I II \ , • • • THE GOLD COAST REVIEW \ , I, , , , • • , • .'~ \, I Vol. IV. No. II July-December • .' • , , '-; , " .' r. .- • I THE GOVERNMENT PRINTER, ACCRA, GOLD COAST, I ' , ,• , • • Authors of Articles and Notes appearing in the Gold Coast Review are solely responsible for their statement and expressions of opinion. - • • , • • • PREFACE. Lfi' ~u.1 TIS conceivable that tfte elaborate outline ~I:."I' }n, ~ suggested for the guidance of those who !J.f; !~ might 'wish to send in contributions, which appeared in the first two numbers of the GOLD COAST . , REVIEW, may have been responsible for the small • • number of articles Ilitherto received for publication . 111 order to remove the impression that oilly scientific articles are required and to make the REVIEW more popular with a larger class of writer, I wish to say that I shall be glad to .receive for publicatioll in the REVIEW any short accounls on any of the following subjects :- Animals alld animal life : wild, domeslicated and domestic; Bird and bird life; Trees, plants , shrubs, flowers, their usefulness as medicine, etc.; Fishes and Fishing Induslry; Lagoons; Rivers; Forests; Moull- tains and hill ranges; Groves; L ', ISIolll s aud Usages; Customary laws; h,stilutions alld the various cOllstitu- ti01IS in the Gold Coast ; Monographs on fetishes; Castles of the Coast; Interesting Africall personalities . THE EDITOR . • • • • THE CULT OF THE KWAHU HUNTE~ ON THE QUESTION OF SASA ANIMALS, • ESPECIALLY THE ELEPHANT . - By A . G. FRASER, JUN. , ACHIMOTA COl.LEGE . • Nole :-1 would like to make acknowledgment to E. Addow of Abene tbanks to wh""e help I was able to obtain by far the greater part of the information contained in tills paper. A. G. FRASER, JUNJOR, Abetifi, Kwauu, 20. 8. 27. • Since Capt. Rattray came to Kwahu, he has discovered that the people there are an off-shoot of the Beretuo IJlan, and that they came from Ashanti Mampon and settled in their present dittrict about 200 years ago. When Capt. Rattray told me tills, it explained to me the remarkable parallel, as well as the • diflerenceo, between the hunting customs noted by him in Ashanti, • .nd th""" observed in Kwahu ; a parallel that had Illtherto _med to me quite inexplicable. ) • THE GOLD COAST REVIEW ANIMALS WITD VINDICTIVE S PIRrrS. Capt Rattmy has deClned sasam loa .... • U animals whi ch arc spiritually, not pt:ysical1Y' (Adll\1\t.i p. 207) dangerous," and ns nn example of the importance (Religion Ilnd Art. of th is distinction he points out that, in Ashanti, p. 183) AdolYa (the smallest of aU tbe antelopes) i. a sasnbon while eko (tbe busb-cow) is not_ In Kwnhu. Trom (the bongo), Kwaduo (the yellow-backed duyker), :lko (the roan), nnd ,sono (the elephant) are regarded as the principal Sasr. mmoa, and of these t,ile last is considered t.he most import..'111t.* They are allllccordcd funerals when killed, and the hunter has to wash himself in U medicine." There is, however, n secondary class of 1 / spirit ani mals," not nearly so dangerous, but whose 8Hsa do llOlle the l\!<>s require the performance of certain rites if they nre to be rendered innocuous. - :lsebo (the leopard), Agyiuaruoa (t.he domestic cat). Enini (the pyt,bon), and Gyata (the lion) belong to this group. Tbey are not sasommoa in thc samc sensc as the bongo, tJ.c yellCl\\··backed duyker, the roan nnd the elcphaut, as no ooc \"'ould go to the trouble of washing ill sasa·duru after killing ouc of them, nor with one exception, are they given elaborate lunerals. At tile samc t,imc it is admittedly'risky to take their lives, and honour is therefore shewn to their dcparted spirits in the performance o( some 01 the ftmeralrites observed on the death 01 a sasaboa. t Thc leopard is t,he only animal not a sasaboa that is given 8 lull {uneral. The reason for this special honour is that the leopard is considered to belong to the Aboade Nt:)!o. t Consequently, when a hunter brings in a leopard that he has ki lled, all the people in tbe town or village belonging to that Ntor:> gathcr round and perform the AbasokycTC cnstom; that is to say they not only pour oil into tbe mouth 01 tbe dead animal but bring sponges along as a sign that it is receiving the ba.th that would be given to a dead relation. - ·In Religion and Art (IJ. 183) Cnpt . Rattray meutions those four and in addit.ion , }USIlO (UtO wnter· lmck), JLwe (tho rluyker). Adowa (tLe smnll nntf'lopc I\bo,"o) nnd Ewiyo (the bll\Ck duy ker) In Ashullti it ill the Longo that is most d:lllgcroll ll and UlO!' t fo.verl; possibly it is bocn.uso bongo·hunt,ing i ~ Imrdly pmcti l"nble ill KWI~h\l. that the clepbrult Im.It been ginn fir~t plnee in this district , tr Mkcd Capt. Ha1tray :\bOlit this groul) and he ~ugge:ttecl thnt tbeir 8piritnn.1 dangor might lle d\l o Lo their c1o'ie cOllncction witb totcru~m, For in~tnncc . the python is the firs t t l\boo of tLe Bof!ommuru Nt:,lr:) (the mOdt important of r.1I Lhc Kbl':J dh' i ~ ionll) , t,he loopn.rd of Bosompra, lind so 00. teapt , IblLrr.,r cxplnills Lhal Nt :H':J is tho mo.le tru.n8witted clement. in roproduction. Thi<; clemont the Ashallti bclic\'e to be tho spirit (in ma.ll or henst), ami the femllie Impl'liC3 the n.I,)IlSlla (blood ). Members of the sl~mc Nt:>r:> belong to the tiamc • J"\triline: ~1 oxognlllous di\"~ion' f\ud W"~ ohviuusly, for thu most p,~rt, not cOlluOl'lod by blood Dot u.U in the Asnall"i b ell!,C, The Alxmdc Kt:Jro i.:t not llle1ltioued lWl0ng8t LhOl:lo found by Cllpt. Ro.ttn~y ill Ashanti. • • tHE CULT OF THE KWAHU HUNTER 157 Jt is prohably on account of his Nt:>r:> that the leopard is also kn,)n in Twi as Gyane-Hene (Gyahene), king of the • Gyane " family, of which Gyane-Atta (Gyata) the lion, Gyane- Arooa (Agyinarooa) the cat, and Agyanee the hyena are also members.