Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), Monday 29 October 1900, page 8


ASHIANTI. HUMAN SACRIFICE. In no part of the world does slavery appear to be more detestable than in Ashanti. Slaves, other than those obtained by raids into neighbours' territory, have here to be smuggled through the various "spheres," French, German, and English, which are beginning to heam the country in on every side. The climate they are brought to is a sickly one for men bred up-country. They are not required for currency, since gold dust is the medium here. Nor are they required to any considerable extent as labourers, since the Ashanti lives merely on vegetables, which in this country want little or no cultivation. And yet there is a strong demand for slaves. They are wanted for human sacrifice. Stop human sacrifice, and you deal a fatal blow to the, slave trade,, while-you render raiding an unprofitable game. In England we scarcely realise the extent to which ..human sacrifice has been carried on in ,Ashanti previous ,to the late expedition, but evidences were not .wanting to show it. . Kumassi means: "the death place." The town possessed no less than ,three places of execution. One, for private executions, was, at the palace;. a second, for public decapitations, was on the parade ground; a third, for fetish sacrifices, was in the sacred.village of Bantama. Close to the parade ground was the grove into which, the remains of the victims were flung, and which very aptly was known as, "Golgotha" to the members of the force. The ground here was found covered with, skulls, and bones of hundreds of victims. At Bantama was the celebriited execution bowl; which was fully described by Bowdich in his ac count of Kumassi in 1817. It is a large brass basin some 5ft. in diameter. It is ornamented with four small lions, and a number of round knobs all around its rim, except at one part, where there is a space for the victim's neck to rest on the edge. The blood of the vic tims was allowed to putrefy in the bowl, and leaves of certain herbs being added It was considered a very valuable fetish medicine. The bowl has now been brought to England. Then in Kumassi are two blocks of houses occupied entirely by the executioners, one being assigned to the sacrificial, the other, to the criminal executions. Among the loot taken in the houses of Prempeh and of his chiefs were several "blood stools,"' or stools which had been used as. blocks for executions, and which bore very visible signs of having been so used. In these notes, be it remembered, we are only dealing with Kumassi but, every king-and there were some, half a dozen of them in the Ashanti Empire--had powers of life and 'death over his subjects, and carried out his human sacrifices on a minor scale in his own capital. In fact, the, exKing of Bekwai was deposed on account of his over-indulgence in that form of amusement! When once a man had been selected and seized for execution there were only two ways by which he could evade it. One was to repeat the "king's oath"a certain formula of words-before they could gag him; the other was to break loose from his captors and run as far as the Bantama-Kumassi cross-road: if he could reach this point before being overtaken he was allowed -to go free. In order to ensure against their prisoners getting off by either of these methods the executioners used to, spring on the intended victim from behind. and while one bound his hands behind his back another drove a knife through both his cheeks, which effectually prevented him from opening his mouth to speak. and in this horrible condition he-hadto.'await his turn for execution. FETISHES AND ORACLES. 'The Ashantis recognise the existence of a Superior Being, whom they adore, but in a vague manner . . At the commencement of the world, in the night of timq,, Onyame (God) was in daily reIntions with 'men.. -He came on the earth, 'conversed, with mankind, and all went well: but one day the women, :in pounding, their fufu,' used too, long' pestlcs and struck, God, who in anger. retired from- the world,, leaving its management to subaltern. divinities. These, are spirits (fetishes),' who dwell everywhere, in waters;, woods, rocks, and it is; neces-. anry .t6 conciliate them, unless 'one is willing to. encounter, their displeasure. Hence the worship rendered' to fetishes. Let us take a concrete example, and see liow:.things -pass . whenuone 'goes to eonstilt the fetish Deute at IiKrkye, the most.. known. and most powerful on' the' Gold' Coast. This- fetish is served' by .two' nriests: 'One lives in piublic anid is well' known, while the other, remains'' concealed, is known to nobody;' nud conn'idBred -as the great priest' of" the f tish.' For: the rest, allithe inluibitants of IKrakye ae are affiliated to the 'fetish,. amid labncr' to augment his prestige and renown. ITf ,a stranger rrives, in the town to consult the. fetish .heis ,made to, talk, inte"roggated; information ',is obtained con0 corning the object of11 his, 0journey. his family:: circumstanccs-all 'fthis- .without displlay;.,and these detail., it'is unneell ssary'.to say., ,re carefully cimnnniellte-l to the priest. who derives fromlnthem.all possible, profit.:: TIn the night. when. ,l, the world.is asleep, he goes to find' hiis secret comnanion, rel:itcs to himinall, he kInowsi and prepares vith him the scantc, of thile monrrow. 11i.fa1t, it is not 1noi: sible to interrogate theil feti.h evei'y' da-monsieur las, his ,honur's of .consltnition, anld that hiut once :a -weel.k. e 'in-. hnlhits n at-reat civern ll 'in which, durinC thle day is kent hi- secret"pri-est I and thitherl come thef peole'00,rto consult hlim nuder the:directiounnfofthebpnblic pridst. Atia-Yaw, the mostimnortant fetish of Okwaou, was litown innd feared 'for' leagues. about... Tip :to 'the time of the arrival.of the missionaries none contested his power, none. haid the idea of doubting his. existence ainndo iotency. . Some alffirlmed that be. wafs. a' snirit, others saw in hlim an animal. .These last fort a period were.right; it. was sanid that dluring several successive. y'ears a gorilla played the part of therfetish. In fact.' no one had seeoon him, none.had touched him, except the king.of the chiefs, 'to whom at times hl extended.n.littlehlnnd,, hairy .:and unrecomlisa hi., without. revealing himself. This diinity also lived in a cave, where he gave resnonses' after' thile manner of Virgil' s81ibl,. . 'nAtia-Yaw did not remain confinedin 1his cavern; he allowed himself nromennafdes. Preceded by a forernnner who announced his anpronach by mnans of a shiill. whistle, and cried. "Rcire is the father!'.' he traversed the town in every direction. and woe to those who enlountered. him! .A 'stab, a shot. mnidethem: comprehend that it is never well -to be cuiionus. He generally nrrived at't'thel frill of night. between half-nn st 6 and 7 'in the evening. .Atsnch times. everrone fled into his house and .llt.,innt' his 'fire. fofi't was supposed .thst ~kho fetiish .oulld not bear fire.. At other. times he 'took malignant pleasure in chntinr the inhabitants out of the eity to dnln-hesps, where they became the victimrn of the ants constnntly found there. T-e ,resCnted himself under all sortds of rn'mis. Sometimes he came fnuriou, n?al made everyone tremble: sometimes lh, tranquilly nrlOiballncidedh te s~tloofk even nresented himself before thle tint nod discussed politics. n:tnrallv n!wnvs throllmgh the, medium of hirs priest.