Some of the women would be making tökö (native bread) from the steeped
manioca they had just brought from the river, and they were busy with
pestle and mortar, pots and calabashes. Others were making banganju, a
kind of pottage made of manioca leaves, palm nuts, and red peppers, and
yet others preparing bosaka, or palm-oil chop.
The animals killed in the hunt were first taken to my father to be
divided by him, and soon the portions were given round to the women to
be cooked, while we youngsters sat about waiting, talked and feasted on
the appetising smells emitted from the various boiling pots.
My mother sat and talked with my father; she did no cooking, as she was
the favourite wife, and the others cooked for her. In the fruit season
we might add our quota to the feast in the form of rubber and other
fruits, or even caterpillars or palmerworms, and these were greatly
enjoyed by all.
When the food was ready the women brought it in hand-baskets to my
father, who first helped himself to his share, and passed some to any
visitors who might be with him, then he gave the rest to his wives, and
each in turn divided it amongst her own children. The slaves were
treated much the same as children when food was served out, they
received their share.
We had no plates or spoons then, as some of our people who work for the
white men now have, leaves served for plates, and twisted into a scoop
did equally well for spoons. The chief possessed his own carved ivory
spoon, worked from a solid elephant’s tusk, but that was taboo for any
but himself. Nowadays we may not work ivory for ourselves, we have to
take it to the white men.
As soon as we had all finished eating, and drinking spring water, some
of us carefully gathered up all the leaves which we had used, and the
peelings and cuttings of the food, and threw them away in the forest,
lest some evil-disposed person should get hold of them and by means of
them bewitch us. We are all very much afraid of witchcraft, unless we
ourselves practise it; then, of course, it is for others to fear us.
The meal finished and cleared away, and the leavings tied up to the
roof to be served again to-morrow morning, we all gathered round the
fires and the old men told stories of their prowess in hunting or in
war, or retold to us young ones some of the legends and fables of our
ancestors of long ago. Sometimes, on rare occasions, my father would
sing to us the legend of Lianza, the ancient warrior and hero of our
race. This story takes a long time to tell, and at frequent intervals
the whole company would join in singing the choruses, with clapping of
hands and great excitement.
This lasted far into the night. And sometimes when the moon shone
brightly we would sing and dance and play games, which we enjoyed
greatly at the time, although they were not good games, and we
generally had to suffer for them afterwards. On the following morning
many of us were sick, our heads ached, and we were fit for nothing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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