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78 At the Back of the Black Man's Mind By R. E. Dennett
CHAPTER X. BAVILI PHILOSOPHY
Sacred Symbols. -Compound Names. -The Sun and Moon. -General Scheme of Bavili Ideas. -
Cosmological Ideas. -Ternporal Ideas.-The Year.-The Seasons. -Genetic Relations.-The
Categories.
THE King of the Bavili, as I have said, has seven titles, one of which, that of Ntawtela, he
does not receive until after his death. The other six, as I have explained elsewhere, are
assigned to him as head of the six great departments of state. These six titles are, as I
shall point out later, closely connected with the system of philosophy which I wish to
expound to you. I believe that above and beyond fetishism or NDONGOISM, which I have
already dealt with, there is a higher form of religion among the Bavili which is
connected with certain symbols in the form of (1) sacred groves, (2) sacred lands and
rivers, (3) sacred trees, (4) sacred animals, (5) omens, and (6) the seasons. The six titles
of the King connect him directly with these six divisions of sacred symbols as well as
with the six departments in the state. As Nkici ci he is, according to the native view, one
of the products, or perhaps we should rather say the end and final result, of the working
of the powers, or Bakici baci, represented by the sacred groves. As Fumu he is the king
(or chief from whom all proceed) of the symbolic lands and rivers. As Ntinu Lukene he is
head of the custom of the leopard, and thus associated with the sacred animals. As
Nganga Nvumba (the doctor of the source of seasons or time) he is intimately connected
with the seasons. As Xivangi (procreator) he is at the head of the omens. And as Mueno
(the overseer of the morals of his people) he presides over the sacred trees. That is, he is
the chief teacher in all these branches of native belief.
It is possible that at one time each of the sacred symbols mentioned above had its
sacred grove; in this grove, it may be, the king, as the great high priest, taught his people
the lesson connected with the symbol. In support of this conjecture I may mention that I
have so far in no case discovered more than twenty-four sacred symbols in any of the
six divisions enumerated above. There are, it is true, certain apparent exceptions, but
the supernumerary symbols can be shown to stand apart from the others for clearly
defined reasons. After years of study I have discovered twenty-four trees and herbs
which are, as the natives say, BAKICI BACI or sacred, twenty-four sacred animals, and so
on. Now if each division of sacred symbols is composed of twenty-four parts, the sum
total of Bakici Baci should be 144. I have as a matter of fact discovered upwards of 90
sacred groves. It is therefore quite legitimate to suppose that there may formerly have
been 144 or more. Not only so, but the meanings of the names of the sacred groves go to
prove this supposition, as I shall show more in detail later. The most remarkable fact,
however, about these groves is that the Bavili have preserved the orderly grouping of
twenty-four of these, and I believe that it is in this order that we find the key to their
philosophy.
In the sequel I treat of all the six sets of twenty-four symbols in detail. I should now like
to draw your attention to the eight words, the only eight of this kind, so far as I know,
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