In These Palavers, However, Which Are Conducted
Chiefly By Married Men, I Was Informed That The Complaint Of The
Wife Is Not Always Considered In A Very Serious Light, And The
Complainant Herself Is Sometimes Convicted Of Strife And Contention
And Left Without Remedy.
If she murmurs at the decision of the
court the magic rod of Mumbo Jumbo soon puts an end to the business.
The children of the Mandingoes are not always named after their
relations, but frequently in consequence of some remarkable
occurrence. Thus my landlord at Kamalia was called Karfa, a word
signifying to replace, because he was born shortly after the death
of one of his brothers. Other names are descriptive of good or bad
qualities - as Modi, a good man; Fadibba, father of the town, etc
Indeed, the very names of their towns have something descriptive in
them, as Sibidooloo, the town of ciboa-trees; Kenneyeto, victuals
here; Dosita, lift your spoon. Others appear to be given by way of
reproach - as Bammakoo, wash a crocodile; Karrankalla, no cup to
drink from, etc. A child is named when it is seven or eight days
old. The ceremony commences by shaving the infant's head; and a
dish culled dega, made of pounded corn and sour milk, is prepared
for the guests. If the parents are rich, a sheep or goat is
commonly added. The feast is called ding koon lee (the child's
head-shaving). During my stay at Kamalia I was present at four
different feasts of this kind, and the ceremony was the same in
each, whether the child belonged to a bushreen or a kafir. The
schoolmaster, who officiated as priest on those occasions, and who
is necessarily a bushreen, first said a long prayer over the dega,
during which every person present took hold of the brim of the
calabash with his right hand. After this the schoolmaster took the
child in his arms and said a second prayer, in which he repeatedly
solicited the blessing of God upon the child and upon all the
company. When this prayer was ended he whispered a few sentences in
the child's ear and spat three times in its face, after which he
pronounced its name aloud, and returned the infant to the mother.
{4} This part of the ceremony being ended, the father of the child
divided the dega into a number of balls, one of which he distributed
to every person present; and inquiry was then made if any person in
the town was dangerously sick, it being usual in such cases to send
the party a large portion of the dega, which is thought to possess
great medical virtues.
Among the negroes every individual, besides his own proper name, has
likewise a kontong, or surname, to denote the family or clan to
which he belongs. Some of these families are very numerous and
powerful. It is impossible to enumerate the various kontongs which
are found in different parts of the country, though the knowledge of
many of them is of great service to the traveller; for as every
negro plumes himself upon the importance or the antiquity of his
clan, he is much flattered when he is addressed by his kontong.
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