
Simple Enough.
The man who knows how to cure cold has
rival in the man who knows how TO color q !