Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-01-08
azy and Immoral.

raise his grain and tobacco Tor MIN
and secure other necessities of male
existence.
Lazy and Immoral.
Knowing nothing of the dire events
that befell wealthy Rome or Greece
the Bachokes, nevertheless. followed
in the same path. They became exces
sively immoral. Pipes. women AND
song took the place of the more manly
and healthful exercises Of Staying or
enslaving their neighbors. Instead OF
hurting snake-poisoned spears and ten
pound. serrated edge hatchets ana
knives at their fellow men the Bach
okes have degenerated so far as to lie
indolently sprawled out in the sun be-
fore their huts, playing the while steel
keyed musical instruments which
sound like musical boxes badly out OF
tune and smoking tobacco strong
enough to send any white man to his
grave at the first puff.
Whatever may be said as to the
morals of the Bachokes in their rela-
lions to pipes, women and song 1t can
not be said that their immortality ex-
tends to the culinary line. They have
never been known. despite plenty OF
examples to the contrary, to cook and
eat white man.
The most they have done in this d.
rection is to make medicine out OF
several venturesome whites who have
strayed into their country unarmed or
unattended. Just what the pharmacol
ogic process is has never been
divulged; it is a carefully guarded Sc
cret of the suspicious and erudite
medicine men of the tribe.
Medicine Men Are Clever.
AS thoroughgoing as David Belasco
are these savage black physicians
in creating the proper sort OF atmos-
phere for the effect they wish to pro.
duce. Clad in beads and feathers, sur
rounded by horrific ghost chasers and
spirit placators carved out of wood.
and wearing a frightful mask that
completely covers head, face and neck,
the Bachoke medicine man awaits his
patients in his dark hut.
The medicine he distributes after
properly blessing it depends upon the
fee he receives. The sufferer with
rheumatism, may for a few beads or
a chicken buy a pair of carved field
mice to wear at his belt as a protec-
ton against the pains. but a man OF
wealth who can afford to pay at least
a goat or a sheep can be completely
insured. according to the medicine
mans schedule, against further recur-
renee of the malady. His medicine
takes the form of an deliberately
carved fetish, into the stomach OF
which hole has been cut and filled
with substance too sacred even for
the medicine man to pronounce its
name-perhaps brass tack or a piece
of blue clay.
But, II after all. the pains actually
do recur? Well. contingency of this
sort has been carefully provided
against by the medicine man. Such
things have been known to happen.
But the reason for 1t is this: Some
other man in the tribe. an enemy to
the sufferer with rheumatism. has
been going to a rival medicine man
and paying higher prices for more po-
tent medicine. which permits him to
harass the rheumatic patient with evil
spirits. hence the pains. But IL the
rheumatic patient wishes to pay lit
tie higher price for stronger medicine
then he in turn may set evil spirits to
affecting his enemy, all of which the
medicine man will be glad to arrange
for the proper consideration.