CHAPTER XII

ETHICAL TEACHING AND THE NEW LIFE
Teaching concerning Adultery, Theft, Murder — Respect to Elders and Chiefs — Co-operation — Courage — Sympathy — Manliness — The Closing Scenes — Homeward Processions — Privileges of Young Initiates — Some Impressions.
The new initiate, renamed and taught a new tongue, introduced to society rites and signs, trained in society beliefs, is now ready for the " final words." These are usually of an ethical nature.
ETHICAL TEACHING
In discussing the ethical teaching of the puberty schools one is irresistibly reminded of the statement, " Often in the centre of purest heathendom is found some striking proviso, the moral quality of which is on a par with some of the best standards in Christendom."
The African punishment for adultery, theft and murder remains what it has been for many centuries — death. That the punishment is not more often carried out is the fault of the over-law of the govern- ing powers.
In Ndembo " laws are taught that are almost exact translations of the Hebrew Commandments." The death penalty used to be inflicted on both co- respondent and offending women ; even now " adult- ery is severely punished." " Intention is often
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punished as severely as the crime. King Alvaro Nsinga-nkanga of the Congo executed Mbundu Amfumu for giving a leaf of tobacco to one of his wives, though he had gone no further than placing the leaf on a stone, at a respectable distance from the woman." In Nkimba and Nkamba " chastity is enjoined on all the members."
The officials of Mungi teach chastity as " a working condition of fetishism. A man's faithfulness to his responsibilities ensures his success in life. If he is habitually a failure he is presumed to be unfaithful, and the punishment is expulsion from the society or a heavy fine." Bundu teaches that " a wife's infidelity will cause the illness of her husband, or prevent his recovery from an illness." Yassi teaches that an unfaithful wife nullifies " the powers of her own dearly bought charms (fetishes), and so lays her open to any disease that may be floating around." Moreover " she risks the welfare of her children, turns her own fortunes into calamities and induces a multitude of other unpleasant things to happen that theoretically cannot happen as long as she remains a faithful spouse."
The general attitude of the societies towards theft is that already mentioned of Okonko, in which association even so great a man as an Awzaw is degraded on conviction. That towards murder is well expressed in the Ndembo proverb, " Konso on'' ovond* 0 nkw' audi ntzuikilar (Whoever kills his fellow must pay for it with his head.)
Respect to elders. A parable taught in the Nkimba puberty school is as follows : " When one makes the first incision in a palm, the sap obtained is sweet but without strength, and to only a few is it palat- able. Day by day, however, it becomes less sweet and more strong, less a drink for children and more a drink for men. We are like the palm wine. Some say, youth lacks wisdom and old age lacks sweetness,
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but we say, youth is sweet, strength is stimula- ting, experience is best of all ; therefore, honour experience."
The Duala boys of YuGu when dismissed to their homes are commanded : " Now you are grown, honour your elders. If you find anything on their path remove it, or if you have meat share it with those older than yourselves ; it is not good for them to have to ask for it. If the people are to praise you, let them do it for your goodness and your kindness. Never be too busy to listen to a request, nor too selfish to deny your indebtedness to others."
The boys in the Poro schools have " much good advice given them ; they are warned against selfishness, and are instructed in the way to return polite answers to their elders."
Respect to chiefs. The boys just named are taught " their duties towards the community and the chiefs." The N DEM BO boys are taught the proverb, " A chief's finger cannot be thrust aside — except when it is poked into your eye." That is, a chief has dominion, but he must not abuse it if he wishes to retain the respect of his people. In native parlance " his court must not be like a fowl-run, where the birds show scant courtesy to a cockroach " ; nor must it be like a tree that is " so ill-rooted that it is felled by the first wind that blows." " The king," says Egungun, " must not pluck a feather that should not be plucked." He must not be unjust, for " injustice soon ruins a country." He must not, say the Dyoro men, " make two wounds on a head that only deserves one." He must not " eat a one-ear'd pig " (Ampora) ; in other words, he must know both sides of a question. He must not be partial either in public or private (Bori). He must not confuse right with might, killing '* every ant to slay one " (Sembe), for " he should
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know the ant that bit him before starting out to kill it."
Co-operation. Egbo says, " Be slow to quarrel, be obedient to parents and elders, be not garrulous, think of manly things, think and act as a man." Mborko teaches this parable, " The bean-creeper winds itself round the grass and the grass winds itself round the creeper." None lives to himself alone. Ngbe says, the folly of one harms others " when the tree moves the branches sway." " One frightened fowl reveals the hiding place of all." Afa declares that evil is often more contagious than good : " evil spawns : good is often childless." Eturi says, " one finger can scatter the nuts, but it takes them all to gather them again."
