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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 1905)
ST R wee AFRSGK FETISHES CDfllWX&S CDD?L r ., . --i zrt a ri I ' i M fr x l v- sj J.r- m v m : v 1 m am ar i mt - -ax-ejxtis--- m ry - mum. .a a . -s -v AKE a ran of earth, stick few parrot feather v'W I )n It. ay acme aori cf hocus ui over It. arl I I yu tare a fet-rh," say M.s Miry E. Baldwin. M la recent tudent of anthropology at the Univer sity of Ckicsa.. who. before ahe haa compietea bf-r twentieth rear and after a few years' exbauM.:T study of African fetish worship. Is becoming kx-ke4 upon a on of the foremost sutriorltle of tbc weird religion practices of the dark con tir. nt "If the eharin doesn't work go to the medicine man. who sss sted you in saying the hocua pocua. and ask him what a i he matter. Perhaps be will tcl you one cf your enemK-s has charmed awajr the spirit be tr.voke-3 Into the pan of earth and that yon must hare another charm of a more powerful nature tJ fit ymir special ne-d. In which ease he probably will sell you sarnie-thing for a rmail f-. It is easy enough to get a f tisb In Africa. The trouble comes In making it work out he desired end " What the African put into hla charm depend upon the l .n1 ef spirit he wishes to Inrcke If he wishes to get con trol over rmt -f hi ene-tn.ei h steal of their halt combings. naJl parings, or r.ersonal belonging to put Into his charm. If he wants a charm of especial good omen he rifle a grere for the eyeball of a white man. The man in Int. y can work wonder for him. Needs Charm for All His Affairs. What hia charm can do for him depend to some extent on what It baa been Invoked to da If he i a really good Atrican he mint hare a charm for every ituati:n in life. He s-et charm to go a fishing, a charm for elephant hunting, a charm for making lore, a charm to win a person's good grace; a charm to keep thieve from hU grain or yam fields, cnt to ensnare hi enemiee, on to make him lnviaibl to e.ephanta. to keep him from getting drowned or shot, one to ward off smaliiox. and to keep him well generally; charm to keep him In the right path on a journey; to enable bim to e-e thine in a forest. In eating, drinking, eleep'r.g. he rnuat be protected from evil Influences by charm Dirt from the elephant I tua I a charm against noc bleeding. He pick up th first tortoise r meet going out elephant hunting pit on him, and let tlm go, and he haa a charm agsinst accident. An antelopr hern Murk up In the ground la a good charm acalnst a tor nado. Hb the tornado comes up all one ha to do la to leave one' comfortable hut, go out in the yard, and dance a Jig about the horn and one will he perfectly afe from harm, and get a nice shower bath tn the bargain. Stick a pole with a skull ujwn it In your yard end a good health fetish will abide about your dwelling. A wise medicine man can find out the l-etpetrator of aC.-ime by ntirt of the ula. a charm mad from the akin of the Ichneumon, stuffed with medicine. Ergs, plantains, bananas, etc.. are good charms for the protection cf crop or for you to cary on your Journey. As a student of anthropology Miss Baldwin sought the Underlying cause of the undeveloped condition of this oldest and most productive of countries. Following her Investiga tion persistently she Anally settled upon fetish worship a the primary ciuse of the diversion of the energies of the reople from useful enda. "Eaeh letinh." she has discovered, "must be manipulated separately, according to the thing it is to do. One African had IOkio fetishe and used all hia time It managing them. Thought and attention which otherwise might go to Industrial pursuits, to barter, commerce, or the study of natural sciences, ail of which mariy other primitive tribea engage In. are draired off In the handling of so many fetishe. Thl worship Is undoubtedly the cause of the nested development among the African. Worship Suits African Mentality. "Fetishism to this present day." says Mis Baldwin, " ha a tremendous Influence In Africa. The negro enjoy being coerced In rellglsm a well as Industrially. While Moham medanism and Christianity have spread to some extent, jetisb ism Is In reality holding It own. It 1 precisely th religion t,lrh fits the African menta'lty. Every penple mill make a relicion best suited to Its character. And fetishism is the religion that pleases the African well and in many cases Is appropriate to hi mental makeup. The average negro re cvires a religion of show, fancy ritue.l. or one In which be can fance, shout, and give expression to hi feellnga. The cen turies of fetish worship to which he has been subjected cannot readily b eradicated, end all his present Interests, whether In Africa or America, are naturally deeply affected by It. "It Is one cf the most degraded religions, because fear end not lore, or confidence, or right artlon is at the bottom of It in most eases. Africana bare no high moral standard, hut the thought they carry about cor.atantly la If they don't do s and n some fetish will get Inside them and something dire will hapren. They probably will, if nothing worse hap pens, swell op and burst In this way fetich worship takes the plaee of a bigb moral standard. Most Effective as Policeman. "The fetish l.kewiat takes the plaje of a rgular code of law. Jn which Africans are sadly wanting. If anything la missing among a group of people, for instance. It is expected some fetish will catch the man unless the article Is 'eft In front of the door of the hut from which it was stolen. In case it has not been returned the negro who haa been robbed entreats the assistance of Sume powerful fetish to discern the thief, and, aa on observer saya. the pomp of ceremony attending the consultation of th fetish oftentimes so fill the hief with consternation that he su.