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16 At the Back of the Black Man's Mind By R. E. Dennett
lady, while the walls were covered with advertisement cards that had been thrown
away by the importers of the goods. In front of this effigy sat what was left of old
NEAMLAU'S family, one of his wives playing the accordion, not well, but at least noisily.
In the immediate foreground of the figure stood a table covered with black and red
speckled shawls, and on this lay the relics of the prince who had gone to his rest, a
cottage clock, a brass lamp, three ewers and basins, a duck box, and other earthenware
figure ornaments, old red and white glass ware, table glasses and pint mugs. And while I
had been taking all this in, two men without had been trying to deafen me with their
music on drum and native bells.
I forgot to mention the most important part of all, and that is, that the effigy was
wearing his native cap10 (made of the fibre of the pineapple) with the name NEAMLAU
marked on it. This accounted for the curious non-native head gear of NENIMI, for his
"cap" was worn by the effigy and would only become legally his at the end of all these
ceremonies. I just took a look into the larger hut and saw the bed and hammock of the
late NEAMLAU. NPAKA the son of the late king was seated there by himself, to receive
any visitors that might come to condole with him. I asked him why they had made the
entrance to this enclosure so difficult, and he said it was to prevent drunkards from
finding their way in.
When I came out of the enclosure many princes were already seated under the shade of
the Cachew tree, and dancing had commenced beneath the Banyan tree. And now a
procession of perhaps twenty men and women wended their way from the north-west
in Indian file to the tree under which NENIMI was seated. They were all dressed in
cloths, dyed red, and each wore a heavy silver leg ring about his ankle11;
the contrast
between the dull red cloth and the bright metal was very striking. The chiefs of this
party knelt before NEAMLAU, and after a few words received his blessing, after which
the followers sang a song of praise and then adjourned to the Baobab tree to dance.
Then from the N.E. a long line of white clothed natives marched solemnly forward. The
MANKAKA (captain and executioner) accompanying this crowd beat the earth with his
stick and then rushed excitedly along the line trailing his long cloth behind him. The
NGANGA, with his wooden plate of medicine water in one hand and a bunch of herbs in
the other, followed after him and sprinkled the people. The bugler and the drummer
supplied the music. The chiefs knelt down before NENIMI and were blessed, and then
the followers waved their sticks and cloths on high, shouting their song with great
enthusiasm, which, however, was soon checked by the NGANGA, who sprinkled them
once more with his medicine water. Now, as if in answer to this song up jumped the
followers of XIMAWNGO AWLO followed by those of MBUKU and sang very loudly.
10 MPU NTANDA, see Laws of the Bavili, also illustrations in Seven Years among the Fjort, p. 49
11 The Bacilongo are famed for their blacksmiths, who turn English shillings bearing the late Queen's head into
their anklets. Ornaments made from this silver is called KWINIKIMBOTA (queenly good), which words now
signify anything of pure metal. Even a wife that has born her husband children and is faithful to him is so called
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