Courage. Poro teaches that a brave spirit and an upright character can repel and even exorcise evil, whether that evil be of man or god. Of Ogboni it has been said, " On the whole, the instruction must be considered decidedly salutary and whole- some, though it naturally varies with the personalities of the chief members ... it teaches courage as, perhaps, no other influence in African life could teach it." Of Ekkpe it is stated, "The novices have instilled into them that bravery is a desirable qualifi- cation for life."
Sympathy. Eyo teaches "a set of rules with wide range, embracing modesty and ethics. The youth is commanded to respect the privacy of his parents ; to be just to his enemy ; to help those who are in danger. They say to him, you surely would not leave a drowning man to perish without trying to help him ! And again, Suffer not the lone man to be overpowered by "several ! "
Manliness. In the " passing out " of a new KuFONG initiate the Head says, " The members having thought you worthy of being admitted to their ranks, you now take farewell of all things
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childish ; toys and playthings are yours no longer, they are womanly things ; your future lies with men ; consort and converse with them, emulate the good you see in them and shun the evil, let all your words and actions from this time forth be always manly and courageous ; only girls and babes are other ; they are effeminate ; you are masculine."
In a similar rite the Grand Tasso of Poro says, " You are become men ; act as such, that you may be loved as such ; forget not to be facile of instruction and of a docile disposition, but be brave and true also ; then wiU there be a good report of you in the land."
The Ikina Nyimi, Royal Prohibitions, of Nkanda taught in the puberty school of that society are as follows :
" Respect and obey the king and the members of the royal family."
" Respect and obey your father and mother."
" Avoid offending the feeling of propriety your parents hold sacred."
" If your father's clothes are in disorder, tell him, but if the disordered clothing is that of your mother leave it for your sister to tell. Never bring shame on your mother."
" Respect the dead bodies you meet."
" When you are married, do not ill-treat your wife, and never meddle in her or other people's quarrels."
" Be just to your enemy : rescue him when he is in danger, and never go out of your way to get him into trouble."
" Watch to take the weakest side : always side with the one when fighting against odds."
" To kill in war is to defend oneself and show valour, but to kill at other times is to imitate the beasts."
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" Stealing is undignified : if you covet a thing, ask for it : if it is refused, go without it."
" There are no rules between man and wife, but there are understandings : honour them : and keep in remembrance the tribal laws concerning conjugal fidelity."
" Gambling is exciting, but it is precarious : what you lose might give comfort to your family."
" To tell lies to another member of the society is to pronounce yourself outside its membership."
THE CLOSING SCENES
The time for closing the puberty school is fixed by the same methods as is their opening, but Ndembo has a method not shared by others. The officials put live fish into a pool made within the enclosure, and if the fish die before the day appointed it is altered for another.
The closing scenes are full of ceremony, mostly of religious significance. The fetishes used during the retreat are hung upon the sacred tree, as are those of dead men on the forest ongons of the Siberian Buriats. The seclusion garb is burned or buried. Presents are given to the tutor-officials and the Head. These are fruit and flowers in Andomba, reminding one of the Liberalia Festival of the Roman boys when the toga praetexta was laid aside and the toga liberia or virilis, the man's garb, assumed. BoviowAH boys bring goats, at the sacrifice of which the following prayer is offered, " We come unto you, our ancestors, who begot us : we come unto you with this our present : receive what is your own : eat this gift of ours : call your com- panions, ancient and honourable as yourselves, and give them their due portions." (Here follow the mention of the names of past members of the families
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of the young initiates, each of whom are informed that some portion, selected by traditional custom as most fitting, is for them.) " You, our ancestors, first in our thoughts because greatest of all we know, we come to you for blessing : rejoice with your com- panions, but in your rejoicing forget not those who bring this gift : we give you honour, give us bene- diction."
There are additional purifications, some elaborate, some held at night. When they are in darkness, as the initiates come up out of the water, a fire is lit and the scene illuminated by burning brands. This is known in some Bundu lodges, and in Ayaka. In Kemah a prayer of the following sentiment is offered, " We wash you from all uncleanness of the past ; we cleanse you of the errors and mistakes of childhood ; from now you follow a new path ; follow that path to the end."
There is generally a final interview with the Head or his Deputy, when the " final words " are uttered. (Some of these have been already reported.) This may be accompanied by fresh anointings. In KuFONG the initiates are brought to the Mother, who rests his hands for a moment on the upturned brows and blesses the youths. In Poro the Grand Tasso anoints whilst blessing. Whilst the Mother of Kufong blesses, the officials rub their hands down the bodies of the youth to " expel all evil."
