The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-02-18
Her Years Of Solitary Life With
African Natives.
THEIR CUSTOMS DESCRIBED Ar
CHESTNUTSTREET CHURCH.
She Lived, as Mother and Teacher With
Fifteen Little Black Boys and Girls-A
Collection Taken to Buy More Girls.

AT the Chestnut street church Sunday
morning, alarge audience was deeply in
terested by Mrs. Eliza Bates Walker, who is
now visiting in this country, and who for
five years, has been connected with the
missionary work of Bishop William Taylor,
on the Congo river, in Africa.
These missions extend in line of forts or
villages at intervals of about days journey
apart. Mrs. Walker has been in charge of
one of these missionary forts.
Rev. Matt S. Hughes introduced her rs
native of Maine. She having lived Tor some
years in the town of Strong. G.,
Mrs. Walker first pointed out Liberia on
little map on the pulpit, and said that it
was republic, settled and governed by
freed slaves from the United States. Her
work had Deen among the natives of
Liberia, who live in towns fortified because
of tribal wars. There are as many houses in
these towns as there are women. A town is
composed of from three to five families.
family is large number of relatives. de-
scended from some great ancestor. Some
man in each family is the chief of the
family. When young man wants wife,
the chief buys her for him, having charge of
the family money. In every town is high
priest, who offers sacrifices somewhat as
the ancient Isralites did. He is a sacred
man, and can have but one wife. He never
can sleep outside of his own house.
He can never sit on any seat but his own,
and always carries his leopards skin with
him to sit on. He always dresses in blue,
and never is allowed TO die a natural death.
When old or infirm he is killed. and this is
kept very secret, for fear enemies should
attach the town, when they have 10 priest
and are therefore defenseless.
The priests house is a place of refurge to
any one fleeing from enemies. In the mar
row paths of Africa where only one person
can walk, the women must step out and let
tho men pass, but the men must step out
and let the priests wife pass. She is con-
sideIed superior woman. There is a
society called by a name that translated
means the Devils Society," 1t is made
up of the men, and its object is to enforce
the laws of the town. 1t is similar to our
vigilant committees in the West.
There are witch doctors who can foretell
tha future. and who can communicate with
the dead. Mrs. Walker exhibited charm
that the witch doctor gives. 1t was piece
of cloth. in which were sewed up pieces of
leaves and sticks and dirt. When it is worn
the weaTer cannot be bewitched.
She also exhibited roll of thick mating,
ii being the native bed. which they spread
on the sand floor of the, huts. She had
frequently slept on such pieces of M tting
on the mud doors.~ -,e-..
Each wife of the men has separate home
in which her children live with her. There
is a head wife, in whose house the man
lives.
The people raise rice and have a new
clearing in the forest every year, thus
moving from farm to farm annually. The
women do all he planting of rice, while the
men do the heavy work of clearing the
land.
When man wants his rice planted very
quickly. he.gets all his wives to. work to-
getheI. Il e beats drum and they keep
time to it, planting rice and thus work very
quickly. In the interior the man assists in
cutting the rice, on the coast he does not.
The farms are often two or three miles from
town, and the women carry the rice on their
heads. The man never carry rice. The
women cut and bring wood and also the
water. The women also thrust out he rice
and cook it and prepare hot ba tn before
every meal for the man.
A native doesn't think lie has had meal
unless he has had some rice. Another
principal food is palm butt er, made of the
nut of the palm trees. 1t is more a dressing
for meat than butter. While the men are
ba thing in the hot wafer before dinner, the
wife puts the rice in one bowl and the
palm butter in another. and the men eat it
with their hands. The women eat alone in
the back part of the house.
The native dress is only a loin CLOTH
several of which Mrs. Walker exhibited.
This is boys pair of pants" she said,
holding up piece of black and white CLOTH
about two by one feet in dimensions. She
showed also brass bracelets worn by The
natives, nicely dressed woma often wear
ing nine of these heavy rings on each arm
Her ankles are as heavily loaded with bells
as her aims are with rings. They wear al
ways hat and umbrella and q handker-
chief, besides the 1oin cloth. The religion
of the country compares very well with
modern spiritualism. They believe in
God. OF supreme goodness, but only call up
On him in time of trouble. They believe in
good and bad spirit=. who are almost as
powerful as God.
One of their household charms is a large
wooden bowl, full of earth and sticks.
mixed with proper care by the witch doctor.
1t keeps off evil spirits.
She showed reddish wooden club that
was town charm, set up for years in the
gates of the town, near where she hal
lived. Before il cattle had been sacrificed.
A native convert induced that town to give
up their charms and thus Mrs. Walker came
into possession of it,
They believe that the dead comes back to
earth again in other bodies. A missionary
once was drowned, and as the people
clustered at the rivers bank, a woman gave
birth to a son. The people declared that
the drowned missionary had come back to
earth again in that natives son. They gave
it his name and insisted oE giving the bow
to the missionary's flow, telling her if
was her husband.
Mrs. Walker described their marriage and
funerals. and said that the Importance of
the dead person is indicated by the amour.
of gun powder exploded at the funeral.
Sometimes two or three bags of the
precious gunpowder is exploded at the
funeral of a chief. A dead woman is
honored with only few gunshots.
Together with food and clothing. a bottle
of rum and pipes and toabceo are buried