In Okuni, a long time ago, there dwelt a chief called ’Ndabu. He was
considered to be a rich man in that part of the country, and was the
owner of numerous slaves. He also had a large farm and many canoes.
Chief ’Ndabu was, however, not a happy man, as all the time he was
young he never had a son who should inherit his property when he
died. On this account, he married thirty wives, but none of them had
a child. At last, the Chief consulted a ju-ju man, and gave him a big
“dash.” The ju-ju man then made ju-ju, and finally told the Chief that
the only wife he had, by whom he could get a child was a woman called
Iya Agagim. He advised the chief to pull down all the houses where
his other wives lived and to send them away. He should then build an
entirely new house for Iya Agagim, and make a sacrifice of a white goat
and a white fowl, to which he should add a white piece of cloth which
should be tied up inside the door of the new house. The ju-ju man told
the chief not to sleep with anyone until the house was built, and that
then Iya Agagim was to go into the river and wash herself all over, and
having thrown away all her old clothes, she was to put on a new cloth
before she joined her husband so that she would be an entirely fresh
woman. When the chief heard this, he was very pleased, and went home.
Having called all his wives together, he told them what the ju-ju man
had advised him to do, and although he was very sorry to part with
them, still they would all have to go as he was determined to get a son
if possible. That night all the wives cried bitterly. The following
day the chief sent to his farm for yams which he gave to his wives,
and many rods as a dash; he then sent them back to their respective
parents. Iya Agagim was also sorry to lose her old companions. When
they had all departed the chief pulled down all the houses where they
had been living, and then built a new house on a different piece of
ground. When this was completed he made the sacrifices as he had
been directed to do by the ju-ju man. Iya Agagim then went down to
the town beach on the Cross River and washed herself very carefully.
She then threw all her old clothes away and walked back to the house
where she put on a new cloth and joined her husband. After a month had
elapsed she found that she had conceived and told her husband, who was
delighted at the good news.
The chief then called a play for all the young men and young women of
the town, and told them what had happened. He also gave them plenty to
eat and drink so that they might rejoice with him in his good fortune.
Chief ’Ndabu then went to the ju-ju man, taking many presents with him,
and having thanked him for his good advice which had turned out so
well, he then asked how many children he would have by his wife; and
when the ju-ju man said he would have twenty-one children, he was very
glad and went home, but he did not tell his wife. The chief then sent
his slaves off to the farm to make it larger, as in the future he would
have to make provision for a larger household. From the time Iya Agagim
conceived, the chief kept her in the house, as he was afraid that if
she met any of his former wives they might be jealous, and try to do
her some injury.
In due course, the woman gave birth to a boy baby, and the chief held
another big play which lasted for three days and nights, and much tombo
was drunk. Then the chief went again to the ju-ju man, and having
given him a big “dash,” asked whether the boy would live. The ju-ju
man said that he would live, and that some day one of his sons would
discover something which the Okuni people had never heard of or known
before. Then the chief went home. Altogether Iya Agagim gave birth to
twenty-one children, and the last boy who was born was called Amoru.
The chief then knew that his wife would not bear any more children.
As they grew up, whenever he went to his farm, Chief ’Ndabu used to
take all his children with him, and there were many people in the town
who were very jealous of him on account of his large family. At last,
some of the townspeople met together and decided to get rid of the
chief and all his family. One of the Okuni chiefs, called Elullo, who
was a witch, said that he was willing to go to Chief ’Ndabu’s house
at night and see what he could do, but he was afraid of the ju-ju
which the chief kept in a corner of the house, as it was very powerful
against witches and might kill him. At last, he thought of a plan, so
he went to one of Chief ’Ndabu’s former wives, who was called Elilli,
and asked her what sort of ju-ju her former husband had to protect
him against witches. Elilli then asked him why he wanted to know,
so the chief told her that they were tired of Chief ’Ndabu and all
his family, and wanted to kill them, but that they were afraid of his
ju-ju. Elilli said that she was also very jealous of Iya Agagim having
so many children, and that as she was a witch herself she would like
to join with Chief Elullo and kill the whole family. Elilli said that
the safest way to dispose of them all was to put a witch into Amoru
the last born, and that he would take them to his father’s house so
that they would not then do anything contrary to the chief’s protecting
ju-ju. Chief Elullo then invited Chief ’Ndabu to dine with him, and
asked him to bring his wife and all his children. The chief gladly
accepted the invitation and Elullo prepared large quantities of palm
oil chop and tombo for his guests. One portion of the food he set aside
for the boy Amoru, and this portion was bewitched. In the evening Chief
’Ndabu came with his family, and they all enjoyed their dinner. But
the prepared food had been given to Amoru who eat it. After they had
dined, they all went home and, shortly afterwards, went to bed. During
the night, Chief Elullo turned himself into a witch-bird (the owl) and
went to ’Ndabu’s house, where he called the boy whom he had witched.
