Chapter 5

CHAPTER V WITCHCRAFT, MAGIC AND DIVINATION One evening Chief Daniel Henshaw, speaking of this subject, said : “ Witchcraft (Ifott) is a very deep thing. Among our people there is nothing else so deep, and the dread of it darkens multitudes of lives. Those of our family have always striven to keep themselves clear from the taint of such a thing ; yet I myself have studied it deeply, from the outside as one may say, in order to give right judgment and advice upon such cases as came before Government. “ Those versed in such mysteries can know what is going on hundreds of miles away, and impose their will upon men afar off. To all who have given themselves over to the power of the devil, long and prosperous lives are accorded, for nothing troubles them. They can look into the future and see what is going to happen ; then, if they learn that danger threatens, they have only to call upon the evil spirits to come and protect them against it. “ Those who have thus given themselves over to evil, strive to keep their compact secret from every one outside the witch company ; for a brand is upon each, invisible to ordinary men, but clear to the eyes of all similarly given over to a common master. “ A witch or wizard can go into his house and close the door. Those outside think that everything is as it should be, and that the person within is quietly sleeping. Yet, maybe, only his body lies there, while his soul is away with his witch company. “ Once an Efik man was said to have obtained a medicine from a strong Juju, by the power of which he could call out 57 all witches and wizards in the neighbourhood during the night, and keep them standing outside his compound till dawn break. Then he would call together the townsfolk, who came, and saw, and knew them one by one. “ When the persons whose wraiths had thus been held up to public obloquy learned that their true character was known, they went quietly home and died of shame ; since they no longer wished to live, now that their evil nature was revealed to those among whom until then they had passed as honest citizens. “ When ‘ devil’s powder ’ is made for purposes of witchcraft, the sacrificial animals, usually goats and fowls, are taken into the bush and there burnt to cinders: These are mixed with the ashes of the fires by which they had been consumed, and the whole, ground to fine powder, enters into the ingredients of all ‘ medicines ’ for ghosts or witchcraft. “ There is a man at Abakpa who has a powder which he rubs upon his forehead, the palms of his hands, and the soles of his feet. By the power of this he can go out at midnight and watch the doings of all witches and wizards who are abroad. He can know them, but they cannot see him, because the magic powder keeps him invisible. The only condition imposed is that he should not speak even a single word lest the sound should guide them to him. So long as he keeps silence he is quite safe, because the power of the powder is stronger than any of theirs.” The rite about to be described is reminiscent of those in common use, not only during the Middle Ages, but even up to our own day. Yet the most careful inquiries failed to discover any European source through which it might have been conveyed to my informant, a native of pure blood, who had learnt it from fellow-tribesmen versed in such matters who firmly believe in its efficacy. “ If you long for riches,” the narrator said, “ the swiftest way to obtain your desire is to take a long sword, which must be of old workmanship, since in such ancient things strange powers lie. With this firmly grasped in the hand you must go forth, at midnight, to a waste place. “ Arrived there, sprinkle oil upon the ground ; then, The late Chief Daniel Henshaw. with the sword above described, draw a circle round you, taking care that the line joins perfectly. For evil spells it is necessary to cry, ‘ Stand with me, O Demon, in what I am about to do ! ’ For such rites a ‘ strong mind ' is indispensable, since, should you fear, though never so little, the protecting power of the charm will be broken, and the waiting devils seize upon you at once. “ Supposing that you have the firmness of purpose necessary for success, immediately on the appearance of the evil spirit called up by the spell, you should demand riches or whatever may be your desire in summoning him. In return he will ask in how few years you are ready to become his man. You, on the contrary, bargain for how many years you may live to enjoy a certain sum. He strives to beat you down to the least time possible, but in the end, should you remain steadfast, grants far more than he at first offered—usually almost as much as was asked. A devil has never been known to break his part of the compact ; but, on the other hand, a man so bound dies on the day arranged, and none knows the horror of his fate ! “ Those who hate another greatly, often call upon the name of a demon and, after a libation of rum or palm-wine, point out where their enemy will sleep that night. Later the fiend