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57 At the Back of the Black Man's Mind By R. E. Dennett
hoe and axe to supply man with food. On the other side were roughly represented the
death-drum "Bikula," and a woman carrying a load upon her head, above the three
makuku (or tops of small ant-hill) upon which the woman's cooking pot is placed. And
where the two ends of the collar are joined together, a negro bell is attached.
Now when the BAVILI make a solemn oath (KU LEVA MPECI) they wet their finger and
make the sign of the Cross upon the earth and then touch their earth-covered finger
with their tongue.
General as this custom is even far inland, I have always looked upon it as one possibly
introduced into the country by the early Portuguese.
Mr. Bentley translates the word cross EKULUZU, while Père Derouet gives the word
KRUSSU, these are of course derived from the Portuguese word "Cruz."
Now in the capitals of all Kongo's once great provinces (now Kingdoms) four roads
called NZILA NZAMBI or God's roads meet, and where they cross or rather separate
they are called MAVAMBA, and these roads come from the East and West and North and
South and represent the four great winds, MABILI the East from whence their religious
ideas come, SENZA the strong West wind representing morality, XIKAMACI the North
wind representing matter, reason and evil, and BUNZI the South wind representing the
deep of the nervous system, the rain giver.
The signs by which the natives represent the Cross they call ZILA (or way), and it is of
the TAU form with the additions at the lower extremity of the
inverted horns of the Antelope called MBAMBISA. It is used on the
collar of red saved list, worn by those who have taken the powdered bark "NKASA," the
ordeal to prove that they are not witches. It says "We were of one . . . . stock and
travelled by one way until this palaver parted us."
On Friday, January 5, 1900, Matueka came to see me, he informed me he had taken
"casca." He was wearing the usual red collar round his neck and I asked him to explain
the symbols worked in patchwork on it.
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