But If Any One Of The Ladies Complains To The Chief Of The Town, That Her Husband Has Unjustly Punished Her, And Shown An Undue Partiality To Some Other Of His Wives, The Affair Is Brought To A Public Trial.

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," &c. 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 seem to be given by way of reproach, as _Bammakoo_, "wash a crocodile;" _Korankalla_, "no cup to drink from," &c. A child is named when it is seven or eight days old. The ceremony commences by shaving the infant's head; and a dish called _Dega_, made of pounded corn and sour milk, is prepared for the guests. If the parents are rich, a sheep or a 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 these 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 spit three times in its face; after which he pronounced its name aloud, and returned the infant to the mother. 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.[16]

[16] Soon after baptism, the children are marked in different parts of the skin, in a manner resembling what is called tattowing in the South Sea Islands.

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