Evening star., 1897-04-17
WEST AFRICAN FoURFoLD SOULS.
Strange Beliefs of the Natives De.
scribed by Miss Kingsley,


scribed by Miss Kingsley.
From the London Spectator
Miss Mary Kingsley seemed to affirm with
seriousness that not few of the negro
and Bantu tribes Of West Africa believe in
the composite nature of the human soul.
that they most Of them accept one soul
which survives death. and also some other
subsidiary souls which do not survive it:
that many Of the negro tribes suppose that
each man or woman has also a bush
SOUL which is ghost-like animal with a
TASTE Tor ranging out freely in the bush.
ana which may be trapped and kept in a
cage, 10 the great discomfort of the true
p.oprietor; that, again. not only low
negroes, but Bantus. believe in a dream
eoul, which also flies abroad when the
owner Is sleeping, and If he is awakened
100 suddenly may not be able to get hack
nome in time for his awakening. whence
Aealn many evils result; and, further, that
there Is shadow soul, which NAV he seri
ously injured If any one treads m tha
shadow. Miss Kingsley even relates thai
sne saw woman who had a hatred for a
certain &c man stealthily creep behind him
10 Where his shadow was falling on tho
earth. and hammer a great darnine naeiis
Into the shadow of his head intending
tnereDy TO bring about his death The
west African tribes think the bush soul is
tne animal part Of them, which. when II is
renewed of the superintendent of its hu.
,iau inteilsence enjoys Its freedom in the
push like the animals to which they ratain
SO sp ciose s an affinity: that when they dream
there is some part of them that can Leave
the nody and play fantastic tricks among
ineir ne1ghbors: and, again, that there 10 q
me In the shadow which accompanias
is every one during the day time-which life
Is closely linked to the life which survives
the body. Such creeds as these ara n,a
suppose, the first rude efforts at somethine
llke abstraction. Even the most cultivateS
,tn tatl VII VII speak OF another as thinking GER
tam things with his legal mind" or with
ms commercial mind" or with his "rond
lcal mlnd, or with some other professiona1
mind, all of these being distinguished FROM,
sns ene human at mlnd OF the ordinary impulses
ana directions. Indeed, it is more o.: less
true tnat there is often a kind of separa.e
ness between the professional life of
man and his more natural human life He
oni oaihns IN on one tnlng with his legal his medi-
cal or his commercial or his political mind
ana quite another thing with his domesti,
or practical mind. and the two things are
not seldom in conflict. The only differences
Liza; snal respect between as and the West
AIrican races Is that we never imarine
mat the legal or political mind can f1y Off
.loh the domestic or practical mind and
count. 49, "h a.
Ihe four separate souls Of the West Af-
rlcan creed are not at all .:ypotheses reed
eo LOT evidences of change of charsctar
put rather explanations OF the normal
PAASA'~S VI CHARACTER In average men and
women Every man has a life in the bush
~hich' with its risks and pleasures is quite
dlstnct from his domestic life: and every
man has life in dreamlan1 which Is fui1
OF grotesque and marvellous incidents that
are quite beyond the experience of his wax
ing ife AS to the ina ginary shadow life.
tnat Is mere consequence of the observed
likeness and unlkenass of the shadow To
tne BODY itself, with is apparently cap
riclous lengthening and shortening that
suggests something arbitrary ahout II in
spite of the close tie which is never severed
SO long as the shadow is visible At ALL The
most unique point in this strange creed is
the belief In the absolute separability of
these four phases of ordinary life, so that
each can take independent excursions of its
own, SO long as 1t comes back again at the
proper time to give the others the meeting
That suggests to us that these West Afri-
can races feel much greater Iooseness in
their mental structure. much greater
tendency to decompose or break up into
mental or moral fragments than civilized
man is conscious Of