Fetichism in West Africa : $b forty years' observation of native customs and superstitionsNassau, Robert Hamill
Philosophy
Fetichism in West Africa : $b forty years' observation of native customs and superstitions
Nassau, Robert Hamill
Ethnology -- Africa, West; Fetishism -- Africa, West
In the Egba tribes of the Yoruba country they become objects of worship.
As in other parts of Africa where twins are preserved, they are given twin
names; which, of course, differ in different languages. Among the Egbas
the first-born is Taiwo, _i. e._, "the first to taste the world," and the
other Kehende, _i. e._, "the one who comes last."[70] About eight days
after their birth, or as soon as the parents have the money for the
sacrificial feast, they invite all relatives on both sides, neighbors and
friends together. Various kinds of food are prepared, consisting chiefly
of beans and yams. A little of each kind of food is set apart with some
palm-oil thrown upon it, and the small native plates or basins containing
it are set before the children in their cradle. They are then invoked to
protect their mother from sickness, to pity their parents and remain with
them, to watch over them at all times. I quote in this connection the
following from a West African newspaper:
"After the ceremony an elderly man or woman who has been a twin is called
upon to split the kola nuts, in order to find out whether the children
will live or die. This is their way of asking the god or goddess to answer
their requests (and it is singular that this throwing of kolas may be done
repeatedly until the reply is favorable to the inquirer). Thus: if a kola
nut is split into four parts in throwing it down, they say, "You Idol,
please foretell if the children will live long or die." If all the four
pieces of the kola fall flat on their backs, or all flat with their faces
to the ground, or if two of them fall with their faces downward and the
other two upward, then in each of those cases the reply is favorable, and
it means they will live long and not die. But if three pieces of the kola
should turn their faces to the ground and only one fall flat on its back,
or if the three pieces should turn their faces upward and only one
downward, the reply is unfavorable, and it means that the children will
die before long. In such cases they continue throwing the kola nut
indefinitely until they obtain their wish; or, in rare cases of total
failure, the subject of inquiry is reserved till a future time, when they
hope the idol may speak more favorably. Thus, twin children are worshipped
every month.
"In some cases, where the parents have the means, an invitation goes round
to as many twins as they can get to partake of the sacrificial feasts. Of
course, the people enjoy themselves at the feast.
"The twins have everything in common; they eat the same kind of food and
wear the same dress. If one of them should die, the mother is bound to
make a wooden image to represent the dead child. This kind of image is
generally about a foot in length, and is made of Ire wood, which is
flexible and durable. It is carved in such a manner as to represent the
human anatomy."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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