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115 At the Back of the Black Man's Mind By R. E. Dennett
CHAPTER XV. SACRED ANIMALS
The Leopard. -Witchcraft, -Story of Ngo as an Old Woman. -Xina. -Classes of Bina.-Tabu
Animals.-The Formula.-Bavili Laws and Lessons.
XINA.
THE King as NTINU LUKENE or the one who advises his people to fly from the custom of
the Leopard.
NGO the leopard is the XINA of the people of KONGO (including the provinces south of
the Kongo, as well as KAKONGO and LUANGO) and as such it is NKICICI It is the only
animal having the title of Fumu. All palavers are commenced with the words
NGONGONGO NGETE NZAMBI. NGO is the name by which a woman who is capable of
bearing royal children is known; the wife of the first KONGO. The leopard's skin is used
as a charm against smallpox, and the MANKAKA'S (captain executioner) hat of office is
also made of it.
In Jan. 1902, the writer was standing near to his house when a crowd of natives passed
him carrying the body of a dead leopard55 to Luango for sale. The head of the beast was
covered with a cloth so that its eyes should not be seen. And a lady called NGO who was
standing near to him began to cry.
"Why do you cry?" the writer asked.
"Ah," she answered," the brutes would not have treated my namesake in this rough way
in the olden days with impunity."
The BAVILI call the leopard XIKUMBUA, which might be translated as the calumniator,
but the BATEKE still call it KENE, which might be translated, the one opposed to
nobility.
As this animal is looked upon as the mother of all animals, we cannot be wrong in saying
that she is descended from ZAMHI through XIKAMACI and her offspring XIKANGA and
NXILUKA, who are said to be the parents of an animal and a wooden figure.
That the leopard is connected with witchcraft is certain, even if the words "NDONGO"
and NDOXI did not so clearly point to the fact, for we were warned by MAMBUKU56
at
55 In Seven Years among the Fjort I give part of the custom attending the killing of NGO, and in notes on
the Folklore of the Fjort I supplement this. Many of the stories also throw some light on the character of this
animal. The skins of the leopard are sent to BUNZI when rain is wanted by the King for his people. See ante, p.
45
56 While at my frugal meal, MAMBUKU, who had been squatting on the ground near to me, got up and left me.
I lit a cigarette and walked up and down in the moonlight by the side of the bananas MAMBUKU had planted
as a kind of fence around a cleared space, within which his dwellings and outhouses were, built. At last I
retired to rest upon the bed of boards prepared for me, but just as I was falling to sleep the midnight silence
was suddenly broken by a shout. I recognised the voice of MAMBUKU immediately, and thought at first that he
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