In the Andamans and Nicobars: The Narrative of a Cruise in the Schooner "Terrapin"Kloss, C. Boden (Cecil Boden)
History
In the Andamans and Nicobars: The Narrative of a Cruise in the Schooner "Terrapin"
Kloss, C. Boden (Cecil Boden)
Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India) -- Description and travel; Natural history -- India -- Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The proceedings of a man who wishes to obtain a name as a wizard are
rather curious. He will, for instance, frequent pig wallows, and,
sitting in the mud, collect the bristles left there by the pigs when
cooling themselves; or again, he visits the graveyard at night and
disturbs the graves. He generally lives by himself in the jungle, doing
no work, but stealing pigs, chickens, and coconuts from others. Having
made a reputation for witchcraft, he is held in much fear by the
community, but to balance this advantage, if they consider themselves
injured by his practices, it is not impossible that they may some day
combine and murder him.
Besides ridding themselves of an unpleasant neighbour, it would seem
that they also hope by such an action to cause the destruction of an
evilly-disposed spirit.
1. "Tham Koi, son of Katha, having beaten a countryman to death in
Chaura, made the following statement: 'Kanunla, a _menluana_
(medicine man) and sorcerer, is addicted to sodomy and theft. He
bewitched my father, who became very ill. I sent for Kanunla to
come and shampoo my father, who gradually got worse. I became
enraged with the _menluana_, and waited until he got on the ladder
of my hut, when I struck him on the left side of the neck, so that
he fell down. I went down and struck him again thrice, and he died.
I then went and told my neighbours Kamrang Piko, Okio, Cher, and
Tachoi what I had done, and asked them to help me remove the
corpse, which we took in a canoe and threw into the sea. Kanunla
did not make a noise. No one knew of this at the time because it
was in the evening, and very dark. The villagers knew of it on the
following morning.'"--_Diary of Mr Obed Elias._
2. Tekwa was the adopted son of Iskol's father, and was always living in
Iskol's house. Eventually he became a thief, and robbed the people of
their fowls and pigs, and he was supposed to be a "devil-man" or wizard.
It happened that a man named Sutro died after suffering a long time from
dysentery and consumption, and it was supposed by Iskol and his friends
that Tekwa was the cause of this death. Tekwa perceived this, and hid
himself in a place called _Hat-Own_; but three days later, Iskol and his
friends, Natla, Sundran, and Nawi, after consulting together, brought
him thence to a place called Ranai, where, after giving him toddy, they
killed him by strangling him with a rope, subsequent to breaking his
joints at the knees and elbows.
The same night they buried the corpse in _Kofenté_ (the place of
pollution), near the graveyard, and a day or two later, killed a couple
of pigs as a ransom or sacrifice.
The reason for these murders--or popular sentences,--when not because of
witchcraft, seems to be somewhat obscure, but can possibly be found in a
general dislike for the victim, or for some act or event with which he
is associated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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