There is a great deal of shaving and hairdress- ing, the hair taken away being sometimes care- fully hidden or burned or scattered to the winds. That of the Oyeni boys is put into clay balls and buried at the threshold of the tomb of some tribal saint.
All leave the sacred enclosure along an eastern path, and most actually leave the bush by pass- ing through an arch made by tying together two saplings.
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Most initiates are carried out, although not in the same manner as they were brought in, being mounted on the backs of the officials. The Poro boy steps out of the bush over the lowered hand of an official. Those of Ampora are balanced on the feet of the officials, and so come out backwards, their hands resting on the shoulders of the carriers. The officials of Kinki " lift and swing their initiates over as wide a space from bush to road as the strength of the officials allows." BuNDu girls stand for a moment on the palm of a tutor.
Some come forth dressed and decorated and immediately become part of the procession that takes them home, and others come forth nude and are dressed on the road outside the bush. Of the latter are those of Bundu. Early in the morning they are brought out clad only in loincloths, and are met by friends who bring clothing supplied by prospective husbands or friends. " Presents of clothes, jigitas, handkerchiefs, scent, pomade, and small looking-glasses are made." " Some are dressed in ropes of -piso and trimmed with bugle beads of thin bamboo, their hair piled high and ornamented by black seeds like grapes, their bodies greased and shining and looking like polished ebony, decorated with silver charms, plaques, armlets and leg-bangles." If they are free-born they may wear the additional ornament of a leopard's tooth. Those of the Vassa country add shoulder sashes of fetish objects. Some are almost hidden by many festoons of green twigs and blossoms.
Their Yassi sisters are equally fine in white caps and dresses of new cloth. Before leaving the bush these girls have had a little ceremony in which the dolls made and nursed in retreat are burned, and now they carry new and wonderful dolls sent them by their friends, dolls of European and American
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manufacture that are dressed in imitation of those who carry them.
The BuTWA youths are anointed with special oils and made fragrant with camwood dust. Nkanda boys have their hair fancifully dressed and their clothes perfumed, and each carries a special seed to give to the Head in what is called the tuki mbuli ceremony. Iban-Isong paint elaborate designs on the limbs of their girls, and many societies mark the bodies of the initiates in this final ceremony with their secret signs.
Ebere girls wear costly dresses of silk handker- chiefs, pleated, and with the corners rosetted, and ribbon ceintures. Bands of fur, three to four inches broad, sewed with cowries and beads, garter their bare legs below the knees, and in addition there are bangles and ankle-bands covered with tiny brass ornaments that clash musically as they walk.
Okonko girls are smeared all over with vermilion red, and bound about the waist with ropes of tightly twisted cloth and threaded cowrie shells, with tiny bells attached. Rings of brass adorn their legs, graduated from the ankles to just above the knees. The elaborate coiffure is a mound of hair and clay, of powdered charcoal and palm-oil, moulded into a shape resembling the crest of a Roman helmet, coming well over the middle of the forehead and extending backward into the nape of the neck, embellished with delicately patterned, plastered curls with mother-of-pearl and brass ornaments. These fine head-dresses are spoiled sometimes by a piece of goat-fat being laid over them. The tufted end of a cow's tail is carried, mounted on a leather handle, embossed, and with an inset mirror.
Ndembo boys are washed clean of their plasters of clay, then anointed and their hair cut. The hair taken away is cast into the already-mentioned fish
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pool, and a tonsure is made on each boy's head to represent that pool. They are dressed in bright, showy clothes, their skin well dusted with cam- wood powder, and they are decorated with dangling tassels of palm-fibre. The Penda-Penda youths wear yellow robes, caps of animal skin adorned with feathers, and carry a lance in each hand on which are tufts of horsehair. The girls are put into black cloaks, and their hair carefully coiffured.
In the Homeward Processions, officials and friends take part, and there is much singing and shouting, also dancing and drumming. The officials are in their smartest disguises. The Nkanda boys march behind groups of seniors, each representing a Bushongo comitatus. The Okonko girls are each followed by a " maid of honour," girls who "came out" the previous year. These are smeared with camwood dye and carry a basket into which spectators are invited to put presents. Older graduates follow, some leading the goats that are the payment of the officials, and others bearing the bodies of like animals that have been sacrificed. The Bundu girls walk in order of seniority, those having spent the longest time in the bush coming last. A guardian is on either side of each new initi- ate, holding up canopies of country cloth. The Head leads the way, and behind her comes Na-Sin ka Bundu (The Voice of Bundu ; also the official who adjudicates in petty disputes in retreat), and women with drums. There are drummers inter- spersed amongst the girls all along the line. On arriving at the entrance to the town the Head, through
Egwuwu CovStume of Ayaka.
