The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-10-01
7uco. A1e<c14n 4e<vcec

secretly and in the dead of night he was car.
iied back into the bush to an obscure "half
.oWh called Goomah. no woman being allowed
TO know his whereabouts. Courtesy to the mil
ian and the sand cutter" demanded that woheb
should promptly pass into the unknown. but the
oid man held on to life with his characteristic
tenacty 1t was several weeks before the news
vas quietly brought to Totoquelli that its found
/. - :. was dead. The Information passed on
: 70 Boporo and King Sow came over to take
charge Of the town until all it's palayers we're
settled.
The funeral of an African chief follows the
law Of the bush implicitly, but the details vary
IN different parts of the west coast The pro
ceedings in this case extended over a period Of
about three weeks.
First Wobeh's body was removed from the
hut where he had died and placed in an open
kitchen In Goomah These kitchens are merely
large huts without walls. or, rather with walls
about three feet high. The roof is of thatch and
the MOOR OF clay. In the center Of one of these
kitchens shallow grave was dug Then the
feet were hound together, the arms were extend
ed down the body and the hands bound together
by means of a strong stick placed between
hands and feet, the body was placed in the grave
and lightly covered. After 1t had lain there for
two days 1t was taken up by night and carried to
Totoquelli. where it was again placed in shall
low grave. but in hut where no woman could
bring i'll luck by looking upon it. The law Of the
bush shuts out all women from any approach to
to make ready for the obsequies, formal notices
were sent out to all the big kings within two
days walk. in order that they might come with
gifts) and assist Wobeh's spirit into rest.
The funeral continued for eight days. First
the body was again lifted from the grave and
'laid out" in an open kitchen carefully screened.
The kings women were then segregated in an
other kitchen and intrusted with the duty Of
making great lamentation. Then the head Of the
devil bush"-he is great functionary in West
Africa into the village to announce the
kings death-a performance on a par. with the
formal notification given to presidential nomi-
nee BY committee from national convention.
The devil BUSH is sort Of combination of Sc
scret society and boys boarding school 1t Is a
collection Of huts hidden away in the bush which
women must avoid or pay the penalty OF death.
Here are collected most OF the boys Of the COM
munity and they remain In secusion for q period
varying from three to six years, being taught
acme sense and much nonsense. The grip Of SUI
perstition Is 80 strong that the head of the bush
heg0mes great man In the tribe and death Is the
h penalty for any woman who looks upon his face.
Totoauellps devil" preceded his entrance into
B the town by an unearthy yell, which was the
4 signll skOr all tbs women and girls (and every
b man not member Of the devil bushr) to Sc
s3crete themselves, Then with series OF ventril-
@0auistic yells he eAme Into the center OF the
u town announced the death Of Wobeh ordered
mo funeral to proceed and vanished into the
s. buAh. Then the resi- noise BEGAN.