-rendera the property. Otherwise be believe various and sundry evila will befall him Americans, It is said, often help fetishes along in their im potent attempt to secure Justice. An Instsnc is related of one American merchant who replaced a knife stolen by some riro rather than co ir'c "nc the ci renames t.w.t front of his house, which pr,bsb' would havt be-en kw Jp f0r wk for the recovery cf the article." The fetish also lakes the place cf an established p I' "rre In Africa put clored ra over w h:ch you r. t r-fotm- 1 .me "rt ff lie .r.t;!.?i t ore end of y ;,r 1ms t " tsvs Miss Italelwin "and y..u n. It f r m'rit.s without any fear of It being stolen. Wl.r't pl-.ntati.-is "f am ..nl c-s'n may be left u-guerd-.1 by i,-t'"s g-.ht-r thin i. red r.-.g or a ttift of parrot f.iti-.rs Y.-u d .n't ri d o leck jour (3H.rs at night In Africa Just 'l,;, "oole n Image up over the d .r It will prove the m -ft efficacious k:nd of watchdog lmag'r.t-.h'c In this wny and simi'ar one f , i.h worship kt-tj-s down fuMic ex;- nst wonJe rfaly.M J Trickery Used in Us Practice. In other wajs th fvt.th assiH in civil cortr.O The chief, for li stance, often make use of the foish man to baik him in hi authority. The discipline of the fetish worship ha a pow.'fjl effect upon the slave p.ipu.ation of Africa Once In awhile a fetitii demands a humaii orifice, and here it is taturally the unruly slave w ho is cffert-l f T this purpose L'runker.ne ss and other moral misdeme ati rs arc als. kept ut.der by the it:fue-nc of the fetish Vmlu!'! dly In many ccses there is roach trickery about It. If a nu-elie-ltie men b a spite against ae.me out Judicial pr.-e3jre scarcely eer goe-s i:n rht er.1 Ik s, di s he is si 1 lorn above h ii.g bribe -1 the whole, however, fetish worship is a great check on crime A remote Influence cf the fetish is. perhaps, to check too r.vir.g anl want-ring a life. Among some tribe- it is belie J e-d that if a man is found wandt-r'ng ' utslde the outskirts cfh'S larn after twi'lght some fetish will get left- r him and catch Irra. The re suit is pre a:-r gathe rire arourd the he arthstone and gives rise to the social Instincts wt find everywhere evident among negro s . . Many Prove Ungrateful Spirits. "Put after you've got all tiiese fft:sh ." ci-ntlnue-s M:ss Baldwin, "you often find tbey won't work. The thing you may wish of tliem may, and frequently does happen in a sirikingly dire ct way, but other times It do. s not In Africa this is held to arise from the bad character of the spirits: their gross ir.gratiude and fickleness. You may have taken every care of a spirit for years, given it food and other offer ings that you wanted for yourself, wrapped it up on chilly rights, and gone cold yourself, put It In the only dry spot In the canoe, and so on, and yet. rfter sll this, the wretched thing will be capable of being pot at by your rival or enemy and lured away, leaving you only the case it once lived In "And still, after being treated In the most disreputable way by their charms, the poor benighted Africans go on making and worshiping fetishes." Vy ing in wall for prey I practiced with great skill by lota ACVVAN ! MTtons ho. armed from heA tn . . . . Nl going fortb to contend with terrible partr-dgei I and frightful rabbit may not b aware that I their method of hunting: are tn mr,r, animal. The toxote. for example, a fish tn the river of Malaysia, has learned how to shoot at a mark and well deserves its nam of the archer or the spitting fish, which ha been giren to It, Although aquatic It feed upon winged insect. When Jt see on the plant on th bank a silly Insect gaping In the air it advances s near a polble to the object of !U desires, fills Its mouth with liquid, and closes Its gilla. Boon It raiae-s It nout out of the water and. closing Its Jaw, shoot upon the insect a long thread of water a veritable shower bath which, falling back, waahes th poor creature Into the river, where he haa not long to wait to b devoured. Tbe remarkable part of this performance Is the accuracy of the fish's aim, which rarely mlBsea In Jara and th neighboring countries tx-ople often carefully preserve th toxot In aquarium and amuse them selves by offering it Ales, holding them some distance off so that it will shoot at them with lta douche, to the great de light of th spectator. To obtain food another tUn. th cbelinou. preceed tn the same way with salt water, but he la lei adroit, a fault which b poaaeaaes la common with many huntera Yet be Leotard. Lie in Wait for Prey. Lying in wall for prey I practioed with great aklll by large number of animals who hare learned that In order to frighten tiway the