IV.—How Elili of Inkum died, and was Brought Back to Life Again.
Elili and Aikor were both Inkum women, the wives of Chief Nyip. They each had a female child by him.
Elili was the head wife and looked after the house, and for several years everything went well, until at last Elili became sick, and, after a short illness, died, and was buried.
Her daughter Oga was quite young when her mother died; her breasts were only just beginning to get round, and she had not been circumcised.
On Elili’s death Aikor took charge of the house, and cooked all the food. When it was time to hand the food round, Aikor always gave her daughter Nagor the best food, and only gave a very small portion to Oga, as she was a very jealous woman, and disliked Elili and her daughter.
This went on for some time, until one day Oga took the food which was not sufficient for her to her mother’s grave, and sat there crying and calling for her mother until the evening came, when she went home. The next day she went again and wept on the grave, until at last the grave opened, and she could see the top of her mother’s head. Oga continued to cry until sunset, and then she had to go home.
The following day, as soon as it was light, Oga started off again for the grave, and cried more, and by sundown her mother’s head and shoulders had appeared.
The day after, by constant crying, she induced her mother to come out as far as her waist, and, after a few more days of persistent weeping, she got her mother out altogether.
As it was dusk at the time, Oga led her mother to the back of the house, and hid her in a small room which was used only for storing yams and baskets. There she remained undiscovered for three days, and then Oga went to her father and said, “If you will give me a good present, I will show you my mother alive.”
Her father then gave her a piece of cloth, and Oga took him to the room where Elili was hiding, and said, “Here is my mother, who I have got alive again out of the grave.”
Chief Nyip was delighted to get his favourite wife back again, and they lived together as they had done before.
Very soon after the return of Elili from the grave, Aikor died, leaving her daughter Nagor in the charge of Elili and Oga. Elili then began to revenge herself upon Nagor for the way Oga had been treated. Nagor was made to do all the hard work of the house, and was also half starved.
This caused Nagor to go and cry on her mother’s grave. After crying bitterly for three days, her mother began to come out of the grave, and on the fourth day, when Aikor’s head and shoulders were showing above the ground, Nagor was so anxious to get her mother out altogether that she caught hold of her head and pulled with all her might, with the result that she pulled her mother’s head off her shoulders. Nagor then took the head and placed it in the same room where Oga had put her mother Elili.
She then called her father to come, but when he saw his dead wife’s head, he was very angry with Nagor, and told her to go and bury it again in the grave. Instead of doing as she was told, Nagor threw her mother’s head amongst the young palm oil trees. This caused them to bear fruit which resembled a woman’s head in shape and size, and even at the present time the young palm trees have bunches of fruit which look like a woman’s head with the plaits of hair all round.
Told by Abassi of Inkum.—[E.D., 27.5.10.]
V.—Concerning the Human Sacrifices which took Place on the Death of
Chief Indoma.
Chief Indoma was a very powerful chief. It was he who led the Inkum people to the site of their present town when they were driven out of their own country by the Awalas. When he arrived at the Cross River, he established the five compounds which still exist, and ruled over all the people. They were very fond of Indoma, as he was a just man.
A few years after they had built their compound, the two adjoining countries, Inde and Akparabong, made war against the Inkum, but Chief Indoma, who was skilled in warfare, led his people so well and wisely that both countries were driven back, and they have occupied the land ever since.
Indoma had two sons by his wife Isibe, whose names were Agatin and Ogum. When they were grown up, Chief Indoma died. All the country people were very sorry, and a big play was held, and the mourning was kept up for a long time.
Then a large and deep grave was dug, and a number of slaves were killed by knocking them on the head with wooden clubs. Their bodies were placed in the bottom of the grave, and Chief Indoma’s body was put on top. The head chief then ordered four young men to be caught alive and bound. One was placed under Indoma’s head as a pillow, another under his feet to make him more comfortable, and the other two were placed one on either side of the corpse, so that it was surrounded by living boys.
Then the head chief remembered that Indoma had been very fond of a boy named Edim, so they caught him, and, having tied him up, placed him in the grave near the dead chief’s head, so that he and the other four young men should be able to work for their master in the spirit land.
As the grave was very big and deep they put sticks across it, wedged firmly into the sides, planks were then placed over the sticks, and the planks were covered with sand.
By this time the grave was about half full, and the people left it until the next day, when more slaves were being brought in from the farms to be killed and put in the grave to fill it up.
When night time came, Edim, who had not been very securely fastened, called to the other four boys, and, managing to get his teeth to the tie-tie which bound the boy nearest to him, he bit it through, and the boy who was then released undid Edim’s thongs, and together they freed the other three boys. Edim then made a hole in the planks and sand, and got out of the grave.
When he had helped the others out, they all ran down to the beach, where they seized a canoe and paddled down river as hard as they could go to Akuna Muna. When they got there they presented themselves to King Egugo, and told him their story.
