Africa and its inhabitants . ss of the Ba-Fyots, is mostly confounded with Sa-Manuelu, theMadonna, or with the Earth, mother of all. The native theologians have alsoa sort of trinity, Nzambi, mother of the Congo, being associated with her sou inthe government of the universe, while a third person, Deisos, takes part in thedirection of human affairs. The goddess is represented by the most venerated of THE BA-FYOTS. 401 all fetishes, who punishes with death those guilty of eating forbidden meats,possibly a reminiscence of the Christian fasts. Every prayer addressed to thefetish is clenched by a
Africa and its inhabitants . ss of the Ba-Fyots, is mostly confounded with Sa-Manuelu, theMadonna, or with the Earth, mother of all. The native theologians have alsoa sort of trinity, Nzambi, mother of the Congo, being associated with her sou inthe government of the universe, while a third person, Deisos, takes part in thedirection of human affairs. The goddess is represented by the most venerated of THE BA-FYOTS. 401 all fetishes, who punishes with death those guilty of eating forbidden meats,possibly a reminiscence of the Christian fasts. Every prayer addressed to thefetish is clenched by a nail buried in the body of the wooden effigy, and it mustsink deep and cause even a painful wound, so that the goddess pay due heed toher humble votarys supplication. So recently as 1870 human sacrifices were stillmade at the burial of a prince, and in 1877 a witch was burned in front of theEuropean factories at Cabinda. The Ba-Fyots, called by the Portuguese Cabinda or Cabenda, from the trading Fin-. 193.—A Cabinda. mm/... ^^^St^SSSS^SS--^SS^SS—^ -^«-T ~ station some 36 miles north of the Congo mouth, are skilful boatmen, who bmldthe so-called palhahotc., substantial seaworthy cndt, with which they carry on acoast trade along the seaboard from the Gaboon to Mossamedos. Lxkc the Kroo-men, they rAm take temporary service in the factories or on board the Kun-inanvessels. They are also excellent masons. ccK>ks, and tailors. u. thesouthern Portuguese possessions a large part of the ,K, It .s not^worthy that amongst the Cubindus infant mortality is abnost unknown, the 402 WEST AFRICA. children being entircl) exempt from rickets and the numerous other maladies thatsweep off so many in civilised lands. In these equatorial regions the interior is henceforth opened to Europeanenterprise, and the natives, who till recently took no part in international trade,may now exchange their gums and ivory for European wares. But withoutsystematic cultivation of
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Keywords: ., bookauthor, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectethnology
