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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 www.globalgrey.co.uk
116 At the Back of the Black Man's Mind By R. E. Dennett XIMOKO that someone with "NDONGO" in his stomach, had willed the leopard to come to their town, or someone in that very town, perhaps, was ready to use the leopard as a means of destroying his neighbour's life. And someone also with evil thoughts was causing the mother to keep on suffering. The BAVILI fully believe that certain BANTU A NDONGO have this power over leopards and crocodiles, and that others who have not the power themselves, knowing their brother NDONGO, ask them a favour of the loan of the wer-beast. The MUNTU A NDONGO, or wizard as you perhaps would call him, does not in this case change himself into the leopard or the crocodile, for he may be talking to you in one place while the beast is doing his will in another. Neither need he die first, so that what some people like to call his "soul" may enter and possess the animal. The man who has NDONGO in his stomach will search out an NGANGA, or doctor, who has the medicine XIKUMBU XIMANPANDU, and ask him to sell him some. The NGANGA will ask him if he is really desirous to obtain it, and the MUNTU A NDONGO answers yes. The NGANGA sells him the medicine. The MUNTU A NDONGO says he cannot see the leopard or crocodile. Then the NGANGA takes the medicine and gives the MUNTU A NDONGO some, and rubs some into his eyes, and asks him if he can now see the leopard. The MUNTU A NDONGO answers yes, and goes his way conscious that he owns a leopard or crocodile to do his will. All leopards do not lend themselves to these horrible practices, and such as do not are said to belong to the BAKICI BACI, or the people who are owners of sacred ground. Since my visit to XIMOKO I have noticed the following sad cases of the ravages said to have been worked by the wicked class of leopards: 1. XIKAWMO is a man who has lived with white men all his life, can read and write, and wears European clothes. He was with his master in Somboa, quite near to Luango, and it must have met with some accident. Another grunt-like shout, and I knew that MAMBUKU was simply calling the attention of his people to something he had to say to them. And this is what he -said: "Ur! ur (to wake his people up). "Nuvula (Listen!) "Ngonde moci u bakana kubella, mukulu, abu mimibakana ku bella mu luzala." (Last month my mother had a bad leg, now she is sick in her finger.) "Manwela Ngoma! Manwela Ngomo! Anjea, unkruntu u kela ku ngandu.' (Manwela Ngoma! you are head man of the village.) "Mani ngombo! Anjea uzabici ma awso." (Mani ngombo, the name of his suffering mother, you know all about it). "Bene Bawso! Nu keba mbizi Xikumbu una untambala befi inu manga 'ntu ntese." (All of you! Beware that when the leopard comes you don't receive him, as we shall divine who be may be.) "Beno! Mundela naka kunxitula lau!" (All of you! The white man is sleeping in town, and if I make a noise he will think me a fool.) There was a pause and a great silence; then MANWELA NGOMA from his corner of the village replied: "Minu unkruntu, anjea veka Mani Puati, anjea veka bakaci libamba liaku, anjea veka ubakamba, minu bawso i bakambila baci kumpe, nsamu au ba veka." (I am the head man, you yourself are Mani Puati, you own us all, you have called upon me, I called upon all, they do not hear, it is their palaver.) Then came another pause; after which up spoke the sick mother, Mani ngombe. "Bobo ntubila xibene xiaku tata, ntuba minu muntu yaka kalilanga enxenzo mu nitu." (The father has just now told the truth, I tell you that I keep on suffering pain in my body.) www.globalgrey.co.uk
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