Prior to their colonization in the late nineteenth century, many of the Calabar tribes of southern Nigeria maintained harm to the bush-soul and the dream-soul could lead to an individual’s death. Like the Yąnomamö of northern South America, the Calabar believed each person has an animal counterpart they inherited from their parent. If harm came to this bush-soul, a person fell ill and could potentially die. If this was the case, the family summoned an Ebumtup – a witchdoctor whose second sight permitted them to see and track the bush-soul – and offerings were made: a small mud hut was erected in the place where the bush-soul was last seen and provisions were placed inside to give the bush-soul a safe haven to nourish itself and recover.[1] Likewise, harm to the dream-soul, which left the body every night during sleep, could lead to an individual’s death. For some, this entailed a lost dream-soul which could not find its way home. If this happened, a witchdoctor imbued the person with a low-class soul (Sisa) as a substitute until they could track and guide the dream-soul home. In other instances, though, the dream-soul was lured into a trap by a witch, who either hung it over a fire to shrivel or trapped it in a jar with knives at the bottom.[2] To save the owner of the ensnared dream-soul, a witchdoctor located the witch by wandering the village, ringing a bell outside every hut until it stopped at the perpetrator’s abode. Accused of being a witch, the occupant could either confess their guilt and imbibe a poisoned drink (Mbiam) or profess their innocence and be tortured until they admitted their guilt and drank Mbiam.[3] Some of the accused, though, would flee and take refuge in the Omon district; however, they were never allowed to return home or visit relatives because their flight was perceived as a confession of guilt.[4]
Works Referenced
Kingsley, Mary. Travels in West Africa. 1897. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2003. 459-461.
____________________
[1] Kingsley, 459-461.
[2] Kingsley, 461-463.
[3] Kingsley, 463-466.
[4] Kingsley, 466.
No comments:
Post a Comment