New-York tribune., 1905-02-25

IL.
Njambi for special purposes but by far the
most of the spirits taken actively into account
by the negro are those of dead human beings.
without any belief in the ultimate "resurrec-
ton OF the body the African is firmly con-
vinced of the continued existence of the soul
after death, that is of the spirit soul" The
body soul' Lies with the material part of man.
Some even make distinction between the spirit
soul and the dream SOUL" which is able to leave
the body in sleep and TO wander about at will.
Others add q fourth SOUL or life spirit" at
times regarded separate from and extraneous
to the body, a sort of guardian angel. to which
worship is due.
African theology takes no account OF future
reward or punishment; it knows heaven or
hell. Spirit souls good and bad. when released
from the body by death, go to Njambrs town
and live very much before. Fortunately the
native mind has not conceived of tho possibility
OF the procreaton of spirits by spirits, or their
number would be inconceivaby more lmitless
than 1t is now If the spirits of the dead went
to Njambrs town and stayed there, the African
could live without care fear; but that is not
their comfortable habit. Instead they delight
to return to the scene of their human expert
ences and to interfere with and to influence
the affairs OF the living. For that reason,
though the natives through natural affection
will mourn for dead relative friend, they
desire to insure the continued absence OF his
spirit. and have recourse to various devices to
drive it away. For there is always the posi-
bility that IN its disembodied state, secure from
reprisals, it may seek to revenge itself for some
previous slight or injury Lingering or
turning the spirit Of a dead person usually
seeks some special abiding place. 1t may.
through q ghoStly whim, temporarily seek
refuge in the body of an animal or inhabit a
cave. tree. or any other object Spirits hav-
ing the same characteristics as the living their
anger may be placated. their benevolence en-
listed 1t is here that the witch doctor gets in his
work and the fetich comes into play A fetch
is any material object consecrated by an
Oganga. or magic doctor, by virtue Of which
some spirit becomes localized to that object and
subject to the will of the possessor. Thus an
Idol Is only reverenced the local residence
OF a spirit and while it is so occupied The
same holds true with an amulet and there is
no object so frivolous. ridiculous or disgusting
that it cannot through the Oganga's influence
be made the home of wandering soul Every
native according to his needs and means is
the possessor of a number of these amulets
which he generally about his person
Should any of them prove Intellectual. the
explanation is readily forthcoming The witch
doctor either claims that some observance i'm
posed by him on the possessor has not been
correctly followed. or that there is some one
who owns still more powerful fetch which
has neutralized its benefcent efforts The
Oganga VIII furnish him with another more
effective fetich-for a price
The witch doctors functions are not limited
to supplying material charms BY means of in
carnations, either simply vocal or associated
with ritual he drives away 1nalevoent spirits
or lnVokes the assistance of friendly ones on all
possible occasions. One curious custom is to
put on every child at birth an orunda. or nro-
hibtion something that he Is forbidden to do or
to eat through life. One man may not eat
chicken, another must not sleep in a boat. or
Whatever the imagination of the Oganga arbi-
trarily suggests
The African recognizes no such thing as Il
natural cause. Everything that happens, good
or Ill, Is through the influence Of some spirit
ana as the people are constantly invoking the
aid of the spirits. it is their impulse in the case
of any misfortune accident to seek the in
stigating human cause behind the active spirit
ual influence. Every death is attributed to
witchcraft, and If the offending person can be
detected, justice demands that he must die. too
1t is customary, accordingly, to accuse any one
who may be known or be suspected of harboring
i'll will against the dead. The usual method of
trial is by drinking poison. The result of the
trial in death-and conviction. or in recovery
and acquittal. is doubtless regulated by the dose
prepared by the witch doctor, who is probably
in most cases susceptible to material influences
Another outcome of the belief in witchcraft Is
the formation of secret societies. both of men
and women, and formerly having great power
and influence. These, in their governmental
function were the only authority, before the
intrusion of foreign powers, that could settle a
fierce personal dispute or enforce intertribal
peace. But their possibilities for good" the
author considers to have been "overbalanced by
their actualities for evil"
While the negro recognizes certain things as
good" and others bad" he appears to have
no consciousness of sin as something reprehen-
sible in itself or in its consequences The sal
vation' he seeks by his superstitous (or re-
ligious) practices is a purely physical one. He
desires to be saved not much from the con-
sequences of his own acts as from the i'll will
of his enemies working through evilly disposed
spirits
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