· PROCEDURE FOR HUNTING S ASA MMOA. The hunting of sasaromoa is not undertaken lightly. A hunter would far rather miss a certa.in shot, unless he has made • due preparations, than incur the risk of the aniroal's spirit wrealdng its vengeance on him. These preparations chiefly concern the Asumal) t (charms. for fetish ... ) of the particular hunter. He relies on his Asumal) fo r guidance, for safety and success on the expedition, anel for protection after the event. His first concern therefore is to be 8ure that in this respect at all events he is well equipped. A hunter cannot buy his ASUlllal) from Mahommedan traders, a. i. often done by other people, he has to find them for himself in the bowels of the animals he has killed. - Having found a potential sumal) the hunter brings it home and immediately consults a local :)bosom (god) in order to discover its name, its occupation, its likes and its taboos. He then waits until the evening. Shortly before sunset a carrier i8 appointed lor the ncw 8umal) , usually a young boy in order to make certain that ihe information given by the sumal) will be correct, and not coloured by a sophi8tica' ed and therefore untrustworthy medi urn. 'As soon as everyone is ready (the carrier with thc sumal) , the hunter, his friends and anyone else interested) the procession moves off, the carrier remaining silent while the rest throng round singing songs suited to the occasion. Everyone knows when the spirit has arrived, 8S the carrier becomes possessed and, after frantic gesticulations, begins to talk. The sumal), through the medium, swears t to assist the hunter in every way, to name the animals that he will kill, and to tell him when and where to find - them. ·1 ha.ve to EWlmit that one informa,nt told me quito definitely thnt the lion Wall the only animal not 1\ sMnbof\., t.o be giv~n t\ {ullcm l wit h the AbMokyere cUiltom i and th:lL in COrLl\in districts it W.\oS frcqa cll t.ly given nn :lbafosie (the dance !\t 1\ hunt.er's funeral). in addition. I cou ld find no 11I1'port for lI~ stat.ement . fJ'hero are any number of t hele A<; lI111(UJ; l ome of thc HOlllt'S gh'en to me describe themselves "Mpra" ([rom yi . .. .. .. . t\pm. to forewl\rn ), "Boa·me " (help me) , but t.he origin of t.he other.'i Anfwcre. Kyafrafra. Afrim, Adnrtl. :::>dint.uo, Kimo is not so easy to see . This eCI·t.ain!y does not. exhawt the list of Arnployod by h\ln t e~ on the Afram • plains are AfT3.ID ·t\wiam. NkolJkuDlU. and Hua,suo, but their form and the maDJler in whicb tbey Me takon I could DOt di.icover . ,, , 158 THE COLl> COAST REVIEW • • In return for all thia the hunter has to owear (re~~ting the earn. oaths) that he will obey all the commands of th. ....u m.~t will perform all the rites it may requiro, and will observe all ita taboos'; and fin ally, if the suma~ bas kept ita aide of the bargain, t.hat he will offer drink, eggs, fowls, or sheep to it, &s it may desire. 'Vhile the oaths urc being taken and the contract made binding. those taklng part in the procession fire off Dane-guns. and dance and ~ing ill honour of the sumaIJ . The sumal) is then ready to enter on its duties. It begins by fixing a day on which the hunter is to start his expedition and it names a river, close at hand, from which the hunter is to set forth. When the day arrives the hunter and his company put up t emporary huts on the bank of the appointed river, the .uma~ being housed either in :l separate room or in the same shelter as t·he hunter. An cUering of rum is given to the river, it is told the whole story and the reason for their presence there, and finally it is asl\Cd to help t·he sumnJ) in watching over the interests of the hunter and his followers, as it too is native to the country. Before leaving the first camp the hunter has to consecrate both himself and his weapon. The sumal) is told about. this, and certain leaves are left on top of it over night. Next morning rum is poured over the sumnI). and the leaves removed. Hall of these arc squeezed out aud form the Sasa-duru (spirit-" medicine ") which is then ndded to a caIn bash full of water and the whole well mixed. The inside of the barrel of the gun is thoroughly wasbed with the .uixture and the gun left unused for seven days (or as many as the suma~ mny direct). The suma~ is tben consulted and tells the hunter the kind of animal he will kill, the place where it is to be found, the time to look for it, and the mark or markst, made on it (by the sumn~) whereby the hunter may know that he has killed the right beast. The hunter sets oll very carly on the day advioed by his sumnlJ . He carries with him a calabash full of water from the • river, iuto which he has squeezed the H medicine I> from the remaining half of the leaves used in consecrating hia gun. As soon as he is clear of the cnmp and on the right path for the place Dlentioned by the sumslJ, he stops, puts the" medicine Jl on the ground and lays his gun down on the far side of it. He then unoresses completely and piles everything on top of the gun. He then picks up the "medicine," which is lying between him and his equipment, and washes himself in it from top to toe. 1'his he ·TlmL thi.s contmct imposes 0. vcry rc~1 olJlig&tion on the h:l1lter is well illustrated by t.he trt\~i\: s tory of the don,t.h of a. hunter who broke 1\ tt\boo of hi' ::>bOSOlD (A6hallti, (l(l . 