By this time a lot of witches had arrived, and when Amoru came out he
was surprised to see so many people. Chief Elullo then cautioned the
boy never to tell anyone what he saw, and then took him to the place
where they cooked human food, and gave him a piece of flesh and some
yam to eat. Amoru eat the yam, but took the flesh home and hid it. He
hid the meat inside his mother’s fire-place, and covered it over with
pots. Although he never spoke about what he had seen, he could not help
wondering how it was that he could go in and out of the house when all
the doors were fastened. The next night when he heard the witches play
in the town, he was compelled by the witch inside him to go and join
them, and found when he got to the cooking place that a man had been
killed and hung up to the branch of a tree by his neck. Chief Elullo
told the boy that they were going to eat the dead man as they had
eaten the man the previous night, and that he should have his share
as before. Amoru was very frightened when he saw what was done, but
dared not say anything. The dead man was then cut up and cooked with
yams. When the food was sufficiently cooked it was divided amongst the
witches who sat down and eat it, but Amoru only eat the yam and took
the meat home and hid it in the same place. Every night for a month and
a half the boy attended the feast of the witches, and either a man or
a woman was always killed and eaten; but Amoru always took his piece
of flesh home and placed it with the other meat. All this time Chief
’Ndabu had been making sacrifices to his ju-ju to protect him against
witchcraft, and he used to call all his sons together to sit round the
ju-ju while the sacrifices were being made, but Amoru sat outside as he
was afraid to go near his father’s ju-ju on account of the witch in him.
One night when the boy went to the feast the witches told him that it
was his turn to provide a body for food, but Amoru said he was too
young and had no one to give. Then Chief Elullo said, you have a father
and mother and plenty of brothers and sisters, we shall be pleased to
eat any of them. But still the boy refused, saying that he was much
too fond of his people to have them killed for the witches’ food. Chief
Elullo replied that he could not help his feelings, and that, Amoru had
seen a man or woman killed every night for a month and a half, and that
he had received his share although the people who had been killed and
eaten were the dear relations of some of the witches. Amoru then begged
the witches to have another round and that when it came to his turn
again he would give either his father or mother up to be eaten. To this
they all agreed, and they went on in their usual way killing and eating
a man or a woman every night: but Amoru never eat his share. The witch
people used to play every night from the time other people went to bed
until cock crow when they were obliged to go home. When the time came
for Amoru to supply a man to be eaten, he began to get frightened. So
at last he made up his mind to tell his eldest brother, whose name was
Nkanyan, all about the witches and the difficulty he was in. Amoru then
got his big brother to go into the bush with him so that no one could
hear what he said, and then told him how he had been made a witch in
secret and was compelled to attend the meetings where the dead bodies
were eaten, but he explained that he had not eaten any of the human
flesh, having hidden it in the fireplace. Amoru then said, “the time
has now arrived when I have to produce a man or a woman for the witches
to eat, and they want my father or mother or one of us children, but
as I do not want to give them anyone I thought I would get you to help
me as you are big and strong.” At first Nkanyan could not believe his
young brother’s story, so Amoru brought him to the place where he had
hidden the meat, and showed it to him asking him not to tell anyone as
he had thought of a plan. Amoru then told his brother to lie down in a
bed opposite the door, but that he was not to go to sleep. He was to
arm himself with a matchet, and when he heard the witches coming he was
to stand at the head of his bed with the matchet in his hand and his
arm raised ready to strike. Amoru also said, “one of the witches will
present the calabash holding ‘the night’ three times, and on the third
time you must smash the ‘night’ calabash[4] with your matchet, and it
will at once become light.” He told his brother to be brave and not to
make a noise or tell anyone until the calabash was broken. He must then
call out to the people who must catch the witches and tie them up.