goes to the house indicated, and, hanging over the victim, breathes pestilence upon him that he may inhale it in his sleep and wake to find himself in the grip of some deadly disease. “ A further point should be held in mind. When you have finished stating your desire to the evil powers you must, on the instant, start to run for your home, and, once over the threshold, slam to the door ; for should the demon overtake and pass you on the way you will sicken and probably die, in any case falling irredeemably into his power.” Perhaps the love of such useless lore runs in families. At any rate, in the library bequeathed to us by a near relative is to be found a book entitled A New and Complete Illustration of the Celestial Science of Astrology, in which one may read an account, strangely like, but far more circum- stantial, of the rites to be observed in calling up ghosts or devils. The Ibibio have a very real respect for demons ; for while good Jujus may, in the case of those too poor to provide the actual offerings decreed by custom, be put off with mere imitations of the things supposed to be sacrificed —such, for instance, as old skulls of goats or dogs, carved wooden figures of animals, or pieces of bent palm-stem, hardened by fire to make them look like metal rods or wires, or even “ ant-houses ” in place of human beings— yet only animals in the best condition may be offered up to the powers of evil. At funeral ceremonies, too, the hearts of goats, sheep and chickens are cooked and laid out in little calabashes for them, but these offerings may never be taken from an animal past the prime of life or in anything but the best of health. When young men are cut off by some violent death, it has been noticed that misfortune usually befalls those left behind. In such a case the relatives consult a powerful Juju priest, who asks the oracle to declare the cause of the trouble. Sometimes sacrifices are demanded to appease the manes of the departed ; but more often it is pointed out that the dead man is too angry, because of his own untimely death, for his spirit to be softened by offerings. Then the only way for the family to secure themselves from further molestation is to dig up and burn the corpse, that there may no longer be the wherewithal for the spirit to work its evil will. For as the body is consumed and turns to dust, so the astral also disintegrates and can no longer come back to earth, or meddle with human affairs. It sometimes happens that, through superior cunning or good fortune, a witch or wizard manages to elude suspicion, and dies in the odour of sanctity, lamented by all. After death such ghosts seem no longer able to conceal their evil nature, but come back to their old haunts, to play all sorts of mischievous tricks upon those left behind. Such a case is reported from Eyo Abassi, near Idua Oronn on the Cross River. About seven years ago a chief died, and as he was a very great man and dearly beloved, he was buried—according to the old custom which still obtains among the Oronn, although it has practically died out among other Ibibio—in a grave, deep dug beneath the floor of the house. After this death many small misfortunes fell upon the family. Food set aside for absent members disappeared before their return ; or soup prepared with special pains and left to simmer over the hearth was often found to have been stolen. Treasured pieces of property, too, disappeared one by one. All this created a feeling of distrust and annoyance, and the family began to quarrel among themselves, each accusing the other of theft. After such a state of affairs had gone on for some years, while ill-feeling gradually waxed higher and higher, some one chanced to notice a small hole at the corner of one of the rooms, just above the grave. At once suspicion was aroused, since it is by such apertures that ghosts are usually thought to return. The relatives joined together to investigate, and dug up the body. By this time it had lain over six years in the ground ; yet when disinterred it was stated to have been found quite fresh. Even the blood was said to run free in the veins, and the only difference reported between this long- buried corpse and a sleeping form was that no motion of breath could be seen. Upon this uncanny discovery a consultation was held as to what was best to be done. A guard was set upon the body, and meanwhile firewood was collected in quantities and built up in an open space some way from the house. At dusk the corpse was carried forth and laid upon the pyre. A flaming brand was held against the logs, previously saturated with inflammable oils, and the whole was soon consumed. Such a scene is weird in the extreme. If possible, a still, moonless night is chosen for the cremation ceremony. Kinsmen and townsfolk gather round, shadows from out the shadows, till they form a ring, encircling the pyre, but at some distance from it. Soundlessly the corpse-bearers come from the dwelling, deposit their strange burden, and then hasten to hide themselves amid the