1;0 n"nd 171 ). That he had to pay for hia indiHcret.ion wilh his lite 6urpri&ed no one, tTh6.ie mtu'lis lUa.y be a. hole ill tbe 8IU' of the &Dimal, &. aut 00 the 'oak if it be IW elephant or &ny oLher lJocW.y defect. • THE CULT OF THE KWAHU HUNTER I59 does three times, and having finished, turns the calabash upside down a.u places a .tone on it to keep it in position. He then lIresses and goes straight to the place where he is to find his quarry. If the animal isn't there he has to wait for it, he may not search himself, be knows that it will come and that be will recognize it wben it does, for if it is in a herd it will stand out from the other. or make 80me other definite sign, and alterwards there is alway. the acid test of the marks, about which he has been told. • Having killed the Sasaboa he has been expecting the hunter puts some If medicine. " in his mouth, and approaches the carcass. This medicine he spits into its eyes and anus in order to drive out the sasa. He then cuts off its legs, beginning with the fore-legs, to make Bure that the animal's spirit will be unable to carry him 011 hi. path on the return -journeyt. Tbe next step is to find the marks referred to by the sumal) ; baving found them, for they are sure to be there, all i. plain sailing. The tail is cut off, and with it and the four legs the hunter returns to his camp. He makes an offering of gunpowder and wadding to the first stream he crosses, tells it all that has happened, and asks its help for even greater success in the future. On reaching the spot where the calabash was lelt, he deposits his gun along with the tail and legs of his sasaboa. He picks up the calabash and goes straight to his sumal) . He pours another ollering of rum over the sumal) and draws off some more .. medicine." He then fills the calabash, at the river near the camp, and returns with it Bnd the H medicine" to his gun and trophies. Again he has to bathe in the medicine, mixed with the water in the calabash, just as he did before setting out on his expedition. From the time when he made his sacrifice and prayers at the first stream crossed on the return journey until the time when he has had this bath, he may not say a word to anyone, if he did he would certainly go mad . Once he has had the bath however, he is free to speak. He returns to camp and reports his success; one by one his followers come and congratu· late him, not by shaking hands, but by taking hold of his right wrist; t.hey then join with bim in offering rum, eggs and fowl to both the 8umal) and the river. Finally those in camp bring different foodstuffs to the hunter, and these he take. to the spot where he bathed himseU. He throws the food in the direction of his kill saying, "Sas.mmoa nnyina ba ha, eyi ye nantewyiye Dual) a mederema mo; fi h::> k::> II "Ehe hunter is never without. a rescn'O supply of "medidne" from bia lumatl, when he is out hunt.ing . tIf he did not do UUd he would see thfl ghost of the del\d aoimal standing in the I*tb before him ; a.nd this mirage would decoy him jnto the beart of tbe buab where. once 100t, he would die of starVAtion . • , , ,. 160 THE GOLD COAST REVIEW (All you Sasammoa present here, this is the farewell ollering of food that I give you; disperse !) After this tIler. i. n" fear of the anima.l's spirit having any power over the hunter. .. HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. I . The Que.t. After the bunter has killed several sasammoa, witb the • guidance and belp of his suma~ , he hegins to feel that he is capable of going nfter the grentest of them all . There nre many reasons which urge him on to 1;11 elephants, but the chief amongst these is that in Kwahu, he is never admitted into the innermost. circlr of his profession until he has three, at l ea~t, to his creUit. Before this, he is known as nn ::>b:lmm::>fo (an RmnteUl' hunter, so to say) but .fter killing three elephants he is initiated into the order of the Ah,fot (the seasoned professional hunters) dJicb not only entitles him to certnin privileges during life .~d special rites at his fun eml-(all of which ,,;11 appear later)-but raises him at once to • rank of great importance amongst his people. At first the procedure is \'cry much the samc as ill the case of nny other Sasaboa. Thnt is to say t he hunter applif's to his sumn l) for permission to kill an elephant. H t.! thanks the sumal) for his help ill the past and poillts out thnt he has now killod su ruany sasamruon that, were be to kill the great sasaboa, it would find a n adequate stnff of kEtesoafo ready to scn-c it in the spir!t world. The rcquired advice is asked and gi"cJ1, as beforc, through n. medium who cHuies the SUllHlT) ronnd to the nccompaniment of appropriate songs. The old ordcr of events continues to be observed until after the poiut, whell the huuter hns cOll!'ccrnted his gUll with half the sasa-durn obtained from his f'um:lJ), has received (provisional) instrllct,ions concerning his kill , :md has ba.t,h ed himself three times in t he rcmaining hnH of the • II medicine," Then, instead of proceed ing to find hiR qnarry , he has to return to cnmp and senrch ont anyone with whom hc ha~ n misunderstanding. " Then nIl diflerencct' have been settlf>d, NOTi: ,-The bunt er may not himself cat the Oc.ih ot the fJ:\Saboa. · Eve.cy sMnLoo.lHLS, bowc\'C!', (\ l:ctesonfo (1'II~t,cf\rrier, serva.nt). an PottendELDt animnl, that is no t. itscU 0. sMabo~ oxcept in the case of the great Sasnboa., the clcpho.nt, whos(l kctc:loafo may be one of the ot her sn.sn.mmoa}. Tho p..'1.Tt.icuhu k ct.csonfo is llure to present itJ;.f'lf for oxecution, immediAtcly before, or ufter, it!> maRter . The hunter rur--y C!l-t of its flesh, unleos it. be 0. sasn.bl);\ that bas exposed it.self in the case of nn clcphnnt. ·This ngrce::l wit h Religion and Art, p .1S4, footnote 1. t'l'he w orthl :::>b:Jfo. and :::>b:Jmm:Jfu I\TO gi\'ell 1\.>1 synonymous in Christallcr's Dictiolll\ry. but t,he distinction hore noted i:; "CI'Y at.cicHy ohien'oo in Kwahu , • • - THE CULT OF THE KWAHU HUNTER x6x and peace and good-will restored, he has to perform a ceremony ~kuown !