The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-02-13
Among The
HappiestPe People
On Earth
ARE THE EK0I, NATIVES OF EXs
IRENE SOUTHERN NIGERIA,
ON EQUATOR. 4.
NO TAXES 10 lPAYs'EAND iNo Q
{ IS0ME RESTRICTIONS q
TO UNDERGO, a

no UNDERG
WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. Ia
With no taxes to pay and no weari=
some restrictions to undergo living
in a land SO fruitful that al few
weeks, labor is enough to supply
them with food, home and clothes
for a whole yeas, the Ekoi. natives
Of extreme 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, at; Washington, d. G.
"The Ekoi are devoted parents
lie writes. They have curious be-
liefs as to the advent and death Of
their babies. One charming super
stftution forbids all quarreling in n
ronse where there are little children.
\ j y +
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
reincarnated, they will close their
eyes and forsake the earth till. u
chance offers to return again amid
d IN' q ~ A. Is Il ~. ~
less quarrelsome surroundings Gil
"To the Ekoi,t dancing ,islonej Of the
main occupations of life. With them
the dance provides ansoutletsboth for
the dramatic instinct and for reltgi-
Gus fervor. At the new year, and OIL
all great festivals, the chief 'socie;
ties Of men, women and children
come up to the station to give o Sc
ries Of dances. The Ekoi are a poly
eamous people, but the chief wife,
not the husband, is the head Of the
house. Each wife has control over
her children, who almost invariably
gowith. her if she leaves her husband,
and her rights as to property are
most strictly safeguarded by native
law" ~
Mr.. Talbot recounts one Of the
many old legends Of the country. ex-
planning the position which human
holds. AT the beginning of things,
the legend runs, the world was ,peo-
pied by. women only. One day tia
earth-god, "a wbassi; INsf happened by
accident to.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 eyes" 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 opseryancss of the
Ekoi are altogether fascinating
study" continues Mr.. Talbot. "Be-
meath many modern corruptions and
disfugurelhents 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 Ekoi it still keeps its
original form-that Of the actual 1iv-
ing tree. The smallest town has its
juju tree"
-
Dooo,,. 4 q. 81