Chapter 3

CHAPTER III jujus (continued) Ndemm At Idua Asang, not far from Idna Oronn on the Cross River, stands the hut of the great Ndemm Orutin Asang. Beneath the palm-leaf fringe, which curtains the entrance, lies an ivory tusk, stretching from post to post, but so ancient as to look like a curved branch with rough, silver-grey bark. Farther back, supported by a heap of skulls and bones, more tusks are to be seen, fantastically ornamented, some with fluted points and crocodiles in low relief, some carved into rough representations of men and women. One of these was so ancient as to show splits and cracks on its grey surface, exactly as though long ago hewn from a log, and left for sun and rain to work their will. Before this Juju all children born to the town must be brought. In its honour, each first-born son receives the name of Atin, and every elder daughter is called Uta. A great ceremony is held, at which the priest shaves off the first hair from each small head, leaving only a little tuft at the back. Before doing this he must call seven times “ Uta Atin,” and only after the seventh call may the locks fall. Another very powerful Juju in this town is named Etuk Ekenn. The chief function of this seems to be to save people from drowning. Should a canoe capsize in deep water, shouts are at once raised, “ Etuk Ekenn ! Etuk Ekenn ! Save me ! Save me ! ” Many paddles lie on one side of the little hut, while skulls and stones, brought as offerings, are sheltered by planks made from the bottoms of old canoes. 31 Farther on, at Atabong, on a cleared space below the old Juju-house, the dwelling-place of the Ndemm Itiatt Esuk (Ndemm of the beach stones) may be found. It is by the power of this Juju that all children come to the town. Should the worshippers grow careless, or any of the inhabitants offend against its law, the spirit is angry and leaves them. When the priest announces such a calamity, loud cries are raised by the townsfolk. A canoe must be got ready at once, and lined with white cloth. Priests, chiefs, and paddlers, also robed in white, start at the next ebbtide and row, sometimes to a creek in Parrot Island, whither the spirit is said occasionally to flee, sometimes as far as Efhatt, by the sea. After the performance of certain rites, the priest announces, apparently with great relief, that Itiatt Esuk has been induced to enter the canoe. Then, by full tide, they paddle back, singing, “ We bring back Ndemm. Ndemm is here once more ! ” On the beach stand young men, wives, and maids, waiting to welcome home the wanderer. A great dance is given, during which the town is encircled, amid much rejoicing. The men sing, “ Ndemm has come to make fruitful our wives,” while women and maids answer, “ Ndemm has come ! The giver of babes ! ” Once, during our stay in October 1913, such a flight occurred. Itiatt Esuk was said “ to have left the town in search of her husband.” After long seeking throughout her usual haunts, the “ sign of her presence ” was discovered at Esuk Oronn, about a dozen miles off, where the shrine of her spouse is said to be. This “ sign ” is explained as “ a thing like a basin, made of lead, and called Usan Idan ” (the bowl of the arrow). The name probably typifies the combined male and female attributes. When found it was reported to be full of egg-shaped stones—the symbols of fertility. The inhabitants of both Esuk Oronn and Atabong sacrificed to the two Jujus, after which Itiatt Esuk was borne in triumph to her own place. In the small secret room, at the back of the little hut, stands a stone, which is the emblem of the Juju. This is, however, too sacred to be seen by any save those high in the ranks of the cult. Before the great Juju-house of the town, now falling into decay, several cut stones are still to be found standing upright in the ground, while others lie around where they have fallen. A little to the right another group of stones is to be seen ; while a rough circle appears at one time to have surrounded the old Juju post which stands at the summit of the slope leading down to the beach. To the south of this town, on the Mbo River, stands the shrine of a powerful Juju, the priestess of which is named Ebughudo. So far as we could learn, this is the only case of a woman acting as head of any of the great Juju cults of the District. The country round Uda is also the home of many powerful Jujus, both Ndemm and ’Mbiam. In the midst of the town stands a Juju-house now falling into ruin, from which we purchased a drum of a type new to our collection. This was made in the shape of a canoe and intended for use as an accompaniment to paddlers’ songs. In olden days, according to ’Ndemm ’Nyenn,one of the most powerful chiefs of the neighbourhood, this building was the resort of leopards, which used to come hither to lie in its shade. The town is also the home of a great Juju called ’Nkpatan (white man’s Juju). The origin of the name is difficult to trace, since it was brought thither at a time when no European had penetrated to this part