\Il Ano-h)'im.* This takes place on his soul-day, that is the day of the week on which he was born. First of all he takes a thorough bath, and shaves his head. He .hcn puts on a white cloth, trims his finger and toe nails, and marks hi. body ,,;th hy;re (a while clay). In the meantime a large number of dishes of food are being prepared. JIIlany of these wi ll be enjoyed later by the camp; they consist of sheep, fowl s. • eggs, and any game receutly shot by the hunter-but far more important is the" soul dish." The iugredients are Jt:)'t (mashed yam or plantain), boiled eggs, egg-shells, Adwcrc (a kind of herb, used in ma.ny religious ceremonies)J and SasaboDsam leaves (leaves of the si lk-cotton tree), a lump of salt is kept handy. These are brought separately into t he hunter's bedroom, where he and his family meet in private. The hunter takes an empty dish and into this he puts part of the JtJ along with the egg-shells, the leaves, and some of the egg. broken up. As he does this the hunter tells his soul and the Jhosom of his father why he is making the offering. He then takes three small bit.es out of the lump 01 salt and spits each one inw the dish.! The food is now presented, and the huutor pray" that his soul and the Jbosom of his lather will belp and prot.ect him in return. The dish is t.hen covered (lver and the bunter and hi. family troop out. The remainder 01 the day is given over to feasting and rest, a holiday in wbich the whole camp takes part. At dusk the hlmter retnrns, lor a time, to his devotions. H e bring:5 out the dish of JtJ thr.t \':3S left coYcl'ed up in t he bed room ami thro\\'s the lood 00 to t he roof of his bouse with the words :- " J kra Kwasi§ k3 da. 0, kJ cla IJkwa ne siade ne ah.-...vahosa IJ so " (Kwasi my soul go to sleep, go to sleep and may long life, good-fortune, and health be )'ours).11 • Ano-hylrtl. (lit . mouth.blessing) is 3.1\ act of WOf3hip of one's own soul ; cf. t.ho common phrase. Mihyira m'ano mopa (I c:,.l1 upon my SOli 1 to wa.rd off da.nger) , t No sl\lt or pepper is al!owerl t.o ent.er into the a.ctua.l preparation of the :)t-:>, a.'!. it is well known t,ll · ~t siima l]fo (dcp.\r tcd npirit s) nc,'cr C\t. salt or f't"pper . and so t.he hunter Lakes no Ch;I.IlCCi wiLh his 80u l lh::.\' will one duy b" his s;\m3.1J. for at a.1l co~ts he wishe~ hi3 offering of food to be accepted. !Thcre is apparently no danger o f th.is putting his sou l off the food. it enn easily nyoid the part tainted wit,h salt, which i ~ could not. h:l.·.·e done hOO sa.lt been bea.ten up with the yam. §Or Kww\\,o . Klvabella, KWJ,ku, Y<:.w, K ofi, KW:l.me. if t.he hunter h"ppened to be born Oil [\ Mond;~r. Tut"sday, Wl'd nC3da,y . TIIII/sda.y, Frida.y or Saturd&:r. rCJ~ti\'cly, Of. Capt Rattray's a(,count of a Wllkudr-.e wit nc;~cd by him , ..· he:o t he first food placed 011 the Lla.ckollcd .s tool~ W,\'I flome nlMhcd plaotain.- and the rema.inder was sUUsequently sprinkled outside for the spirits of t.he . ttendaut.o . (A.""»Ii. p.96 .) • '. 162 tHE GOLD COAST REVlEW Next morning the. hunter asks his sumal) whether the offering "as accepted by his soul. II it was, he obtains the final consent of his sumal) to the killing of an elephant and, as before, is given' the most minute instructions concerning it. Without further delay he bathes himself three times in sasa-duru and sets off to find the elephant, as he has been told. 2. The Kill. When the elephant falls to the shot of the hunter, it • trumpets, raising and lowering its trunk. It is asking the hunter who he is and how he had the audacity to shoot at it. The hunter answers most punctiliously giving his own name, his grandfather's name nnd the name of any near relation of his who may be a hunter. He boasts of the elephants thot these relations have 1:111ed, and adds that he himsell bopes to kill many more. This nnswer is repeated every time the elephant challenges. In the meantime the hunter waits (prapng that the animal will not fall dead on its haunches, as that would be extremely ill-omened) until the struggles cease-he then fires another shot into the elephant (so as to make sure that it is dead) and then hurries off to the nearest stream to fetch water* as an offering to the Sasa of the dead animal. The water is brought with some sand, in the katae (the leather shield over the gun-lock). It is poured out at the head of the elephant \\;th the words" Wobre suo ni 0 .. (You are tired, here is a drink). He then goes to the elephant's tail and catches hold of it with his left hand; in his right hand he carries a knife whieh he passes between his legs round the back of the right leg, and in this position cuts the tail off. In the same way he removes the tip of the elephant's trunk, except that he places his right foot hard dowl1 on the I.runk to steady it, holding only the tip in his left hand . but again he is cutting through from hehind his right Jeg. H e plugs the hole in the trunk ,\;th grass, and passes on to the ear. The ear chosen is the one uppermost as the elephant lics on the ground. He removes it, informing the elephant's sasa, as he docs so, thnt. he is taking away II the mat," that henceforth it will have .00 where to . leep, and that. as he has done everything nncler t.he directIOn and protectlOll of his sumar] and Nsamal]fo it will be powerless to avenge itself on him. The tail and tip of the trunk arc I.hen placed in the ear, rolled up, and tied into a bundle. Having done this the hunter straightens hilIlBelf and fires severnl shots, weeping and singing as he docs it. The song that ·1'ho best. way of finding water is to follow the direct.ion in which tbe clephllllt'ij head lies . ]t. ill lUI infallible sign tho.t wl\ter lies in the directioQ indioa.ted . • THE CULT OF THE KWAHU HUNTER he sings runs :- , If Gyakyeamo amm:Jso ansal) " Gyakyeamo who does not agya Anfwere· mmehwe me; strike and turn back, Father Anorruikore Grasiamo a otu a Anfwere who will not chastise ne b"were mu abogyabum ; me me (listen); Grasiamo, the na anka merekum akese I) ko- eagle, who flies (aloft) whose I)ko. "Otofo Gyane a me ho claws strike blood (listen); I aberennie, Antobori Finam e, usually kill the big ones only, • mabutu hi 0." I, Otofo Gyane, grow tired but do not eat, I, Antobori Finam, have laid one low." In addition to such a song as this, the appropriate one of the four refrains follo)Ving. is sung:- Obonini bi ada awia • (A (large) male animal has " fallen or asleep" in the day-time). Oboninima bi ada awia (A small male animal has" fallen or asleep" in the day-time). Kum mmerewa gya mma (Kill the old woman and leave or the children). Kum aprokuwa gya nii. (Kill the children and leave the mother). A short interval occurs in the singing and lamentations, and the hunter cuts some grass which he ties into a knot, this he pushes under the body of the elephant with the words :-" Wo sumie ni, mroos a w::mnya nwui no ani na merekata yi, se me anase oh::>fo hi Dam.na 3k:lto ahoa hi s, ahoa no ntumi l)hii no, na waye no bone bi. (This is your pillow, I am covering with it the eyes of live animals, if 1 or some" professional hunter" pursues such a one it will not be able to see him nor harm him). Finally the hunter puts some guupowder, bullets, salt, and pepper on a leaf and places it on the animal, climbs up bimself and continues his gUD-firing, singing, and weeping. t This he does hoping that soon he will bear a clap of thunder, a very good omen, which would send him on his way back to camp with a ligbt beart. If he has to go back witbout it, it would mean that his elephant i. a "Nyane aka" (a waker of debts), a troublesome prospect . • Note :-" Anfwere " is 3. god (:lbosom) .. Gyakyeamo .. is one of his title' . "GrOlSiamo" is a title for aD eagle . "Otofo Gyane .. and" Aotobori Finam ' are hunting tit1e9 in Kwahu. tcompare this weeping wiLb the case mentioned in A shanli, p 208. "A bunter when he haa ahot one of the Sa.s.&OOa, will burst into lri.meotatiQIl8, .., if be bad juat witneued the death of someone be loved." • • ,• • THE GOLD COAST REVIEW ,, Sometimes the hunter forget.s his way back t{) camp after 80 much excitement. If he does, he knowB that a vulture ,,;11 be lJent to guide him, he waits until he SCC3 it circling overhead and . then Bets off in the direction taken by the bird. He gives an offering of gunpowder, wadding, snuff, or kola- nut to every river or stream crossed, or any lake or pool passed, on the reiurn journey. Apart Irom this the rules to be obeyed b.,' hi m nre precisely the same ns in the case of the lesser sasammon , , that is, the order of procedure leading up to the three-fold bath in aasa-dulu is just as before, DOl' must be talk to any human being until after he has had it. Alter the bath the h,mter picks up IDS bundle (the tail, and trunk-t.il', tied up in the car) and make his public entry into the camp. He deposits the bundle in front of IDS own room, end starts firing his gun, wceping, and singing" rsono ma yCI)kJ fie " (elephant let us go home). Everyone in camp joins in th~ wceping and singing. 'Yhile the noise goes on a mixtme of water and powdered fried maize is prepared; this is otIered to the elephant's sasa, the hunter holding it in his left hand and pouring it over his bundle with the words :- " Abo" ( SO!lO mal-um wo yi, . wo nni sasa, nom wobere SHO yi gu wo mfefo asssafo 60 nil rna-Dya obi akuDl no wak)'i" (As I have killed you, 0 Elephant, you no longer have your spirit, you nre tired, take this drink, pour it on the colleagues in your spirit company and let me kill some more later on). Immediately alter this camp is struck and everyone sets of! for the scene of the kill in order to dismember the body. The carrier with the sumnl) lends the way. They take sand from one - of the rivers crosging their path, nnd, as soon as the dead elephant is rcached, huild n stand for the . umal) out of elephant grass, covered over with this sand. The sumal) stays there until the temporary camp is moved . • As the meat is cut up it is laid out on racks, called II asompa/ '. to dry. The wbole business only takes n few days. The last to leave the place is the hunter, he makes an otIering of meat, cut up small, which he throws around for the Nsamiil)fo (departed spirits) of dead hunters, for the Abosom (gods) connected with the local rivers, strea.ms, lakes, and trees, and for Nsontena (the white vulture). He sings a special song inviting Ns::mtcuil; II Ns:mtens lila YEl)kodi m'nyao, oya yo e! Anno ·A'Iompa (lit . Elepha.nt oed ), ioS tho namc for the special f l\Ck 'ISed in drying elepbant meat . Tho ordinary word for c. hunter's drying rack i:J "apaduo"; (lit. woodon bed) if t.his is erupt,y he sings to it. .. ApM.u/\ gyae 8U, kyeu/\ 100 m<1 wo adi c.mollo." (" Stop weeping drying rack, to ·morrow I will give you frM1I (meat) to 001.. ") • - THE CULT OF THE KWAHU HUNTER Kwasakyi e, Amponi a ohol) abel) , Oya yo e!" (" NS:>ntens • my attendants, let us eat, greetings! Anno the vulture, Amponi who can carry off ivory, greetings! ")* Having once left the scene of his kill the hunter does not return to it for a long time, as he knows that the sasa of the dead elephant will haunt the place for many months to come. The jaw-bone of the clephant he keeps as a trophy for his • sumal) , to which he also presents the tail , and the ear removed in the first instance. On reaching their old camp the whole company