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103 At the Back of the Black Man's Mind By R. E. Dennett
and there appeared upon its trunk a great oblong patch devoid of bark. I wanted to take
a sample of the bark, but I broke the blade of my knife in trying to cut some of it off; it
was far harder than I had imagined. Tired and weary, but satisfied that I had added one
more sacred tree to my collection, I arrived at Mambuku's town too late to even think of
returning to Luango that night.
Mambuku having returned and informed himself of the object of our visit turned to the
fool, and, patting him on the head, said, "So you knew where the Nkasa-tree was?" and
the fool said, "Yes, he knew where all the medicine-trees were."
In conversation with some of my followers I had already discovered that the nkasa-tree
was not a sacred tree; it was not Nkicici, but like all other trees that grow unplanted in
the "sacred ground," if it happened to find its home there, in that sense it might be said
to be Nkici.
I did not trust my friends, so I now asked Mambuku, who replied, "No, it is not Nkicici,"
but merely a tree which supplied them with the poisonous bark in Nkasa palaver.
MUEMA is the mangrove tree. As you know, the heavy trunk of this tree rests on a
trellis-like mass of roots that appear to do all they can to keep its body from being in any
way brought into contact with the filthy swampy matter at its base. The seeds of this
tree also germinate in the air, and it is only when the plant is of a certain age that it
drops from its parent stem into the soft mud below. The word might be translated as the
essence or kernel in being. The verb EMA or OMA meaning to become dry, while ENA or
ONA means he, who. Connected with the protecting NKICICI LUNGULULUBU and ideas
of wind, we can understand that this tree gives the Bavili a very spiritual symbol.
THE TWENTY-FOUR BAKICI-BACI WITHIN THE FORMULA.
XILIKA. This is a large tree having a small fruit which when it falls to the ground and
dries separates into two parts This seed enters into the medicine MBUMBA.
NKANDIKA is also a great tree that bears a large fruit containing twenty-four seeds
which enter into many medicines. The word has the meaning "to enclose." A man closes
his house and places a few leaves of manioc, banana, or palm tree, about the latch and
that means that no woman may enter therein. This custom is called LU KANDU BA
KANDIKILA.
BI SULA BI NKANDI. The husks and shells of the palm fruit used in the smoking of dead
bodies.
BIUMU. A string plant giving a bitter tasting fruit from which an ointment is made for
drying up wounds.
NKALA is a bushy tree something like a willow that is planted over graves and from the
wood of which the posts of the entrance gate to the towns called MABILI are made.
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