of the country unless in old Portuguese days. It is, however, possible that some of the ingredients of the “ medicine ” were bought from white traders at Calabar. The Juju itself is said to dwell in the bush, by the water-side, at a place where a clear stream pours out into the creek. Here all the totem animals of the tribe are thought to live. Crocodiles, great fish and water-snakes, leopard and python haunt the spot. The people themselves fear to approach this sacred ground, and only the head priest of 'Nkpatan ventures thither, with offerings, at certain times of the year. This priest was said to have power over wild animals, and when he wanted food it is stated that “ he had but to go to the Juju-house and lay his hand upon a sleeping leopard, stroking and patting its head and shining coat, just as an ordinary man might do with his dog. On such occasions he used to say, ‘ I am hungry. Bring food ! ’ On this the leopard would D rise purring, then sally forth to collect small deer and other bush beasts, which it bore back and laid at the feet of the priest.” In the midst of the town, just outside the Juju-house, where the land begins to slope down to the creek-side, stands a tree of vast bulk—the great trunk girt round with a lattice-work of ficus, which is slowly crushing out the giant’s life-blood by the ever-tightening grip of its clinging arms. About this tree a curious superstition has grown up. According to legend, the Juju “ Ndidipp ” dwells within. This has the power of dragging down and drowning in the creek below all those who offend against its laws. The people say that the rites of this Juju were attended in olden days by a strange manifestation. “ At certain times of the year the townsfolk used to come together to bring sacrifices to the genius of the tree. The offerings proper to the occasion consisted of a goat, fowls, yams, and plantains. These were cleaned and cut up beneath the branches, then placed in a very large calabash—the meat at the bottom and the vegetables laid above. “ When all had been arranged, the priest lifted the calabash to his head, and, followed by the people, went down to the beach. He entered the water and, while the rest sat watching, waded out till he reached a depth where it closed over head and calabash. The people waited, gazing at the spot where he had vanished, until in the space of about an hour he reappeared. On his head the calabash was still visible, but when borne to land its contents were found to have been made ready for eating, in the house of the Juju beneath the waters.” All present feasted upon the meats thus miraculously cooked, which were said to have been more tender and delicate in flavour than those prepared on any earthly hearth. The people say, sadly, that no such wonders are shown nowadays, because white rule has made an end to the laws of the old Jujus ; such, for instance, as that all twins born in the town must be put to death. They say that since these are evil their presence must necessarily offend the Juju ; and, as a sign of anger, he will no longer use his power to work those pleasant miracles for worshippers who do not obey his law by destroying such “ devil’s spawn.” They add pathetically that if only white men would allow them to go back to old custom and kill twins, Ndidipp would doubtless relent and all be as before ! Beneath the creek lies another great Ndemm—a rock, hidden at high tide but visible at low, “ when the waters wash against it with a noise like that of a little waterfall. The name of this is Esit Obo Uda, and it is a very powerful Juju for altering the seasons. Should the rainfall prove too heavy, the people go before it and sacrifice a goat, praying, ‘ Let sun come out for me.’ If, on the contrary, rain is needed for the crops, the spirit has but to be entreated again, and within a short time showers will fall.” Urua Eye, a little town some few miles higher up stream, is also a great Juju centre. The local ’Mbiam will be described separately, but the great Ndemm “ Atakpo ” also dwells here, in a grove like that of Abanga Ndak, near Oronn, from which no twig, or even single leaf, might be cut, save at certain seasons and by the priest of the cult. In olden days this was a place of refuge for slaves who wished to escape from their masters ; such refugees, however, became slaves of the Juju, and could only be ransomed by their former owners at a great price. If taken back into captivity the spirit was supposed to watch over them and inflict punishment were they ill-treated in any way. As with several others in the District, the office of head priest of the Atakpo Juju was hereditary. Even should the “ heir ” not wish to enter the priesthood, he was forced to do so under pain of death. To such hereditary priests special reverence was due. For instance, in passing through the market-place they were free to take anything they wished from the stalls, and no man dreamed of asking for payment. Like the Lake of the Dead in the Oban District, many Ibibio sacred pools and groves serve as a place of sanctuary, not for human beings alone, but also for wild things. Of such spots many stories are told, of which the following may be cited as typical:— “ There was once a hunter named Udaw Eka Ete. One day he went to a Juju place and shot a monkey, after which he lay in wait for other prey, though none came. Just before sundown he set out for home, and, as he went through the sacred bush, heard a voice calling him by name and saying, ‘ Come back no more; for you have slain a beast that sought shelter in my sanctuary.’ Astonished, the hunter tried to discover who spoke with him, yet for all his searching could find no one. “ That evening, fever seized the evil-doer ; whereon he sent for the Idiong priest to learn the cause of the sickness. The latter consulted the oracle and made answer: ‘ To-day you killed a monkey in the sacred bush, and the Juju has sent the illness in punishment for your misdeeds, and as a warning never again to transgress.’ “ When Udaw Eka Ete grew well once more, he avoided the forbidden place for a while, but one day returned and set a trap there. Next morning he went to look, and found a great python caught within. This he killed and ate, not caring for the words of the Juju. “ At evening time he fell sick once more and again sent for the Idiong man to ask what he must do in order to recover ; but the priest answered : ‘ The Juju forbade you to kill any of the creatures who have sought refuge beneath his protection ; yet you disobeyed. There is therefore nothing to be done. The Juju will kill you.’ So the man died.” The most powerful of the Ibionnaw local tutelary spirits is a male Juju called Isiu, stated to be represented by an ant-heap, which appears regularly in the river near Itu on every Edere day. No man may see it but the priest—any other will die ; but it is said to have a man’s face and woman’s breasts. Next to Isiu comes Anantia, who lives in a big cotton tree and, with the help of Eka Abassi, gives life and growth to crops, animals, and human beings. At Eyudaw (Oronn) is a female spirit called Esuk Orraw, represented by an Akwa post in the town playground, in whose honour a festival is held once a year at new yam time. A great play is given, during which the parents of girls who have reached marriageable age offer eggs and phallic chalk cones to the Juju, praying her to prepare babes ready for birth. Three months later the girls are handed over to their various husbands. A similar prayer is made on a like occasion by the Abiakpaw to a male spirit called Akai Odudu, represented by a clay pot, three Awkonnor trees, and an ant-heap in the form of a little man. The tutelary spirit of Calabar—and the head of all the local Ndemm under the paramountcy of Isong—is the Ndemm Efuk, a male Juju, who lived on Parrot Island in the Cross River till the mangroves were cut, when he descended into the water. His principal duty is to send children, keep canoes from sinking, and help in trading ventures. He is represented by some large pots filled with water, a few Afia-Akuk rods, and a man’s skull. At the two great festivals, the making of new farms and the feast of new yams, the sacrifices consisted of a cow and a goat, with the addition at the former of a yellow-skinned slave,1 while a tortoise was added on special occasions, such as if, for instance, the Ndemm Efuk sent an epidemic to punish the people for neglect or some other cause. Close to the main road, just before Eket itself, there is a very celebrated Ndemm pool which we are said to be the only Europeans to have visited. About two miles before the Government station the old road to Oronn branches off to the left. This leads, past farm plantations and a few scattered dwellings, into the sacred bush which surrounds the holy grove and pool of Edogho Ukwa. In olden days no one was allowed to cut so much as a twig from any tree which grew hereabouts, since all were held in honour for the sake of the guardian spirit of the place. No twin-mother might pass along the path, nor approach the compound where the priest of the Juju dwelt, but was forced to skirt both by a little side track made for the purpose. Disobedience to this rule was punished by death. Just before the sacred water the ground slopes steeply down, and on the ridge thus formed stands a great tree, in the hollow bole of which pots of offerings are placed. Nearby two posts have been fixed, and across these is stretched 1 In many parts of Nigeria a person with a yellowish skin was much preferred as a sacrifice. a mat of plaited palm-leaf. Beneath this a path leads to the water’s edge, by which stands a rough rock altar, and upon this fresh offerings of plantain, fish, or fowl may nearly always be seen. Curtained from sight by thick trees, in that curiously clear translucent twilight of the under-bush only to be found in such places, about the middle of the pool, stand three great stones which bear the name of “ Ufere,” and are the outward visible sign of the guardian spirit of the place. At the time of new yam