join in the service of thanksgiving, to the sumal) and the river, at which sheep or fowls and eggs, arc offered up, in the same way as was • noted in the case of '6ther sasammoa, and a full report is made of all that has taken place. In the ca,e of the great sasahoa it is not only the sumal) and the river that require an account of what has happened, notificationt has also to be sent to t he head of the hunter's family and the owner of the land on which Lhe animal was killed. Me8sengers are therefore despatched at once to the home town of the hunter with instructions to report the occurrence to the head of hi. family, and through him to the chief on whose stool-land the elephant was killed. The messengers take with them the elephant's tail (borrowed for the occasion frow the sumal), parts of the trunk, feet, and intestines, and all the most highly-prized ponions of the flesh , the last to be cut into small pieces and distributed to those entitled to a share, namely the chief and sub-chiefs of the town, allY Abofo (hunters of the first class) present, and the relatives and friends of the hunter himself. As they enter the town they Ktart firing of! guns and singing hunting songs : anyone interested and hearing the noise comes a.long a.nd listens to the news. The chief on whose stool-land the elephant was shot receives, as his due, one of the forc-legs and in return sends the hunter a prc~ent o( money, gunpowder, lead, flint, fowls, eggs, rum or gin, aud lastly, but most important of all , a bracelet of GyaneE ,nd Bola beads,! strung on a kind of fibre called " Edow " which i. obtained from the young leaves of the AdobE (raphia palm). This ·Amponi is 3. title of t.he vulture's. "0.)'3. yo :)" does not. sound like Twi. I havo not. beell able t.o find out it.s mea-ning. but. it is a mo!tt. friendly a,nd rutpectful noise, o.nd I ha.ye nen!" heard it used sa,yc ill 3. cont.ex t where greetings would be appropriate. . tThis report iH ca.lled .. S:) MOIUJU:) " (lit.. conceCliing elcphaut..sLriking). : .. Gyane" are t.r&nap&l'cnt blue bew and" Bot&" Me rather yaluable bee cia of orange.oolowed coral. , 166 THE GOLD COAST REVIEW is worn by the hunter on the right wrist until after the funeral of the elephant has been completed. The presentation of it i. , known ns the " Aba so kyerc*" custom and is done to protect the hunter frOlD any attack on the part of the elephant'. ...., always a possibility before the funeral. The bracelet ,. alao -• regarded as an award for valour, as it is exactly the same - decoration 8S that given, in the old days, to generals after 8 • victorious campaign. The Funeral.t As 800n 8S his messengers have returned, the hunter waits OD his Bumal) and obtains its permission to break up the camp and proceed to his town in order to hold the elephant'. funeral. As he enters the town, he and his company sing hunting songs known as Atrimpae (lit. head-splitting), and fire off guns. Just as no Kwahu hunter would kill an elephant on ThuTOday even were it to walk into his camp, 80 he is most particular that the funeral he held on that day for it is regarded aa the .oul-day of the elephant. It is attended by all the hunteTO in the neigh- bourhood. They come at the invitction of the cne who .hot the elephant aod bring with them drummers, singen. and dancers, both male and female. The first part of the programme consists of a dance depicting n hunter's life in the bush. It begina any time in the alternoon, Rnd continues till dusk, to the accompaniment 01 singing and drumming. The hunter sings :- :ldomal)koma boo ade. Borebore boo ade, oboo nomA bre, oboo opasakyit; anomA bre dOl) lewie, almimpa dal) nyaIJkosoroma. Aduaona{o aumat) D8 waye asam, icrotwiBmo a Jreb::> afutubum Danso orefre ::>hoDam yie, me ara. Sakyi Koabo, kJ ntEm bra ntem, Obiri-nyane a merema amono, nta :>Be Awe • -Not. to be confused with the" Abasokyere" custom referred to on p. 157 of this Review which is the ceremouial washing of a dead relation indioating that the rela.tions bind tht'MSclvee (kyeto) to stand security for the debY (abaso) of the deceased. Wbcrea.'J here" Abi so kyere 1I mee na literally " to tie on to the bro.nches " and is a. figurative expression for the tieing of the bra.celet on to the hunter's right wrist tCapt. Ro.ttrny hR..'l wri tten a description, illuatrated with 8everrJ photogra.phs, of an elephant's fnncrnl custom WitOeCl8ed by him in Aebant.i . (Rtligion and Art. pp. 184 aud 185). The rea.son wby it is 8ueh • far more elo.hotl\te affa.ir in KWI~h\l L<:', no doubt, the greater spirit.ual iaaportanoe of the u.nimal in t11is dis Lrict. Tt is very significl\nt, for inst61lce, tb.t a hunt« may not kill any f\nimnl, j\ftcr tlhooLing &n elepluUlt, unLil the l.tw', funaral hRB i>f.cn celebrated ; ('on8OQucut.ly au('h 1\ state of affairs 18. long delayed e lephant funeral i.y inconceivable in Kw&hu, though &ppr.rently by DO me&n. unknown in Aahanti . • • THE CULT OF tH E KWAHU m iNTER 16] a mma reye no bonniaye. Agya maye bi 0, Yensiramoa maye bi 0·. • (God created the world, the Lord created the world, he created the eagle, he created the vulture; the eagle seeks the protection of the heavens, the vulture of the stars. The Aduannas' (a tribe) sumal) is like a guinea-fowl who raises the dust and gets covered in it, yet demands a healthy body, I Sakyi Koabo, quick to go and quick to return, • Obiri-nyane who supplies fresh (meat), Awe the father of twins, to whom women show ingratitude. Father I have done something. Yensiramoa I have done something). In the meantime the drums say :- .. Agya 'Jbofo beb, 3de nam beba 'Jbommofo 'ye obarima; esono nan til) ye del) ; 'JbJfo nan til) ye del) ; 'Jmma apretwa mu nye del), 'JbJfo yam' ye I)wene Nso esono