Offerings of food and
spirits were placed before these images; a band of people
accompanied by the rest of the population used to make a thorough
round of the town, up and down each street and round every house,
dancing, singing, screaming and tom-toming, in fact making all the
noise they knew how to - and a Calabar Effik is very gifted in the
power of making noise. After this had been done for what was
regarded as a sufficient time, the images were taken out of the
houses, the crowd still making a terrific row and were then thrown
into the river, and the town was regarded as being cleared of
spirits.
The rationale of the affair is this. The wandering spirits are
attracted by the images, and take shelter among their rags, like
earwigs or something of that kind. The charivari is to drive any of
the spirits who might be away from their shelters back into them.
The shouting of the mob is to keep the spirits from venturing out
again while they are being carried to the river. The throwing of
the images, rags and all, into the river, is to destroy the spirits
or at least send them elsewhere. They did not go and pour boiling
water on their earwig-traps, as wicked white men do, but they meant
the same thing, and when this was over they made and set up new
images for fresh spirits who might come into the town, and these
were kept and tended as before, until the next N'dok ceremony came
round.
It is owing to the spiritual view which the African takes of
existence at large that ceremonial observances form the greater part
of even his common-law procedure.
There is, both among the Negro and Bantu, a recognised code of law,
founded on principles of true but merciless justice. It is not
often employed, because of the difficulty and the danger to the
individual who appeals to it, should that individual be unbacked by
power, but nevertheless the code exists.
The African is particularly hard on theft; he by no means "compounds
for sins he is inclined to by damning those he has no mind to," for
theft is a thing he revels in.
Persons are tried for theft on circumstantial evidence, direct
testimony, and ordeal. Laws relating to mortgage are practically
the same among Negroes and Bantu and Europeans. Torts are not
recognised; unless the following case from Cameroon points to a
vague realisation of them. A. let his canoe out to B., in good
order, so that B. could go up river, and fetch down some trade. B.
did not go himself, but let C., who was not his slave, but another
free man who also wanted to go up for trade, have the canoe on the
understanding that in payment for the loan of the said canoe C.
should bring down B's. trade.