crowd of onlookers. All stood breathlessly watching while the red eye of the brand was seen to near the pyre. When the first flames shot up, illuminating the tense, drawn faces of the bystanders, and casting flickering lights and shadows over the grim outlines of the corpse, a gasping cry went up from hundreds of throats. As the flames rose higher, the fringe of encircling bush sprang into sudden distinctness against the quiet sky. Wavering light and shade played strange tricks with the body, which seemed as if struggling to rise or writhing in the torture of the ever-waxing fire. At length something seemed to give way within the pyre ; the central part collapsed, while red logs fell inward from the sides, mercifully burying all from sight. A cry went up. Men ran forward and flung oil and native pitch upon the fire, which roared upward in a very sheet of flame. As the glare rose, the crowd started dancing, dark figures silhouetted against that glowing background—savage and terrible, but with a certain beauty of rhythmic movement. Tom-toms sounded from out the darkness, and the leaping flames lighted up waving arms, flying feet, or the rippling muscles of great shoulders, till the dancers looked like some huge group of bronze Bacchanals wakened to life by a wizard’s spell. That even to-day only white influence prevents the summary execution of those suspected of witchcraft, is proved by case after case ; of which the following, lately tried in Oyubia Court, may be cited as typical: “ About three months ago the half-brother of an ’Mbukpo chief, Abassi-’Ntong by name, died after a severe illness. At once Abassi took his drum and beat it round the town, crying : ‘ The woman Ina Awak has killed my half-brother by her witchcraft. Therefore I will hide myself in the bush and slay her with my matchet as she passes by, since in these days the white man forbids us to try witches by ordeal, according to the custom of our fathers ! ’ “ Some time after it came to the ears of the would-be murderer that Ina Awak was going that day to visit her daughter Odiong Efere at Ukaw Uda. So soon as he heard this, he hurried back to his house, seized a matchet, and ran and hid himself in the bush by the road down which the woman must pass. When Ina came along, he sprang out and beheaded her, carrying off the head but leaving the body upon the road. After this he went home and sought out his brother Ikaw Idemm, to whom he said : “ ‘ To-day I killed Ina Awak with my matchet on the Ukaw Uda road, because by her witchcraft she caused the death of our brother.’ To this Ikaw replied : ‘You have done a wrong thing, and I do not wish to hear any more about it ! Such things are against the law of the white man ! Beside, I am of opinion that our late brother died of himself, and that nobody killed him ! ’ ” Among the Anang people, north of Ndiya, a strange superstition obtains. The inhabitants are credited with going to the graves of those newly dead, and there making a sacrifice to ensure the aid of evil spirits. After this they beat upon the mound with a plantain stem—the African tree of life—calling, at each stroke, on the name of the corpse, till, at length, the dead man is said to arise from his grave. Then the sorcerers bind him at once, and sell him into captivity far away. Such strange wanderers from another world seem never quite to regain possession of their right senses, but go always as in a dream, speaking little and in a very low voice, and moving “ softly, softly.” One such was reported to me as having lived at Henshaw Town Plantation. He was said to have crept sadly about his work, never eating with others, nor joining in their plays and laughter. These sad revenants can never eat ordinary food, but go alone into the bush, where they pluck certain leaves which are thought to nourish them. In the Efik tongue these ghost-men are called “ Owomi Emeade Ke Ude Esio,” i.e. “ persons drawn from the grave.” There are many magic medicines or Ibokk 1 to protect people from the evil eye, from snake-bite, from the attacks of bush beasts, from ghosts, and from would-be robbers. Among these may be mentioned two methods of special interest for the safeguarding of house or farm from depredation. By the first, a bundle of small sticks, bound round with tie-tie, from which dangle strips of coloured cloth, is 1 For definition of Ibokk see p. 21. made by the “ medicine man.” Over this certain rites are performed, and it is then given to the purchaser, to be carried home and hung within the house, near the principal entrance, or from a post in the midst of his farm. Should would-be robbers enter any place so protected, a serpent sallies forth from the bundle and attacks them, winding coil upon coil round their limbs, and slowly pressing them, Laocoon-like, to death, unless the owner of the Juju hurries to the spot in time to save them. A useful and distinctly humorous form of magic is that with which some witch-doctors are thought to have the power to endue the long hoes used in farm work. Over one of