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
The discussion of the morality of this white art is often a difficult
question in the church sessions in the discipline of some offending
church-member. Few of the natives have emerged so far into the light as to
stand squarely and fully with the missionary in his civilized attitude
toward this question of the allowability of a fetich charm under any
circumstances. Even the missionary, if he is wise and would not be unjust,
will look with the leniency of charity on an offence of this kind in the
case of a convert only lately come out of heathenism, which he would not
or should not exercise toward a fortune-teller or hoodoo practitioner
under the broad light of civilization.
In electing men as ruling elders in the church session, or accepting
candidates for the gospel ministry, while a certain degree of
intellectuality is desired, and a certain amount of education required, we
look first and always for the quality of their moral fibre, whether or not
it be untrammelled by the fetich cult.
A rare and noble example of utter freedom from any such superstitious bias
was the late Rev. Ibia ja Ikěngě. From his youth, believing in,
using, and practising fetich white art, when he became a Christian his
conversion was so clear and decided that he was soon made a ruling elder,
was accepted as a candidate, grew up to licensure as a probationer,
subsequently reached ordination to the ministry, and finally became pastor
of the Corisco church of his own Benga tribe. Honored during his
ministerial life by all classes, foreigners and natives, he died regretted
by all, even by the heathen whose sins he had unsparingly denounced. But
there are few so morally clear as he.
A few years ago, while I was in charge of the Gabun church, in the Mpongwe
tribe, at the oldest station and outwardly the most civilized part of the
mission, I was surprised by a charge of witchcraft practice laid against a
very ladylike woman who was one of my intimate native friends. I had known
her from her childhood; had admired her intelligence, vivacity, and
purity; had unfortunately helped her into a disastrous marriage from
which, as her pastor, I afterwards rescued her with legal grounds for
divorce; and subsequently she had married a Sierra Leone man who professed
to be a Christian. It was discovered that she had hanging over the doorway
in her bedroom a fetich regularly made and bought from a fetich doctor. On
trial of the case, she denied that it was hers, stated that it was her
husband's, admitted that she knew of its existence and use, that she
allowed it to be placed in the usual spot for warding off evil spirits,
and was not clear in denial of belief that it might be of some use to her
in that way.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive