They sing extempore songs, in honour of their chief men, or any
other persons who are willing to give
"Solid pudding for empty praise."
But a nobler part of their office is to recite the historical events of
their country; hence, in war they accompany the soldiers to the field, in
order, by reciting the great actions of their ancestors, to awaken in
them a spirit of glorious emulation. The other class are devotees of the
Mahomedan faith, who travel about the country, singing devout hymns, and
performing religious ceremonies, to conciliate the favour of the
Almighty; either in averting calamity, or insuring success to any
enterprise. Both descriptions of these itinerant bards are much employed
and respected by the people, and very liberal contributions are made for
them.
The usual diet of the Negroes is somewhat different in different
districts. In general, the people of free condition breakfast about
daybreak, upon gruel made of meal and water, with a little of the fruit
of the tamarind, to give it an acid taste. About two o'clock in the
afternoon, a sort of hasty pudding, with a little shea-butter, is the
common meal; but the supper constitutes the principal repast, and is
seldom ready before midnight. This consists almost universally of
kouskous, with a small portion of animal food, or shea-butter, mixed with
it. In eating, the Kafirs as well as Mahomedans use the right hand only.
The beverage of the Pagan Negroes is beer and mead; of each of which they
frequently drink to excess. The Mahomedan converts drink nothing but
water. The natives of all descriptions take snuff, and smoke tobacco;
their pipes are made of wood, with an earthen bowl of curious
workmanship. But in the interior countries, the greatest of all luxuries
is salt. It would appear strange to an European, to see a child suck a
piece of rock-salt as if it were sugar. This, however, I have frequently
seen; although, in the inland parts, the poorer class of inhabitants are
so very rarely indulged with this precious article, that to say _a man
eats salt with his victuals_, is the same as saying _he is a rich man_. I
have myself suffered great inconvenience from the scarcity of this
article. The long use of vegetable food creates so painful a longing for
salt, that no words can sufficiently describe it.
The Negroes in general, and the Mandingoes in particular, are considered
by the whites on the Coast as an indolent and inactive people; I think
without reason. The nature of the climate is, indeed, unfavourable to
great exertion; but surely a people cannot justly be denominated
habitually indolent, whose wants are supplied, not by the spontaneous
productions of nature, but by their own exertions. Few people work
harder, when occasion requires, than the Mandingoes; but not having many
opportunities of turning to advantage the superfluous produce of their
labour, they are content with cultivating as much ground only as is
necessary for their own support. The labours of the field give them
pretty full employment during the rains; and in the dry season, the
people who live in the vicinity of large rivers employ themselves chiefly
in fishing. The fish are taken in wicker baskets, or with small cotton
nets; and are preserved by being first dried in the sun, and afterwards
rubbed with shea butter, to prevent them from contracting fresh moisture.
Others of the natives employ themselves in hunting. Their weapons are
bows and arrows; but the arrows in common use are not poisoned.[18] They
are very dexterous marksmen, and will hit a lizard on a tree, or any
other small object, at an amazing distance. They likewise kill
Guinea-fowls, partridges, and pigeons, but never on the wing. While the
men are occupied in these pursuits, the women are very diligent in
manufacturing cotton cloth. They prepare the cotton for spinning, by
laying it in small quantities at a time, upon a smooth stone, or piece of
wood, and rolling the seeds out with a thick iron spindle; and they spin
it with the distaff. The thread is not fine, but well twisted, and makes
a very durable cloth. A woman, with common diligence, will spin from six
to nine garments of this cloth in one year; which, according to its
fineness, will sell for a minkalli and a half, or two minkallies
each.[19] The weaving is performed by the men. The loom is made exactly
upon the same principle as that of Europe; but so small and narrow, that
the web is seldom more than four inches broad. The shuttle is of the
common construction; but as the thread is coarse, the chamber is somewhat
larger than the European.
[18] Poisoned arrows are used chiefly in war. The poison, which is
said to be very deadly, is prepared from a shrub called _koona_ (a
species of _echites_,) which is very common in the woods. The leaves
of this shrub, when boiled with a small quantity of water, yield a
thick black juice, into which the Negroes dip a cotton thread; this
thread they fasten round the iron of the arrow, in such a manner that
it is almost impossible to extract the arrow, when it has sunk beyond
the barbs, without leaving the iron point, and the poisoned thread,
in the wound.
[19] A minkalli is a quantity of gold, nearly equal in value to ten
shillings sterling.
The women dye this cloth of a rich and lasting blue colour, by the
following simple process: The leaves of the indigo when fresh gathered
are pounded in a wooden mortar, and mixed in a large earthen jar, with a
strong ley of wood ashes; chamber-ley is sometimes added. The cloth is
steeped in this mixture, and allowed to remain until it has acquired the
proper shade. In Kaarta and Ludamar, where the indigo is not plentiful,
they collect the leaves, and dry them in the sun; and when they wish to
use them, they reduce a sufficient quantity to powder, and mix it with
the ley as before mentioned.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 83 of 146
Words from 83903 to 84936
of 148366
