This similarity of procedure naturally
arises from the same underlying idea existing in the two races.
You call in the medicine man, the "oganga," as he is commonly called
in Congo Francais tribes. After a variety of ceremonies and
processes, the spirit is induced to localise itself in some object
subject to the will of the possessor. The things most frequently
used are antelopes' horns, the large snail-shells, and large
nutshells, according to Doctor Nassau. Among the Fan I found the
most frequent charm-case was in the shape of a little sausage, made
very neatly of pineapple fibre, the contents being the residence of
the spirit or power, and the outside coloured red to flatter and
please him - for spirits always like red because it is like blood.
The substance put inside charms is all manner of nastiness, usually
on the sea coast having a high percentage of fowl dung.
The nature of the substance depends on the spirit it is intended to
be attractive to - attractive enough to induce it to leave its
present abode and come and reside in the charm.
In addition to this attractive substance I find there are other
materials inserted which have relation towards the work the spirit
will be wanted to do for its owner. For example, charms made either
to influence a person to be well disposed towards the owner, or the
still larger class made with intent to work evil on other human
beings against whom the owner has a grudge, must have in them some
portion of the person to be dealt with - his hair, blood, nail-
parings, etc. - or, failing that, his or her most intimate belonging,
something that has got his smell in - a piece of his old waist-cloth
for example.
This ability to obtain power over people by means of their blood,
hair, nails, etc., is universally diffused; you will find it down in
Devon, and away in far Cathay, and the Chinese, I am told, have in
some parts of their empire little ovens to burn their nail- and
hair-clippings in. The fear of these latter belongings falling into
the hands of evilly-disposed persons is ever present to the West
Africans. The Igalwa and other tribes will allow no one but a
trusted friend to do their hair, and bits of nails and hair are
carefully burnt or thrown away into a river; and blood, even that
from a small cut or a fit of nose-bleeding, is most carefully
covered up and stamped out if it has fallen on the earth. The
underlying idea regarding blood is of course the old one that the
blood is the life.
The life in Africa means a spirit, hence the liberated blood is the
liberated spirit, and liberated spirits are always whipping into
people who do not want them.
