The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-02-11
Among The
HappiestPe People
On Earth.
ARE THE EKoI, NATIVES OF sEx.
IRENE SOUTHERN NIGERIA,
ON EQUATOR.
NO TAXES TO PAYsANDiNoiW.ElAR.
IS0ME RESTRICTIONS
TO UNDERGO.

IS0ME RESTRICTIONS
TO UNDERGO.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. a.
With no taxes to pay and mo weari-
some restrictions to undergo. living
in a land so fruitful that a, few
weeks labor is enough to supply
them with food, home and clothes
for a whole yeas. the Ekoi, natives
Of extteme southern Nigeria; on the,
Equator should be. and probably are
among the happiest people on, EARTH,
according to P: A. Talbot, African
explorer. of London. England, in u
Communication to the National Geo
graphic Society. atgWasliington, D. C..
THE Ekoi are devoted parents,
lie writes. They have curious be-
liefs as to the advent and death Of
their babies. One charming super
stitution forbids all duarreling in n.
rouse where there are little children.
The latter, SO they say, love sweet
words, kind looks, and gentle voices,
and II these are not to be found in
the family into which they have been
ieincarnated, they will close their
eyes and forsake the earth till. u
chance offers to return again amid
less 1uarrelsome surroundings.Fi Ii
ITO the Ekoi, dancing ,isione q, the
main occupations of life. With them
the dance provides an;outlets both for,
the dramatic instinct and for reltgi-
Gus feryor. At the new year, and on
all great festivals, the chief 'socie,
ties Of men. women and children.
come up to the. station to give Sc
ries of dances. The Ekoi are a poly,
samous people, but the chief wife,
not the husband, is the head Of the
house. Each wife has control over.
her children, who almost invariably
go with. her If she leaves her husband,
and her rights as to property are
most strictly safeguarded by native
law" ~ ...si fii
Mr.. Talbot recounts one Of the
many old legends Of the country. ex-3
planning the position which human,
holds. AT the beginning Of things,
the legend runs, the world was peo=
pied by women only One day tlfa
earth-god, sAwbassi Nsf happened by
accidentato.kill a woman. Awbassi,
sorry for the brief he had caused, Of
fered to give them anything they
should choose out Of all his posses
sions. They begged him to mention
what he had to give, and said they
would all cry "Yes'' when he named
the thing which they wished to have.
At length the list was nearly ended:
one thing remained to offer and that
was man. They shouted eyes" and.
catching hold Of one another, started
dancing for Joy. They took man.
therefore, as compensation for the
fellow-woman whom they had lost,
and thus the men became the SER
wants of women, having to work for
themrup to this day.
THE religious opservancss of the
Ekoi are altogether fascinating
study" continues Mr.. Talbot. BE.
meath many modern corruptions and
disfugurements are to be found traces
OF an older, purer- form Of worship
traces which carry us back to the old
cst-known Minoan civilization and
link the; belief Of the. modern Ekoi
with that of the. ancient Phoenician,
the Egyptian, the Roman and the
Greek. In some ways, indeed, the
Ekoi form may be termed the most
ancient of all, for whereas in the old
est-known representations of Minoan
bird and tree worship the tree has
become entirely conventionalized
into pillar shape, and later on be-
comes mere pedestal to support the
bird, among the Ekolit still keeps its
original form-that Of the actual liv-
ing tree. The smallest town has its
juju tree"