Amoru told Nkanyan that when the time came he would hide under one
of the beds, but the witches would run outside, and could be easily
distinguished from the other people, as they would be all naked.
That evening, after all the people had gone to bed, the witches met as
usual for their feast and play, and Amoru went and joined them. Chief
Elullo said it was Amoru’s turn to provide a body for food and asked
him who he was going to give. Amoru replied that he would give them
his eldest brother Nkanyan. The chief then told the people to take the
night calabash with them, and to bring Nkanyan out of his father’s
house, but Amoru asked Elullo to lead the people, as he was the chief
of the witches. To this the chief agreed, and Amoru showed the way to
his father’s house, and having opened the door showed them the bed
where Nkanyan was supposed to be sleeping.
Then the man presented the “night” calabash towards Nkanyan three
times, but as he held it out for the third time, Nkanyan hit it with
his matchet and smashed it to pieces with one blow. Directly this had
been done, it became light at once, and all the witches were discovered
naked, and at once started screaming and running away, trying to hide.
But Nkanyan called out in a loud voice for everyone to come out and
seize the witches, and very soon they were all caught and securely
fastened up. The people then took the witches to the palaver house, and
Chief ’Ndabu sent word to the other chiefs that they would be tried at
once.
The big wooden drum was then beaten to call the people together. The
people of the town were much surprised that the night had been so
short, but when they heard that the night calabash had been broken and
the witches captured, they were very glad, and went to have a look at
them.
Chief ’Ndabu told the chiefs what had happened in his house the
previous night.
When all the people had assembled, it was noticed that there were very
few chiefs present as most of them and the head men had joined the
witches’ society.
Amoru was then called upon to give evidence. He told the people all
that had happened and the number of people he had seen killed and
eaten. He also produced the basket of human flesh which had been given
him as his share.
Nkanyan also told the chiefs and people how the witches had come to
kill him, but he had broken their ju-ju calabash and turned the night
into day, when all the naked witches were caught.
The chiefs then went outside to consult as they were afraid to talk in
front of the witches. When they returned they ordered the witches to be
tied up to trees and burnt alive, but Chief Elullo, being the leader
was tortured and kept alive for some time. They cut small bits of flesh
from him, and cooked it before his eyes. They then made him eat his own
meat. After a time he died in great agony. His body was then burnt all
except the skull which would not burn, so the people cut it into pieces
with an axe and threw the broken pieces on the fire. The basket of meat
which Amoru brought was also burnt.
The sons and daughters of the witches were sorry to lose their parents,
but they were glad that all the witches in the town had been caught and
disposed of.
The chiefs then consulted together as to how they should get the witch
out of Amoru. They decided that he should be sent to a ju-ju man named
Ewo who could take witches out of people, and they agreed to pay his
charges, which amounted to one slave, between them.
So Amoru went to Ewo, the ju-ju man, and he took the witch out of his
heart and put it under a rock.
When the boy returned to Okuni, he told the people that he was quite
cured and was no longer a witch man.
The chiefs were very glad to hear of this, and sent Amoru round the
towns, when he received many presents of cloth, rods, and tombo.
The people then collected all the ashes of the witches who had been
burnt and threw them into the river, saying they had got rid of all the
witches in their town.
The chiefs then ordered two cows to be killed to make a feast, and a
big play was held.
A month later Chief ’Ndabu died and his funeral was attended by all
the chiefs and people of the town. His body was dressed up in his best
clothes and it was made to sit up in a chair, some of his wives fanning
it to keep the flies off. It was kept there for three days, and the
chiefs sat round the dead body and eat their food, but each mouthful
was first offered to the dead man to eat. Those people who were very
fond of ’Ndabu went so far as to touch his mouth with the food before
they eat it.
The body was then wrapped up in sleeping mats and buried, and many rods
and pieces of cloth were placed in the grave.
Nkanyan then took the place of his father and looked after his mother
and brothers and sisters, who lived in peace and died natural deaths
without being troubled by witches.