creaturea which they wish te catch It Is necessary to remain mntlonlesa This Is notably the case with crocoiiles, which wait whole days without mewing, hid den in the water or the grass on the shore, until their prey, deceived by their apparent quiet, comes te bathe or to slake hit thirst. It is also the case with the python snake that waita hang ing from the trees by hi tail so Immovable that he cannot be d.stmgulshed from the surrounding branchea. When an aromal is about to pass he lets bimaelf fall upon It. Various leecbea in Africa proceed In the same manner In passing through virginal foreets only too frequently one hears a sudden noise like hall falling on the branches, it is not falling hail, but leeches which hasten to attach them ' ives to beasts of burden and to men. from whom they has :m: to suck the biod They were watching their chance, perched on the branchea an odd dwelling place, by the way for creatures that r generally considered aquatlc vw How Eagle Hunts the Swan. Th bird of prey called tbe Pyg&rgu sea eagle also wait till hi rict.in comes within range. Audubon ha plctureque ly sketched h m. " i'.e hold." Bay he. "Just it tbe bank of a great river the eagle, perched upright on the last branch of the h.ghest tree. Hi eye. glittering with a oniber Are, sweep over a vast stretch. He liten, end hi subtle tar is open t every distant ound. From time to time b cast a glare downward to the earth for fear lest even th light sup of the fawn may escape him. Hi female 1 perched on the opposite bank, and if all remain tranquil and silent she admonishes him. by a cry, still to be patient. At th well known s:gnal tbe male partly opens hia Immense wings, bends his body slightly downward, and answers ber with an other cry like a burst of mariac laughter. Then be resumes his upright position and again all is silent. Ducks of all Sorts, ttala. scoteia, and othera paaa before bim in swift focks and desoend tbe river, but the eagle does not deign to notice them; they are not worthy of bis attention. " Suddenly lik the hoarse note of a clarion the voice ot the swan resound, still distant, but coming nearer. A piercing cry com -a aerose the river from the female, not lea active, not leaa aiert than her mate. He (hake all hi body violently, and try uvrral shake of his bead, aided by the ac tion of the muscles cf the tk:n. he In an Instant arranges nis l.umge. Now the white voyager Is In sight- His long snowy Heck is strew- -u forward, his eyes are on the alert, vigilant aa those of his e nemie. His great wings seem to support th weight of his body with cVfficulty. though they beat tbe air incessantly. He seem so wearied In hi movement tht hi legs are even stretened out under hi tail to aid hia flight. At the instant when tbe swan 1 about to pas tbe somber iwlr the male, fully prepared for the chase, darts down ut tering a formidable cry. The swan hears It, and it sounds more terrible to hi er than the report of the murderou gun. This i tbe moment to appreciate tbe power which the rag e puts forth. H dart through the air like a falling siar. and swift as light swoop on his trembling victim, wha in the agony of despair trie by various evolution to escape from tbe embrao of tl cruel talon. H pretends dr&th. makes feints, and would even plunge lot tit current. Hut the eagle prevent him; he ha known too long that by ih' stratagem his prey could escape, and he foroee him t rimatn on the t.y trying to strike him from beneath " The beautiful b rd that la known to all as the be titer proceed l.ke humeri who, on the shore of th Med- lUrraxtac, watch far game on it return from Africa, H Stiver y post himself near a nest of wasps or bee and snaps up the at little tiletto bearers as tiny coins out or return no cut J Use Decoys to Trap Unwary. The baudroie pit! era to catch by decoy. Thl large fish buries itself In the mud and lets only a sort of small flag appear, which ia fastened to his nose ty the medium of a long filament which floats as the water move it. The little fiahe in hi neighborhood hurry toward thi fg. thinking they have to do with an easy pre-y. When they are gath ered In goodly number, disputing over this sweet morsel, the baudroie open hi huge mouth and swallows them without further ceremony. Other animal are more refined and, in the hunt by decoy prefer to use trapa. It might be supposed that this method of hunting, which demand a certain Intel:. ge r.ce, w ould be practiced by creature of bigh organliation. Thl is not o, since the bumble lneect employ it The larva of the ant lion dig on the urface of the and large funnel, at the bottom of which he crouches; every Insect which tries to pass rolls down Into the funnel and reaches the bottom, where at once it la anatched up by the larva. This is pit bunting. Moreover, if the victim seems likely to escape, he hovel at him quantities of sand which makes him fall still more quickly. The larva of ciclnctela acts differently, but with equal craft, in order to obtain the little Insects necessary for hi nourishment. He digs in the earth s vertical hole, in which he props himself like a chimney sweep rlimMng up a chim ney, in such fashion that his head, flattened and slightly hollowed, exactly stops up the orifice