El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-02-17
Ekoi Are the Happiest of People
American Geographic So
ciety Explorer Says They
Have No Wearisone
Restrictions.

Washington, d. c., Feb with no
axes TO pay and no Wearisome re-
sH4cIlonS to undergo, living in a land
50 fruitful that a few weeks labor is
eHouGh 70 supply them with food, home
mo cioIhes for whole year, the EkOi,
natives of extreme southern Nigeria
On Lhe equator, should be, and prob
@tly are, among the happiest people
on earth, according to j. A Talbot.
AFRICAN explorer of London. England
IN a communication to the National
geographic society.
The Ekoi are devoted parents he
writes They have curious beliefs as
70 the advent and death of their
baDleS. One charming superstition for
bids all quarreling i'm a house where
there are little children. The latter
so they say, love sweet words kind
looks, and gentle voices, and if these
are not to be found in the family into
when they have been reincarnated
utey viii close their eyes and fOrsake
the earth till a chance offers to return
ings.
ITO the Ekoi. dancing is one Of the
nam occupations of life. With them
me dance provides an outlet both for
the dramatic instinct and for RELIGIOUS.
IerVer. At the new year, and on all
great festivals, the chief societies OF
men, women and children come up to
me station to give a series of dances
ne EkOi are a pOlygamOus people, but
Sue chleI wife, not the husband, is the
tlol over her children. who almost in
y arlaDly go with her if she leaves her
husband and her rights as to property
are are most strictly safeguarded by ma
M Talbot recounts one of the many
oIo legends of the country, explaining
ne position which woman holds At
the beginning of things the Iegand
runs the world was peopled by women
Siiy- one day the earth-gOd, Awbassi
-Nsl, happened by accident to kill
woman Awbassi, sorry for the grief
ne had caused, offered to give them
anything they should choose out of all
MS possessions. They begged him to
mention what he had to give, and said
Iney would all cry Yes" when he /
named the thing which they wished to I
nave. At length the list was nearly (
ended ;One thing remained to offer and 4
Ihat was a man. They shouted yes" I
and, catching hold of one another
started dancing for JOY. They took
man, therefore, as compensation for
the tellOW-WOman whom they had lost, |
and thus the men became the servants
up to this day.
The religious observances Of the
EkOl are altogether fascinating l
study" continues Mr.. Talbot Beneath !
many modern cOrruptiOns and dis (
tigurements are to be found traces Of !
an older, purer form of worship
traces which carry us back to the old
est known MinOau 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
clay be termed the most ancient of all,
-Or whereas in the Oldest known rep
'esentatiOns Of MinOan bird and tree {
worship the tree has become almost
entirely conventionalized into Pillar
shape, and later on becomes a mere !
PEDESTAL to support the bird, among
he Ekoi it still keers its original form
that of the actual living tree. The |
smallest town has its juju tree"