planting, people come from far and near to beg protection and increase for their crops and herds. On such occasions the brow of the chief priest is bound with a fillet of white cloth, which may not be taken off till the time of sacrifice comes round again. He marks all the people with white chalk, as a sign that they have attended the festival and asked the blessing of the genius of the pool. When a woman of the neighbourhood feels that the time for motherhood is drawing near, she tells her husband of her hopes. At once he sets out to gather yams, plantains and palm-wine to take as an offering to the priest. All three go down to the great tree at the entrance to the sacred water. The subsequent rites are almost identical with those practised at the “ Pool of Life ” at Ikotobo, while here again the woman swears that, should a child be granted her, it shall be given the name Edogho, in honour of the presiding deity. The old priest bears a part of the offerings to the rough altar on the shore ; then returns, mixes water and native chalk into a thick paste, and with this marks the woman on forehead and body as a sign that she has been before Edogho Ukwa. When a child dies in infancy, the mother goes again to the priest to ask him to lay her trouble before the spirit of the pool. Once more an offering is placed upon the altar, with the prayer that future children may be protected from death. The present head-chief of Eket, Edogho Eket, is a so- called “ Child of the Grove,” and bears his name because he was supposed to be granted in answer to prayer made before the shrine of the guardian spirit. Ti-if. Priest ok the Sacred Water of Edogho Uicwa. Entrance to the Sacred Water of Edogho Ukwa. (Note the mat, behind which none but the priest may go.) According to the testimony of some, Edogho Ukwa is looked upon as possessing female, of others male attributes. In all probability the two are combined. In another “ sacred bush ” on the farther side of the town stands a little hut, dedicated to the same spirit or spirits. At the time of new yam planting this building is gaily painted and hung with strips of cloth, white or bright coloured. Then all the people who belong to the cult are summoned thither. A “ play ” is given and sacrifices offered to ensure prosperity to the crops and herds and “ plenty piccans ” to the town. At Ikot Ndua Iman, a flourishing palm-oil centre near Awa, beneath a sacred water, dwells another powerful Ndemm called Egbo Mbit Ibit. After the death of the chief priest, the Juju himself, through the mouth of the Idiong diviner, announces the name of the man who is to succeed. The present head of the cult is Chief Abassi Umaw Etuk. To him also go barren women, laden with offerings, and the usual intercessory rites are performed on their behalf. The spirit is reported to show one peculiarity. “ Should you fix a time, saying, ‘ On such a day I will go to visit the Juju ’—lo ! When you get there nothing will be seen ; but should you, on the contrary, go unexpectedly, without a word to any one, you may chance to see Ndemm himself. Many tall, fine pots of old-world shape are ranged round the shrine, such as are rarely made nowadays. Manillas used to he there also in great heaps ; but to-day the schoolboys, who no longer fear the spirit of the pool, have stolen most of these. Few are left and no fresh ones are brought, lest these too should be taken. “ In olden times, if any other town came to Ikot Ndua Iman with the intention of making war, the people of the vicinity sought out the priest of Egbo Mbit Ibit, and, led by him, went down to the sacred water, where they offered sacrifice and prayed for aid. Then, when the enemy came, the Juju struck them blind, so that they were forced to wander helplessly in the bush, and might easily be slain. " In the dry season, after the planting of crops, should no rain fall, those who still hold to the old faith take goats and other victims and offer them on the place of sacrifice, by the side of the holy pool. Then, usually that same night, but at farthest two days later, rain will surely come. Only over a small space does it fall, so as to moisten the crops of the children of the pool, but leaving the farms of neighbouring villages untouched. Should the wet season last too long, or storms prove too heavy, the people go again to the Juju and pray him to send them sunshine. So merciful is he, that their prayer is always granted. “ If any one accused of witchcraft should swear falsely in the name of the spirit of the water, a terrible fate awaits him ; for that same night, when all the town lies sleeping, the Juju comes with the sound of strange music such as was never made by mortal hands, and carries off his victim. Weeks or months later, maybe, friends or acquaintances chance across such an one, wandering in the bush. No matter how well he may have known them in former days, the perjurer will never recognise them more, but only creeps past, unheeding, as though lost and bereft of his wits. No such sinner is known to have found