The King then took Edim as one of his boys, and, finding him to be intelligent, made him his head canoe boy.
After five years had elapsed Edim had made a lot of money, so he returned to Inkum with the other four boys, knowing that, even if he were recognised, he would not be killed, as the people had filled the grave with bodies the day after he had escaped.
Edim very shortly afterwards became one of the head men of the town under Agatin and Ogum. He married some wives, and many children, and lived to a good age.
Told by Abassi of Inkum.—[E.D., 27.5.10.]
VI.—The Story of the Witch who tried to kill her Husband; or, Why
Native Dogs refuse to obey their Masters.
Chief Leku of Inkum married a woman called Achor, and lived with her for some years.
At that time there was a very fine woman walking about the towns named Akoba. She was a yellow (light skin) woman, and had many hairs from the elephant’s tail, and beads round her neck. She did not wear any clothes, as she preferred to walk about naked, so that everyone could see her fine skin. Akoba had very large breasts, which hung down, but this did not in any way spoil her beauty in the young men’s eyes.
Many of them, including chiefs, wanted to marry her, but Akoba refused them all, as she made a lot of money out of them, and would not bind herself down to one man.
When she saw that so many men were bidding for her, she got a calabash and painted it different colours. Having placed the calabash some little distance off, Akoba said that anyone who wanted to marry her must hit the calabash with a small stone.
Many young men and chiefs tried who were anxious to possess her, but did not succeed, as she had put a ju-ju on them.
At last, however, Chief Leku managed to hit the calabash with a stone, and at once took Akoba home as his wife. He then called all the women together and held a big play, fired guns off in the town, rubbed Akoba with camwood, and told all people that she was his wife.
Akoba lived with Chief Leku for a little time, but very soon got tired of him. So she made up her mind that she would kill him and resume her former life. She said to herself, “It is very dull living with Leku all the time. If I kill him, I can have any man I fancy and make plenty of money, as all the young men want me, and are willing to pay, whereas now I have to do all the housework, and work hard on the farm, and Leku does not ‘dash’ me anything.”
Now, Chief Leku was a hunter, and made his living by killing animals (bush cows, buck, and kobs) and selling their meat. He had five dogs who were very clever, and had been taught to follow animals by scent. When they were young, a ju-ju was made for them, and certain leaves were mashed up and rubbed on their noses, which gave them very strong smelling powers, and they could follow wounded animals in the bush, which was most useful to Chief Leku.
The morning after Akoba had made up her mind to kill her husband, she said to him, “I want you to come into the forest with me to cut some palm nuts, but leave your hunting dogs behind as I do not like them.” Chief Leku, suspecting nothing, agreed, and they started off together.
When they got to the palm tree, the chief put his climbing belt of tie-tie round the tree, and, having secured it round his back, walked up to the top and commenced to cut the leaves or branches off round the nuts.
Akoba then beat her breast, and produced a sharp axe with which she began to cut down the tree, at the same time calling out to her husband that she was going to kill him. Very soon, the tree began to fall, but was fortunately caught by another tree growing near. Then Leku climbed into the other tree. Akoba, who was a witch, then started to cut down the tree in which her husband had taken refuge.
So the chief called a bird to him and sent it off with a message to his hunting dogs to come and rescue him. Immediately the dogs got the message they started off to help their master, but the witch Akoba caused a flood to overflow the path, so that the dogs could not track her. At last one of the dogs jumped into the water and swam across, and was very soon followed by the other four.
When they reached the foot of the tree the Chief told them to kill the woman, so they all leaped on her, and bit her until she died.
Then the chief came down from the tree, and divided Akoba’s body into five bundles, and told his dogs to carry them to his house, which they did.
When they reached the house it was night time, so the chief went to bed and told Achor what had happened to his new wife.
In the morning Achor saw the five bundles outside, and asked her husband how he had managed to carry them all, but he refused to tell her. So when night came and the chief went to bed, Achor said to him, “I will not sleep with you unless you tell me how you managed to carry those five bundles.” Now, Chief Leku was very fond of Achor, and wanted her badly, so he gave in, and told her that his hunting dogs had carried the bundles for him. Achor then went to bed, but the next morning she rose early, and calling the dogs to follow her, she went to the farm, where she collected five bundles of firewood and placed them in a row. Then Achor said to the dogs: “If you can carry bundles for your master, you can carry my firewood. Take those loads to my house at once.”
The dogs did not answer, but picked up their loads and carried them to the house. As each dog placed its load of firewood on the ground, it dropped down dead. Then the chief came out and said to Achor, “Look what you have done. All my hunting dogs are dead. This is what comes of telling you that my dogs carried the bundles for me.”
Ever since that day dogs never speak or do anything for their masters, although they can understand quite well. The reason the dogs will not obey now is because they say that the chief broke their dog law when he told his wife what they did for him.
Told by Abassi of Inkum.—[E.D., 27.5.10.]