A fetich is some material object in which a god or a supernatural power is supposed to dwell. An idol is a representation of a god. Fetichism is the lowest form of idolatry. Fetichism and witchcraft go together. The fetiches guard against the power of witches, and this is their primary object. They act as charms or amulets, and are worn on all parts of the body to keep off disease; are placed around the houses, villages or fields to keep off hurtful influences. The fetiches are of various sorts; the reeds of certain plants, the roots of certain trees, the horns of a diminutive deer, the claws and teeth of lions and leopards and other sorts of animals, slips of wood fantastically notched, knuckle-bones, beads and a kind of white stone being most commonly used. Amongst the Kaffirs, whose belief in witchcraft is intense, faith in the virtues of fetiches is, as a natural consequence, equally great. You rarely meet with a Kaffir who does not carry with him a whole series of charms. These, of course, are furnished by the witch-doctors and prophets, and as they are not of the least intrinsic value, and are highly paid for, the business of making fetich is a profitable one. To a European a superstitious Kaffir has a very ludicrous appearance, as the following description of a man who seems to have been peculiarly impressible to the value of fetich will show. His head was richly bedecked with pig’s bristles, set straight, so as to stand out on all sides like the quills of a hedgehog, with many feathers on his head, while around his neck there was strung a great number of charms, the principal of which were fragments of bone, the head of a snake, the tooth of a young hippopotamus, and an old brass door-handle. [Illustration: A YOUNG FETICHIST. Showing some of the various trinkets and amulets upon which dependence for an increase of sanctity and safety is placed by the devout.] [Illustration: A CAZEMBE FETICH MAN.] The Africans believe that there are lucky fetiches which guarantee them success in all their undertakings. They respect one another’s fetiches, and will not attack an enemy when they think that he has a fetich superior to their own. They are therefore very ready and eager to discover wherein special excellence may lie. A fetich of supposed superiority will command a high price. [Illustration: DECORATED FETICHIST.] [Illustration: THE JU-JU HOUSE, OR TEMPLE OF SKULLS, AT BONNY, WEST AFRICA. After devouring the bodies of their victims, the priests of the people of Bonny were wont to take the skulls and place them in the walls of their temples.] A HORRIBLE FETICH.