his way home ; all died, alone and untended, in the depths of the bush. One chance of escape, however, existed ; should the perjurer have belonged to a very rich family, his people sometimes paid a great fine to the Juju that the curse might be revoked. Then the exile returned to his proper senses and came home once more. “ When any townsman of Ikot Ndua Iman married a woman, he used to lead her down to the pool and call her name before the spirit. If, after this, she was false to her marriage vows, he first claimed back his dowry, and, so soon as that was repaid, the Juju killed her. Only if the husband went down to the water and said, ‘ I do not care for her particularly. Do not trouble, therefore, to do anything against her. I am willing to let her go,’ was she left unharmed. “ So strong was the influence of this powerful Ndemm that in olden days hardly a woman of this town was known to prove unfaithful to her husband. Quietly they dwelt in their houses, and there were no divorces, save by Sacred Water at Okobo. Place of Sacrifice. mutual consent. Only nowadays, when women are beginning to lose faith in the Juju, because the schoolboys have been taught that there is no real power in such things, are cases of unfaithfulness no longer rare in our town.” My informant, himself a Christian, spoke not com- plainingly, but with the air of one who voices a misfortune for which there is no help. Near Ikot Okobo, to the south-east of Ndiya, lies another sacred water. On the occasion of our visit, the guide— a splendid specimen, coal-black and robed only in a loincloth, with two deep dimples and a charming expression— checked suddenly when about a quarter of a mile from the pool and announced that, such was his terror, he dared approach no nearer, unless another townsman could be induced to share the risk. It is useless to try to hurry matters in Africa, so we waited, as patiently as might be, until a second man could be found. At last, fortified by the presence of this addition to our party, we went on, and soon arrived at a point where the bank sloped steeply to the brink of a little stream. This had cut its way through soft alluvial soil down to a stony bottom over which it flowed, to tumble, some few yards farther on, over a rocky ledge, in a little cascade. The point where the water falls over the rock is specially holy. Above it, from side to side, palm-leaf upon palm- leaf has been laid, forming an arch of verdure, while near by, on the right bank, a spot is to be seen grey with the cold ashes of sacrificial fires. Perhaps the most beautiful of all these enchanted waters is the dwelling-place of a great Ndemm near Awa. Beyond the little beach of golden sand, from which a steep-sloping path leads upward to this town, few canoes venture, for the water has an evil reputation, and not many are bold enough to dare its perils. Even the most adventurous will only do so if another can be persuaded to join in the risk ; in which case the two craft keep close together, ever on the look-out to avoid the danger which lurks in the depths. Yet, some half-mile farther on, one enters a stretch of river beautiful as any even in this land of water-ways, each lovelier than the last. To right and left, small creeks branch off from the main stream, meandering through fertile palm swamps, from which now and again a rough raft may be seen to glide, propelled by some dusky husbandman too poor to purchase even the rudest of canoes. From one bank to the other he crosses, silent and swift, and, as soon as possible, springs ashore, tethers the little craft, and hastens away from the ill-omened water. At one point the river widens till it looks like a small lake. Luringly beautiful it stretched before us, its depths ringed round with vegetation so luxuriant as almost to hide the entrance to two creeks which here branch off. This enchanted water is the abode of Ndemm Inyang (River Juju), to which dread “ Dweller beyond the Threshold ” only white offerings may be brought—white cocks and hens, goats without spot or stain, and fathom on fathom of white cloth. The victims must be borne alive to the place of sacrifice, where their heads are severed at a blow and let fall into the water. Should the current bear these down stream, those who bring the oblation rejoice exceedingly, for they say, “ Our offering is accepted. Ndemm Inyang is bearing it away to devour.” Should the head, on the other hand, sink slow-circling, till lost to view amid the shadowed depths, the worshippers know that their gifts have been brought in vain. Then there is no other course but to consult another “ Idiong Man ” and offer a fresh sacrifice. So soon as the Juju has signified acceptance, by bearing forth the head, the rest of the flesh may be carried into the bush, there to be roasted and eaten. Nothing of all the offerings may be taken home ; for should a man bear but the least fragment across his threshold, he would die before moon or stars rose again to mirror themselves in the magic water. By one man’s hand alone may