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Page 11
As to religion, the natives believe that there is one Creator of all
things, and that he lives in the sun, and is girted round with a belt
that he may never eat or drink; but, according to some, he smokes a
pipe, which is our own favourite luxury. They believe he governs
events, especially our deaths or captivity; but, as for the doctrine
of eternity, I do not remember to have ever heard of it: some however
believe in the transmigration of souls in a certain degree. Those
spirits, which are not transmigrated, such as our dear friends or
relations, they believe always attend them, and guard them from the
bad spirits or their foes. For this reason they always before eating,
as I have observed, put some small portion of the meat, and pour some
of their drink, on the ground for them; and they often make oblations
of the blood of beasts or fowls at their graves. I was very fond of my
mother, and almost constantly with her. When she went to make these
oblations at her mother's tomb, which was a kind of small solitary
thatched house, I sometimes attended her. There she made her
libations, and spent most of the night in cries and lamentations. I
have been often extremely terrified on these occasions. The loneliness
of the place, the darkness of the night, and the ceremony of libation,
naturally awful and gloomy, were heightened by my mother's
lamentations; and these, concuring with the cries of doleful birds, by
which these places were frequented, gave an inexpressible terror to
the scene.
We compute the year from the day on which the sun crosses the line,
and on its setting that evening there is a general shout throughout
the land; at least I can speak from my own knowledge throughout our
vicinity. The people at the same time make a great noise with rattles,
not unlike the basket rattles used by children here, though much
larger, and hold up their hands to heaven for a blessing. It is then
the greatest offerings are made; and those children whom our wise men
foretel will be fortunate are then presented to different people. I
remember many used to come to see me, and I was carried about to
others for that purpose. They have many offerings, particularly at
full moons; generally two at harvest before the fruits are taken out
of the ground: and when any young animals are killed, sometimes they
offer up part of them as a sacrifice. These offerings, when made by
one of the heads of a family, serve for the whole. I remember we often
had them at my father's and my uncle's, and their families have been
present. Some of our offerings are eaten with bitter herbs. We had a
saying among us to any one of a cross temper, 'That if they were to be
eaten, they should be eaten with bitter herbs.'
We practised circumcision like the Jews, and made offerings and feasts
on that occasion in the same manner as they did. Like them also, our
children were named from some event, some circumstance, or fancied
foreboding at the time of their birth. I was named _Olaudah_, which,
in our language, signifies vicissitude or fortune also, one favoured,
and having a loud voice and well spoken. I remember we never polluted
the name of the object of our adoration; on the contrary, it was
always mentioned with the greatest reverence; and we were totally
unacquainted with swearing, and all those terms of abuse and reproach
which find their way so readily and copiously into the languages of
more civilized people. The only expressions of that kind I remember
were 'May you rot, or may you swell, or may a beast take you.'
I have before remarked that the natives of this part of Africa are
extremely cleanly. This necessary habit of decency was with us a part
of religion, and therefore we had many purifications and washings;
indeed almost as many, and used on the same occasions, if my
recollection does not fail me, as the Jews. Those that touched the
dead at any time were obliged to wash and purify themselves before
they could enter a dwelling-house. Every woman too, at certain times,
was forbidden to come into a dwelling-house, or touch any person, or
any thing we ate. I was so fond of my mother I could not keep from
her, or avoid touching her at some of those periods, in consequence of
which I was obliged to be kept out with her, in a little house made
for that purpose, till offering was made, and then we were purified.
Though we had no places of public worship, we had priests and
magicians, or wise men. I do not remember whether they had different
offices, or whether they were united in the same persons, but they
were held in great reverence by the people. They calculated our time,
and foretold events, as their name imported, for we called them
Ah-affoe-way-cah, which signifies calculators or yearly men, our year
being called Ah-affoe. They wore their beards, and when they died they
were succeeded by their sons. Most of their implements and things of
value were interred along with them. Pipes and tobacco were also put
into the grave with the corpse, which was always perfumed and
ornamented, and animals were offered in sacrifice to them. None
accompanied their funerals but those of the same profession or tribe.
These buried them after sunset, and always returned from the grave by
a different way from that which they went.
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