anim ye kJ na," [Father hunter will go off and return with meat, The hunter is a true man ; The elephant is a good walker (lit. the elephant's heels are strong) ; The hunter i. a good walker; May he tie on his powder pouch tightly (lit. let him deal strongly in his powder pouch). The hunter ;s .tingy (i.e., doe. not distribute hi. meat free), But (that i. because) the elephant i. a terror (to face).) During the dance the hunters wear long shirts of African clot.b, dyed a deep brown to look like burnt graso and caught up at the hips with a leather belt. They have caps of the same material, shaped somewhat like a fez, but very soft so that they hang down and flap about with every movement they make. ·:>dom1ukoml IWd Borehore are eynonyms for the supreme God. ;>p.,.kyi&a nd Akrimpl are eynonyms for the vulture. Asam and Krotwi . amo ate synonyms for the guinea-fowl. Sakyi Koabo, Obiri·nyan8, Awe. and Yeoeiramoa Are .n n.m.ee for a bunter-just a.8 Thomas Atk.ins is Uled in England for private soldiers. The lOng quoted by Capt. Rattray (Religaon and Art,p. 186) lor a similar featival baa not much in common with the one given here. tbough the app.rently irrelevant fact, that women can be ungrateful, does not escape • notice in either Thia thought. however. often OCCW'8 to the m.ind of tbe Twi man.; in fact, Chtistaller Buggeeta that their word for ingratitude (bonniay:)) iB re.Uy • contrACtion of ba a onni ay:) (wom~ who baa not. gratit;Jde). A P ..i ol refereoce to thie trait ia therefore not 80 remr.rkable u it. might .ppIlZ . • 168 THE GOLD COAST REVIEW They also carry a cJot,h bag, hung round their necks, containing wadding, powder and shot, while anything cbe they need i. stowed away in t he front of the upper part of their shirts. Grieves (called " Amporykuru " ) and saudal. firmly tied on, complete their outilt. During t.he £l ance the hunters stalk, shoot at, kill , and cut up all sorts of imaginary game. They make drying racks for their meat, they meet with 2ccidcnts and are sometimes mauled b .., their prcy. The onlookc r~ enter into th e spirit of the acting wi th ( t remendous ent husiasm. They arc moycrl to laughter and t o . Lcnrs, and arc almost as thrilled by t he message of the d rums and the songs as the hunters thcrnseh·cs. Ill tcrmi ttt'ut firin g goes on the whole t ime, especia lly if many l.m il ters arc prt:'''e!l t . There are also the usual liberal supplies of r um , gin aud palm-,,; ne, available nt any funcml and to be had for the asking by anyone t aking the I,rouble to be preseut- The second stagc, in tbe fun eral custom f~r the elephant, is the bathing in. and drinking of Asonnuru (elephant -ulCdicine). It is of three kinds: thc first is used for pm'poses of washing only) _ and is simply water containing certain roots and leaves; the second is a (h'ink, it also contains roots, but is laTgely palm-wine into which t he juice of a few hcrbs has been squeezed. Anyone, even habies may wllsh in t.hc first , and drink of t he second, but t he t hird is the really important ODe and is : eserved for the Ab3fo,t no Jb3mm~ro may touch it , let alone the common herd . These medicines nre prepaTed and administered by the head bunter of the tOWIl , unless he chooses to delegate the task to one of t he Ab3fo present . They are laid out in la rge calabashes on the cleplwut 's car. The car is stretched in front of the talking drums, wi t h t he tusks arranged behind it (betweeu it and the d rums) and on it the tai l and t he t ip of the t,runk. After the dancing everyone gat hers round, eager to get a sprinkling from number 1, and a sip of number 2, for to do thi ~ • will not only protect them !rom the susa of sasammoa hunted by t hem, if t hey are hunters, but it will mnke them stronger and bolder, whoever they lllay be, Having disposed of the firs t. two medicines, the Ab3fo Rre given their special drink. They drink it out of a calabash with holes punched in its bottom (only an obofo knows the secret of drinking from a sieve, an additional safeguard against the "1'ho dllnce here described wua very similar to the ono aeen by Capi . Hn.ttray in Ash;mti (Jltliuiol~ a)ld Art. Cap. XIX), 8~ve that his Wal more "pociali1.oo., tbe scenes l\Ctcd there being solely concerned with elephr.nt. hun ting, wherea.s in Kwabu Lbo bunting of tUly animal ia appropria.te. where Lhe funeral is that of t.he ohief amongst them. IS .. p. 16001 this hook. THE CULT OF THE KWAHU HUNTER uninitiated). They drink with the left hand. No one having once drunk of number 3 may ever again eat the flesh of the bush-cow or the onlinary village goat, ou pain of going mad. The third and final stage is the Ie Etiagyaw" (leaving at the boundary) ceremony, which takes place at. dusk. The whole company adjourns to the outskirts of the town, taking the road leading to the Afram plains, and there bids farewell to the sasa of the dead elephant which has now heen duly • appeased . The procession is headed by a band of camp-followers. This group represents the sasa of the dead elephant. They carry the ear, the tip of the trunk, and the tail, also what remains of the three "medicines" used at the ceremony, and any roots and herbs left over {rom their manufacture. Tbe onc responsi ble for • the ear fl aps it as he walks ill imitation of the animal. Next come the drummers and singers aud as thcy go they chant thc words :- " Odifie Ya ba, yekrn ab da Yeabfa yeba, mpremme~ Yeabfa yeba, ebokum." l(Odifie Ya's' SOli, our souls have said good-bye. 'Vc have gone, captured, and arc returning with, elephant tusks. 