. The ban of the Bori; demons and demon-dancing in West and North Africa . set the cropon fire. There therefore seems to have been some ideaof obtaining a good crop in this rite originally, though itseems to be performed rather to secure sunshine than so, the rites on the hill of Sidi Bul Hassan are a curiousmixture. Whereas all the bori communities go to SidiBul Hassan, only that of the Gidan Ziria go to theManubia, but three years ago all joined together to gobefore the harvest as there was a drought, and the samepleasing success crowned their efforts. The stealing of tlje meat is sa
. The ban of the Bori; demons and demon-dancing in West and North Africa . set the cropon fire. There therefore seems to have been some ideaof obtaining a good crop in this rite originally, though itseems to be performed rather to secure sunshine than so, the rites on the hill of Sidi Bul Hassan are a curiousmixture. Whereas all the bori communities go to SidiBul Hassan, only that of the Gidan Ziria go to theManubia, but three years ago all joined together to gobefore the harvest as there was a drought, and the samepleasing success crowned their efforts. The stealing of tlje meat is said to drive away all pastmisfortune, and to prevent the occurrence of fresh is just possible that it symbolises the lightning,4 butit has certain resemblances to a rite even now found inMorocco, in which girls steal a doll—dressed in a pointedbonnet—from each other, this being an invocation forrain. The explanations are not at all antagonistic. The takai has much the same effect, so originally itwas a religious rite (and it still is in North Africa) rather. 15-—Looking towards —The Shrine oi Sidi Bu ] Hassan. MAGIC IN THE FIELDS-AGRICULTURE [9] than a war dance, which it seems to be now in man says that it is performed simply to keeppeople awake, because it would not do to sleep at sucha time. But this seems a quite inadequate explanation,especially as the people do not eat until after the dances,and there is but little doubt that it is a rite to promotefertility, the perambulations representing the apparentjourneys of the sun around the earth, while the beating ofthe sticks or hands helps to produce the rain. Againstthis theory, however, is the fact that West African dancersmay move in the contrary direction—as do the Kajjisand other head-hunters. So it may be that the dancersgoing round in opposite concentric circles (right arm toright arm) represent the powers of good and evil, thebeating or clapping symbolising the constant st
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdec, booksubjectdance, booksubjectdemonology
