The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-10-01
7N0. 11e<c14Y PENCE s.

Secretly and in the dead of night he was car
I back into the bush to an obscure "half
j u toW town called Goomah no woman being allowed
20 Know ms whereabouts Courtesy to the null
Ian and the sand cutter" demanded that Wobeh
!! should promptly pass into the unknown but the
old man held on to life with his characteristic
tenacity, 1t was several weeks before the news
Sas quietly brought to Totoquelli that its found
3er was dead. The information was passed on
5 to Boporo and King Sow came over to take
( charge Of the town until all its paavers were
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-
Sceedlngs In this case extended over period of
about three weeks.
First Wobehs body was removed from the
nut where he had died and placed in an open
kitchen In Goomah. These kitchens are merely
large nuts without walls. or, rather, with walls
about three feet high The roof is OF thatch and
the door OF clay. In the center of one of these
4 Kitchens shallow grave was dug. Then the
fleet were bound together, the arms were extend
4 ed down the body and the hands bound together
by Eleans OF strong stick placed between
hands and feet the body was placed in the grave
and lightly covered, After it had lain there for
d two days 1t was taken UP by night and carried to
Totoquelli. where 1t was again placed in shall
low grave, but in hut where no woman could
bring Ill luck by looking upon it. The law of the
& bush shuts out all women from any approach to
4 the dead Then the family and the town began
to make ready for the obsequies, formal notices
4 were sent out to all the big kings within two
days walk in order that they might come with
gifts) and assist Wobehs spirit into rest.
The funeral continued for eight days First
Il the body was again lifted from the grave and
s laid OUT in an open kitchen carefully screened
The kings women were then segregated in an
4 other kitchen and intrusted with the duty of
& making great lamentation. Then the head of the
devil bush'-ne is a great functionary in West
Africa--came into the village to announce the
d king Is death-a performance on a par with the
formal notification given to a presidential nomi-
nee by al committee from q national convention.
The devil BUSH is a sort Of combination Of Sc.
cret society and boys boarding school. It is q
collection Of huts hidden away in the bush which
~ women must avoid or pay the penalty Of death.
i Here are collected most Of the boys of the COM
d rnunity and they remain in secluson for period
varying from three to six years, being taught
some sense and much nonsense. The grip OF su.
Is strong that the head o; tbs bush
lsseomes great man in the tribe and death is the
u penalty Tor any woman who looks upon his face
81 Totoquellfs devil preceded his entrance Into
9 the town by an unearthly yell, which was the
signal for all the women and girls land every
nsn not "a member OF the devil bush') to sc
crete themselves. Then with a series Of yentril
Es oQuistic yells he came into the center OF til,
SSs town. announced the death OF Wobeh, orderet
the funeral to proceed and vanished into TIL
sa bush. Then the real noise began.