these spells are recited, while a potent “ medicine ” is poured upon it ; after which it is given back to its owner, to be hung up in some inconspicuous place in his farm. No sooner does a thief creep over the boundary, with the intention of purloining fruit or vegetables, than the magic hoe springs to his hand. Unconsciously the man’s fingers clasp themselves round the haft. He is bent down by a power there is no resisting, and finds himself forced, against his will, to hoe and hoe. Not for a moment can he pause, even to straighten his back, so long as a single weed remains on the farm, a single yam needs banking, or one clod of earth would be the better for breaking; so long must the ill-doer continue to work for the man he had intended to rob. Only when the owner arrives on the scene, should he take pity, can the magic hoe be released from the hand of the thief. Many witch-doctors are thought capable of making a “ magic ” to shut up the mouths of witnesses, so that these are unable to give testimony in court, and also other “ medicines,” by means of which a favourable judgment may be obtained. Such a case came before the Court at Idua Oronn on the Cross River. During the course of the trial, the prosecutor, a man named Esa, stated on oath : “ About a week ago I took action against Abassi ’Nkpeyah, who, on receiving the summons, hired Udaw Aming to bewitch me. I saw Udaw go into Abassi’s house. I therefore followed, and found him making a medicine to shut my mouth. That this was so, he owned to me and to two other men.” Adia, called as witness, also stated on oath : “ Udaw Aming told me that Abassi came and asked him to make medicine which he could take to court in order that he might obtain a favourable judgment in his case. I asked what he gave Abassi, and he answered that it was a powder made of Juju roots. He also made another magic medicine to shut Efa’s mouth, so that he should not be able to give evidence. All this Udaw told me in his own house.” The Ibokk ’Nduoho is supposed to have special power to strike witnesses dumb when they come into court, or to affect their memory, so that they can neither remember nor put into words what they want to say. Here too, as is the world-wide custom, witches and wizards try to obtain hair, nail-clippings, or a piece of cloth long worn by the person whom they desire to injure. They lay these before the shrine of some bad Juju, begging the spirit to follow on the trail of him to whom the relic once belonged and destroy him utterly. This course was much resorted to till recent years, in order to prevent the escape of slaves. At Calabar, when a much-loved child dies the parents weep bitterly, believing that an enemy has caused its death. Then they clip the hair and nails from the corpse and carry them to a witch-doctor, or to the priest of some bad Juju, crying : “ Behold the hair and nails of one fresh slain ! Take them and lay them before the spirit, that he may destroy him who killed my child.” Much the same ceremony is adopted by a man who believes that another is trying to injure him. In such a case the suppliant cuts off a lock of his own hair and lays it before the Juju, saying : “ This is my hair. I give it into your keeping. Watch over me, and if any one tries to kill me, follow and slay him, that I may remain unhurt.” In one case heard before the Native Court, Odu Amayak stated on oath : “ Uye came and told me that Esang Abiana and ’Ntak- Ikang were bewitching me, and that, if I disbelieved this, F I should question my cousin on the matter. I gave him some food and drink for warning me ; and he further stated that the accused had used my under-vest and nail-clippings for making a charm against me. I questioned my cousin, as Uye advised, and he said : ‘ Some charms are buried under the path to kill you, and some have been put in your drink.’ On learning this I took action against accused.” A case which illustrates certain points concerning the customs of witches and wizards came up before the Native Court at Idua Oronn. In this Offiong Esuk accused a fellow- townsman named Edun Etuk Unaw of defamation of character, for having proclaimed his name as a wizard before the townsfolk. The plaintiff stated on oath : “ One evening, about two months ago, I heard a noise in the middle of the town. I did not go out, but my wife, Ekun Etiga, went to see what was the matter. She returned and told me that she had found the man who made the noise, and that it was Edun Etuk Unaw crying that he had caught a man who went out witching. Shortly after this, the accused himself came to my house, and said : ‘ Afo Offiong Esuk Eyo ! Ke ami ’nkut ’nte enekde ifnot ke etak isip ’ndien efehe oduk ikot,’ i.e. 1 You Offiong Esuk Eyo ! I saw you dancing witchcraft near a coconut tree, and you ran away into the bush.’ He beat the drum round the town, telling the people that I was a wizard, and showed them a footprint, saying that it was mine.” Arwo, one of the wives of plaintiff, stated on oath : “ About two months ago I was sleeping with my husband. His other wife, Ekun Etiga, told us that the noise was made by Edun Etuk Unaw, who proclaimed that he had caught Offiong Esuk on the previous night dancing -witchcraft.” In answer to the question put by a member of court as to whether the man might not have remained at home with his wives, while his astral body went out to dance by the roadside, Ekpre Ken, one of the head-men of the place, rose to give evidence. " I am the chief of the town,” he said, “ to which both prosecutor and accused belong. When a person goes out to dance witchcraft, he always goes with his whole body, and not in spirit alone.” Edun Etuk Unaw stated : “ I met Offiong Esuk one night, by moonlight, dancing on the road. On seeing me he ran away into the bush. I ran after him, shouting his name. I published the matter in the town-square, saying that he had danced a witchcraft dance upon the road. He was the man whom I saw as a wizard at night-time with a loin-cloth.” {Question by Court.) “ Do witches always dance with a cloth ? ” {Answer.) “ Yes.” 1 One night, while staying at Idua Oronn, we were told that a celebrated diviner was in the town, and, since we wished to learn something as to Ibibio methods of divination, we asked whether he would be willing to consult the oracle on our behalf. He agreed, and came to the Rest- house one evening, after dark had fallen. First, he stipulated that we should go into a room and close both doors and windows, that he might be unobserved. After this had been done, he asked for a white plate, a glass of clear water, and a white cloth. When these were brought, he took from a folded handkerchief a handful of finely- scraped woody fibre, white and soft, obtained from some fresh-cut branch, after the bark had been stripped off. This he strewed upon the plate, till it lay about half an inch deep, over all but the rim. Next he carefully poured in the water, then gathered the fibre together in his fingers and pressed out the moisture, forming the pith into a ball, 1 It is unfortunate that further inquiries were not made at the time concerning the kind of cloth worn on such occasions. Only lately, however, have I become aware of the importance of studying the symbolism of clothes—the “ Sartor Resartus ” of primitive peoples. Since writing the above, it has been my good fortune to have the opportunity of learning much on this subject from the tribes of Degama District. Here, also, several cases have been brought to my notice which prove that dancing by the water-side, in waste places, or by the roadway at night time, is regarded as a very grave offence and a sure sign of witchcraft. The cloth worn on such occasions is that called Okuru, woven from cross strands of cotton and palm fibre. So far as we could learn there are only two occasions when this “ magical ” cloth may legitimately be used. First, before the birth of a woman’s eldest-born piccan, it is folded for a few moments round the body of the mother-to-be. During this time she must sit with closed eyes ; for, should but a glance rest upon it, she would die. Secondly, it is wrapped, as winding-sheet, round the corpse of one who has died of smallpox, when prepared for burial. and leaving a fine pinkish sediment over the bottom of the plate. He then drew the white cloth round the outer rim, gathering the ends together in both hands, and, bending his head lower and lower, drew up the cloth till it covered both head and plate. In this crouching posture he sat till the seance was finished. We were naturally anxious to ask nothing in the nature of a leading question, so only requested him to tell us anything that he could see concerning us. First came a long pause, then, in a low voice which sounded as if it came from far away, the seer began to speak. “ I see three men,” he said, “ who hate the ‘ white man ’ very bitterly. Many times they have tried to take your life, but, as each attempt failed, they went before the Juju and prayed him to kill you, making rich offerings and buying strong medicine. I see men on the path burying the magic in places over which you will tread. I see them in the court-house, pointing Juju towards the place where you sit in judgment, so that it may cause you to fall down dead ; but all is of no avail, because there is a power behind you which is stronger than theirs. When, from many failures, they grew aware of this, they went to a very great Juju and said : ‘ We see that you cannot touch the life of this white man, since the power which guards him is stronger than yours. Nevertheless, put forth your strength and raise up trouble for him, that his life may become hard and his days pass in bitter vexation.’ ” Again there was a long pause. The diviner reached out a hand and took up the little ball of pulp which he had laid beside him, and, as we could see from the shadow behind the cloth, passed it over his forehead before replacing. Afterwards his voice began again, even lower and fainter than before. He spoke each word as if by intense effort. How he could have known what he next said, unless through access to confidential papers which it would seem next to impossible for him to have obtained, I do not pretend to explain. We ourselves, at the time, had guessed only a part of what he stated ; the rest was so incredible that we should never have imagined it. It could, therefore, hardly have been a case of thought reading, and the absolute correctness of the prediction was not proved till months later. As a not uninteresting experience, I should like to give the details of what, to us, will always remain an inexplicable riddle ; but to do so might cause pain, and could, in any case, hardly fail to harm those concerned in his revelations. I may, perhaps, add that there were three witnesses beside myself present on this occasion. Pause after pause interrupted the recital, each accompanied by the passing over the forehead of the little ball of pith, as though to wipe off the drops wrung from him by the exertion of causing the future to give up its secrets. Last of all, the seer announced that things would end well for us if certain conditions were observed. As, quite apart from any occult revelation, these were such as would have suggested themselves from mere motives of prudence, they were carried out and, as good fortune decreed, with the happiest results ! The gift of prophecy is said to be not uncommon among Ibibio. Nearly all Oronn chiefs, for instance, are credited with the power of foretelling their own deaths. The late head chief of Akaiya, Abassi by name, is said to have possessed this gift in a remarkable degree. As an example, the following story was told : “ When the present chief, Antikka Usaw, was young, he served Abassi of Akaiya, who was the head of his family. One day, a cousin, named Umaw ’Nyenn, who was of the same ‘ age-class ’ as himself, sat lordily on the verandah of the head chief’s house drinking and idling, when Antikka went by, bearing a load of firewood upon his head. Umaw pointed his finger at the industrious boy, and called out jeeringly : “ ‘ Look ! There is a free-born lad, who, instead of coming to sit down and amuse himself in our company as an equal, prefers to be like a slave to a master ; working by sun and rain and leaving every pleasure for the sake of serving another ! ’ “ On hearing these words, Chief Abassi rose up and, pointing also to the boy, said : “ ‘ Look well at this youth. As you say, he is serving me. You think that you are of greater account than he. Listen ! I tell you that he will become chief of this town, while you yourself will be forced to go and beg from him your daily bread ! ’ “ After a few years the prophet died, and Antikka started working for himself. Everything prospered with him and he got on so well that he soon became the chief man in his town, both for wisdom and riches. The boastful cousin, on the contrary, now has only one room in which to live, and even his father, who is still alive, has nothing ; so both are forced to depend upon the charity of the man who was formerly so despised.” Many omens are drawn from birds. For instance, should the mud bird, called Etu, be heard to cry in the night, “ Fi-f, fi-f-f, fi-f-f-f,” the people know that some misfortune is going to happen. “ For some people it is a good sign if this bird crosses in front of them from left to right ; for others if it passes from right to left. It all depends upon whether a man’s son or daughter has been born first. If the first-born is a girl, then it is a sign of good fortune should the bird fly from left to right ; if a son, from right to left. People who have no children should watch and see for themselves which it is that brings them luck. “ The bird builds a big nest at the top of a low tree. This looks like nothing so much as a shapeless heap of grasses, dead twigs, and water-weed washed into the branches at flood time, and left high and dry by the falling water. Thither Etu bears a few of the bitter-tasting palm-fruits, which some people like to eat with their mimbo. On moonless nights, he is said to drop down a fruit and listen to see whether it falls upon water or mud. If he hears, from the splash, that there is water beneath his nest, he keeps quite still; but, if the sound tells him that the tide is low, he comes down at once to seek his prey—worms, small mudfish, and such like.” “ Should a dispute arise and one man accuse another of theft, a favourite way of settling the palaver, in olden days, was to choose out a hen which had laid many eggs. To her they told everything, setting the disputed object before her, while one said ‘ This is mine,’ and the other answered ‘ No. It is mine/ After this had been done, the hen was killed, and the man chosen as judge examined the immature eggs. If these were found to be black, judgment went against the accuser : if white, the case was settled in his favour.” Many of the principal cults have their own method of divining ; but by far the most famous oracle among Ibibio is that of the great Idiong Secret Society, which will be described later.1 1 See p. 171.