of the owning on a level with the ground. When a little criature is about to pas over this veritable living trap the larva sink down, at the came time dragging with him his victim, which be hasten to seise between hia daw and devour. Spider Skillfully Spreads Net. , Hunting with the aid of net i practiced with great abil ity by spiders, who auretcb their weba. whjcb are ome tiniei irregular, armaetlme of marvejou regularity, la gar den and houaea. Some await their prey, keeping to the mid dle of the web. Other, mart prudent, bide in little cilken cell well concealed in a bole of the wall. Most of them trust to the strength cf their thread and the glutinou substance with which these are moistened. When a victim is taken, the spider often prevents It from struggling by enveloping it with delicate threads. If It is small, however, he content himself with killing It and sucking it up on the spot or after dragging It Into a corner. There exists tn Madagaacar a spider which, for a long time, pur i led the naturalist. It k noticeable that at the center of It web there 1 a great thread of silver white, a veritable cable, beLt In t'rxag. What could possibly be tbe use of tbii? One could watch the web for long time with out seeing the creature make use of It; when a victim 1 taken, tbe spider 1 content t wind blm about with small t bread. Yet tbe cable Is undoubtedly of use to the (pider. for if it 1 removed be hasten to make another. M. Vinson at laat, after long eetaervation, succeeded in solving the ques tion. Otie day alien be was examining for the hundredth time th trick and the manner of the spider, he saw a great grasshopper Jump into th midat of the web. At the aamt irstart the spii.r. Urt:iig upon the cable. be4n w.th the greatest (wiftnea to wrap it about the Insect. The victim was too large tn ur held by the simple threads; tbe chl was there to bind h.m securely. The ant eater depends less on the power of skill, and, like a child, limes hie games. He puts out hia long sticky tongue and flattens it on the ground; all the insects that pasa stick to it. vying with each other, and when the heap is sufficiently thick, the ant cater draws his long tongue In and swallows them all At other times be plunges his lingual appendix into ant hills and draws It back laden with acta Hunt Large Prey in Packs. Coursing Is frequent among mammals, notably among wild dogs, wolves, and foxes. Acording to T. HuuBsay. wild dogs follow their prey in Immense puck. They txcite one another by their hayings at the same lime that they frighten the game and half paralyse its power. No animal is agile nor strong enough to be sure cf eacaping them. They sur round him and cut off his retreat In a moFt skillful manner; gazelles, antelopes, despite an extreme lightness and swift ness, art overtaken at last; wild boars ere quickly run down; their routh defense costs some of the assailants their lift, but these aiso become the prey of the pack that falls upon the quarry. In Asia these wi.d .gs arc not afraid to attack even the tiger. Many, without doubt, have their back broken by a blow from hi paw, or are strangled by being seixed by h a Jaws, but the death of comrades does not dimmish either the courage or the hunger of the surviving asallanta Their number is such, more-over, that the great beast, ever run, covered by agile enemies who cling to him and cover him with wounds, finally succumbs. Wolves likewise hunt In large packs. Their beddness. when hunger presses them in the bad season, is well known. In time cf war they follow army corps to attack straglera and devour the d.ad. In Siberia they follow sludger on the snow with a redoubtable perseverance and the pack is not restrained by the corpse of their comrade who are hot down. Aside from these fatal battles, wolves seem to bav the power of combining for actual stratagems. Pair Exercise Strategy. Sometime a pair hunt together. If they meet a flock, knowing that the dog will defend bravely the creatures in trusted to bim. that be is vigilant, and that his fine sense of smell will bring him upon tbem long before the herdsman is aware of them, they attend first to bim. The wolves sp jroach. warily keeping out of sight; then ont cf them ab ruptly shows himself and attracis the attention cf the dog. who rushes upon the wolf aud pursues It witn such eagerntss he dae not perceive that, during thi time, the second thief has felxed a heep and dragged it into the wood. The dog finally give up hi ttemit to vie In (wiftr.esa with th fugitive and returns td hia flock. Then the two confederates aiain meet and share th. Ir prey. In other case a wolf will I unt with his mut. When they w.sh lo take a roebuck, one of the pair th male, for example follow It and direct the chase so as to m.ke the prey pass r.ear a place where the female is hidden. Bhe then springs forward and continue t he chase while th uiile wolf rets. It 1 a veritable organised relay race.. Ot necessity the strength of the roe la txhausted at.d he cannot e-:,al the ardor which l.is pursuer, quite fresn d.sjlay in tha chase. He is tnken and put to death. Tt.t male ha mean- while approached the j !c cf the fe-ast In more leisurely manner and tome to claim his share of th booty. r 4