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her Voice, calls upon all the affianced men to put tobacco into the society basket. Parents also put in for the girls not betrothed. " Then follows a dance round the town, after which the * small wives * are put into a specially made barri (a women's house), and all the rest of the people go home. In the barri the husbands-to-be inspect their chosen, putting a shilling in the mouth of the girl they have come to see and a tobacco leaf on her shoulder. The girls are kept enclosed several days, and when they are released Bmtdu is over for another year."
The Andomba procession is a long, waving moving bower of palm-branches held above the initiates.
When the head of the procession is seen there is a mighty shout from the assembled relatives and friends, and a rush of parents towards their children ; but that rush stops ere the procession is reached. The parents stop, hold out arms of invitation, and drop upon their knees, and in that attitude wait for the ceremony to stop. Those kneeling parents are the first tribute to the new manhood and woman- hood coming out of the bush.
"The Ndembo procession marches round the market-place with stolid, indifferent faces. In the crowd parents recognize their children in the pro- cession, and boys and girls point out their sisters and brothers, and excitedly call out their names ; but not a face in the procession lights up with re- cognition, not a muscle moves to express delight, for these resurrected ones are not supposed to know anything of their former life, or relatives or friends. Any one showing feeling or recognition is liable to a flogging, or a heavy fine. They have been well schooled for this hour."
" At last the march is finished, and the doctors introduce the resurrected ones to their families. Those who have died ndemho are supposed not to know anything, or anybody they knew previous
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to their entrance into the bush. They pretend not to know their parents, their brothers and sisters, relatives, friends, and former acquaintances. Even their mother tongue is now new to them. The look of the town, its houses, roads, trees, spaces, has been forgotten. They have to be introduced to it all, be given explanations of it, be told what it is and what it is for. ' This is your father,' they are solemnly told, or ' That path leads to the river where you will get your water,' or ' We call this a calabash, and you will use it for drinking purposes,' and so on. A heavy punishment is laid upon those initiates who, in a careless, forgetful moment show they know anything or anyone not brought to their notice in this ceremonious and society manner."
The young initiates have many privileges for the first few weeks. They are the monarchs of all they survey ; onye-nzve-obodo, lords of creation, as it is said in Ayaka. They of Ndembo " demand gifts of the people they meet, want everything they see, and, if it is denied them, try to take it by force. . . . So well do they play their new part that food has to be masticated for them, and they have to be fed like babes." The freshly released Poro lads have a period of licence in which they are allowed to spoil the gardens of the village. The Ayaka youths rush madly about, " screeching out warnings on their igzve^ a small reed instrument hidden in the mouth. They enter whatever houses they choose, and tumble about not only utensils but the owners of the same if not mollified by gifts." Nkimba and Homo wo boys impose a tithe on the people of the market- place ; the Accra boys shouting to the stall-holders, " Wo aye eko ! " (We will eat some !), and are allowed to take fruit and foodstuffs without payment.
Sometimes these " virgin-spirits " expect even white men to tremble in their presence — and then there is trouble,
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After a short time, the seven days of Ukuku seems the longest period, the excitement of the " resurrection " passes, and the new initiates merge into the normal life of the districts in which they live.
SOME IMPRESSIONS
" The schools satisfy their undying love, their small-boy delight in mystery and exclusion and significance of ritual and dressing-up. There are in them solemnity and importance, feathers and beating of drums, a holiday air, adventure, excite- ment, and to be initiated into them is to have special and omnipotent power over others."
" It is a hard school, this puberty school, but it is going to take a long time to ween African youth from love of it. He forgets the hardness and re- members only its joys and secrecy. And the society is like unto its school. Many rules to obey, stringent rules, and punishments for their infringement, heavy punishments, but lasting joys also and eternal secrecy."
" In a world that is becoming somewhat Utopian in its views regarding education in the Gold Coast, it is refreshing to see that so experienced an educa- tionalist as Father Acker, of the Catholic Mission, is against the total abolition of the ' bush schools ' in which so many Gold Coasters obtained the rudi- ments of their education. . . . Father Acker's views may be gathered from his recommendations that bush schools should be left open and recognised, that they should be run on parallel, but not equal, lines with ' Ordinance ' schools, that the new rules concerning buildings, teachers, and salaries should not be applied, and that the manager should be registered instead of the teacher. In other words, all bush schools with the slightest claim to be useful
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would be saved from closure, and Africans would not be prevented entirely from obtaining the rudi- ments of education . . . the bush schools have at least a claim to be recognised so long as there is no adequate educational provision for the mass of the people."