sacrifice be offered to Ndemm Inyang. Should another venture to bring a gift, the Juju would refuse it altogether. The sacred office seems to be hereditary in the family of the present “ Priest of the Holy Water,” Abassi Umaw Etuk, who dwells nearby at Ikot Ndua Iman, and is head, as already stated, of the Egbo Mbit Ibit cult. Should any other seek to make offering, calamity would overtake the house of the rash intruder. A well-loved son or daughter would die, or his best-loved wife be taken away. No one therefore ventures to approach the Juju, save under the aegis of the hereditary priest. It is well known too that, were such a thing done, not only would the daring man suffer sad loss, but the townsfolk would also make “ big palaver ” with him. In fact, until quite recent times, any one sacrificing for himself was killed by the indignant townsmen, because they believed that such brought offerings to the pythons which dwell in the depths of the stream, in order to bribe these to seek out and slay any man against whom he might have a grudge, amid the neighbouring villagers. The priest, however, still keeps watch and ward over the sacred water, lest some one thus evilly-minded should venture thither for such a purpose. Farther on, the river narrows and grows still more beautiful. Near its banks the water lies, crystal clear above silver sand ; but, shelving rapidly, takes on an ever deeper shade of emerald, till, in mid-stream, it attains almost to the indescribably beautiful tint of the Green Grotto of Capri. As one bends over the edge of the “ dug-out,” gazing down through the clear translucent stream, it is easy to understand whence sprang its reputation for magical qualities. At the bottom, twenty feet below, the silver sand of its bed glimmers wanly. Against this shimmering background, speckled fish—great brown, fat fellows—may be seen darting hither and thither ; and but for one danger, these might count on a long fife of peace and plenty, in safe sanctuary, untroubled by care. Even for them, however, peril lurks in the haunted depths. Here and there great clumps of water-blooms raise their white, almond-scented heads, upon stems which spring from amid a mass of long crinkled leaves. These sway in the current, dark and snakelike against the green floor, and the places in which they grow are carefully avoided by the fish, “ for beneath the shadow of each such clump a python has built his house,” and should any unwary fish venture too near, the terrible inmate darts forth and devours the rash intruder. “ In the form of each python,” so natives say, “ dwells the soul of a man. Very, very bad men they were, who took upon them serpent shape that they might the better wreak their evil will. They have houses under the water, from which they come forth twice a year, seeking victims. At the planting of farms and at the new yam harvest they come, and overturn any canoe which may chance to pass. Some years they demand many sacrifices, some years few. We do not know the cause of the difference.” For each canoe overturned, a man is lost. He is the victim demanded by the Juju, and at the price of his blood the others may go free. When a canoe capsizes, it must be left to lie on the sandy floor, between the swaying lily stems, for none may dare to raise it up again. As we glided slowly down stream, mapping the course of the magic river, our attention was caught, over and over again, by such sad derelicts lying beneath, some perfect in outline, and worth anything up to a hundred pounds sterling—a colossal sum in the eyes of poor sons of the soil such as the natives of these parts. The presence of the lost craft gave an impression impossible to describe, as to the reality of a spirit world beneath the waters ; for they lay tethered, as it were, upon faery beaches, as though but just abandoned by, or awaiting the coming of, some weird dweller in this strange water-world. As we floated down to the place of sacrifice, the sun sank lower and lower, flushing the emerald water with opalescent tints, soft amethyst, and glowing rose. Small, strange patches of silver lay, like gleaming shells, deep down amid the weeds, so oval-clear in outline that only tearing up the leaves upon which they lay proved that their shine was but that of faery silver, which vanished on reaching the surface, rather than substantial slivers of some unknown variety of mother-o’-pearl, strewn by elfin hands star-like amid the shadows. Only in the pages of poets golden-tongued as Homer, or by actual sojourning beneath soft skies such as these, can the charm of such places be understood. Words fail to describe their glamour. Here surely, if anywhere, it should be easy to attain to the blessing promised those who are humble and lowly of heart ; for hardly the youngest and most self-satisfied of writers could be content with the effort to express, in mere words, sheer beauty such as that of these enchanted waters, over the surface of which flits, Fata Morgana-like, the very spirit of elusive, indescribable loveliness.