'Vc have gone, acquired, aUll arc coming back with, courage to kill (auimals).] The rcar is brought up with the hunters, still stalking inulginnry game and firing aIT occasional shots. The procession halts as soon as the town boundary is reached. B ere the advuncc-gttal'd throw down the cnr, the tip of t.he trunk, the tail and the H mediciue" rClllllills, nnd the hunters fire a volley each man saying, as he pulls his trigger, fC Merekum, DR merela 0" (lit. as I kill , so mny I find), being a request that he mar kill more elephnnts in the future, and may find the tusks of dead ones iuto the ba.rgain. The fUlleral is now over, and thc hunter who killcd the elephant may return to his work with an easy mind, knowing tbnt he has nothing (urtllCr to (car from the sasa of his vict.im. There is an interesting addition to the hweral cust.om of the elephant, if the one ,;lIed is the third that has fallen to the hunter in question. It i. called the Asomanalu (diggi ng the elephant • hole), and is introduced during the first part of t.he proceedings as pnrt of the dance. It is an imitation of the clepbant.c;, on a hot day, bathing in a pool or st·ream. ·Y& is the name for n. fCJU .~lc child born all l'hur:Jda.y. l'hursd6y i:l the soul-day of the elepbant.., hMce the na.me Oditie Y6 for & female clepbant.. in this case the motber of 'he one sbot. . • tHE GOLD coAst ilEVIEW It starts wi t h a short, semi-religious, ceremony. The head hunter of the town takes a hoe in his left hand and with three strokes cuts a small hole in the ground . He offers up a fowl and kola nuts. The body of the fowl he throws to the hunters gathered round ; the head of the fowl and the kola nuts he places in the hole and proceeds to pound with t he end of a long heavy stick. In the meant ime the hunters tear the body of t he fowl to bits each one snatching a portion, for the piece he gets represents the next animal he will ki ll. The mimicry then begins, a number of hunters form a circle round the hole, each taking a long stick and joining in tho pounding. The wives and daughters of the hunters rnah off and fetch pots of water which they pour into the hole. Usually the sasa of the elephant enters the pots, the women become possessed, and the hunters, engaged in pounding, get thoroughly drenched, . thanks to the frantic attempts of the women to reach the hole with their water. The pounding is an imitation of the elephants stamping around in the pool before drawing the water into their trunks, for drinking or for washing themselves. They always do this on aocount of their t error of crabs. They make absolutely certain that none are left alive in the drinking and w. .h ing place, .. one is sufficient to kill them, by suffocation, if it gets into the end of their trunks. The bole gets wider and wider and becomes a perfect bog owing to the gallons of water flung in. The hunters looking on, keep firing into the mess, and the hunters pounding get more excited and more violent every minute, until they are splashed from head to foot in mud just like the beasts they represent. Finally they fling their pestles into the middle of the mar. .., seize hold of their guns, and join the other hunters in firing, this time at the wooden sticks, until one is cut in two. The moment that happens they stop and evory hunter pre.ent tries to get a splinter of the broken pestel for his sumal). They then adjourn to the talking drums, as before to w. .h themselves in, and drink the three" medicines " prepared by the head hunter, and laid out on the elephant's ear in front 01 the drums. This time, as it is the third elephant that h .. lallen to the :>bommofo holding the luneral, an initiation ceremony takes place. The head hunter tells the :>bommofo to place his left loot on the tusks 01 the elephant, he himself takes the elsphant'. tail, dips the end 01 it in the first" medicine" (the washing one) and .prinkle. the mixture on the young hunter. The young hunter repeats the process lor himself. He then takes three drink. of the • second" medicine" handed to him in the left hand of the head hunter. After that he i. allowed to drink the third .. medicine" THE CilLT OF THE KWAHU HUNTER out of one of t,he small calabasbes with holes in the bottom. From that moment he i. a member 01 the brotherhood of the Ab310. There is no alteration in the third (Etiagyaw) part of the ceremony save that the sticks used in pounding the" elephant hole" are also carried to the town boundary. NOTJ:.-The funeral cllBtom described in the last six pages, is known in • Kwahu. as the Ab~fosie (hunter's buria.l) .- It is also performed when any bunter dies. be be an 3b:>fo. or merely an :>bomm::lfo, by the man's brother hunters. in addition to the ordma.ry funera.l given him by hl.a family. An 3bommofo however, does not hlwe the Aaomlnlltu included in his Abofosie. Final Thanlc.giving. The hunter bas now done everything required of him. H e is safe from the spirit of the sasaboa that he killed, but before he closes the chapter he always returns special thanks to the god of the River Afram, the guardian 'Jbosom of Kwahu . The next time he crosses the river he sings this song :- II Okwawu asuo Afrante, NWOJl'o;aayane, Etwie n yeb:::> ne dil) ama dwumade, Kakaa Gyemi a :)rck::> apre:m ano, wu DS wuye: aberewa awo du DenI.:osi-Boafo; WU, UR afe du 8, yerefrEfre wu agya. Agya abotow hi 0, dase·a·Bllsa." (The long Afram the river of Kwahu, the Wonderful One, " The Leopard " whose name we mention and to whom we have given the fruits of our labours. Thou Denkosi-Boafo, art an old woman and hast horn ten (children); thee, on the turn of tbe year, we call father. Father has laid one low, e ,erlasting thanks). -I am in 80me doubt. 80S t.o whether t.his W0rd sh'Juld not be \\Titten Ab~f08ie in WhlCh case it would moon" the bUl'i:\1 of l\1l "nima-I's c"rc:\3s." Both words would be high-toned on the second syllable