DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49272#0317
THE WAYAO OF NYASALAND
301
and sitting within the circle, he blew his whistle which was irresistible to the mswai man
who was then induced to come out of his house. When he had reached the grave, the water
was sprinkled over him by the juaseketela with the millet stalk from the dish on the grave,
or he was struck with the gnu’s tail; in either case, he fell to the ground senseless. He was
then ready to be dealt with. The seketela sticks, small bamboos filled with crocodile poison,
were pushed up the anus and broken off to liberate the poison. Sticks might also be in-
serted behind the ear or in various other spots. The mswai was then beaten to wake him
up; he ran off to his own village and there, a little later, he sickened and died, telling no
one the cause. After death, the awilo when preparing the corpse of the hitherto unsuspected
mswai, might find the end of the stick projecting from the anus or see the punctures
elsewhere with the medicine adhering to them, and the man was revealed in his true
colors.
At Mtwiche’s village, there was a man called Liunga who professed to be able to extract
the poison injected by the juaseketela by causing his patients to undergo a vapor bath and
to drink certain decoctions. This man would never reveal the name of anyone who came
to him for treatment but would brag that “ trade was brisk.” The symptoms of the mortal
malady caused by the seketela are said to be intestinal obstruction with tremendous disten-
tion of the abdomen (peritonitis).
Of this same village, a story is told which, if not true, at all events illustrates the sort
of thing that is believed. As has been mentioned above, whenever the juaseketela blows
his little horn, any wasawi will hear it and thinking it is one of their band calling, will go to
meet him. A woman of this village told how she and her husband were sitting over the
fire while the evening meal was cooking, when he suddenly jumped up and said he must
go outside for a bit. She remonstrated and asked him to wait for his food, but he hurried
off. Later he returned, complaining of feeling very ill; his belly swelled up and he died soon
after. It was said that this man was very friendly with a woman named Abibi and that
when he went out into the bush, he was heard calling in a low voice, “Is that you, Abibi?”
When his body was examined, two punctures were found on the left side of the chest. It
was supposed that it was Abibi he expected to meet and with her enjoy a cannibalistic
repast, whereas it was a juaseketela who had called and killed him.
This brief outline of a case of sickness, suspicion of witchcraft, death, and the consulta-
tion with the caster-of-lots, the witch-finder, ordeal poison, death, and the catching of the
cannibal witch, has been given as a more or less consecutive story in order that it may be most
easily understood. Some further details concerning the lot-caster, witchcraft, etc., must
be added.
Lot-casting. Medicine men who cast lots were at one time fairly plentiful and were con-
sulted on many matters, often of small importance from a European point of view. Chief
of all were questions of witchcraft. The modus operandi varied in different cases. In usawi
and other important matters, the medicine man always used the chisango (divining in-
301
and sitting within the circle, he blew his whistle which was irresistible to the mswai man
who was then induced to come out of his house. When he had reached the grave, the water
was sprinkled over him by the juaseketela with the millet stalk from the dish on the grave,
or he was struck with the gnu’s tail; in either case, he fell to the ground senseless. He was
then ready to be dealt with. The seketela sticks, small bamboos filled with crocodile poison,
were pushed up the anus and broken off to liberate the poison. Sticks might also be in-
serted behind the ear or in various other spots. The mswai was then beaten to wake him
up; he ran off to his own village and there, a little later, he sickened and died, telling no
one the cause. After death, the awilo when preparing the corpse of the hitherto unsuspected
mswai, might find the end of the stick projecting from the anus or see the punctures
elsewhere with the medicine adhering to them, and the man was revealed in his true
colors.
At Mtwiche’s village, there was a man called Liunga who professed to be able to extract
the poison injected by the juaseketela by causing his patients to undergo a vapor bath and
to drink certain decoctions. This man would never reveal the name of anyone who came
to him for treatment but would brag that “ trade was brisk.” The symptoms of the mortal
malady caused by the seketela are said to be intestinal obstruction with tremendous disten-
tion of the abdomen (peritonitis).
Of this same village, a story is told which, if not true, at all events illustrates the sort
of thing that is believed. As has been mentioned above, whenever the juaseketela blows
his little horn, any wasawi will hear it and thinking it is one of their band calling, will go to
meet him. A woman of this village told how she and her husband were sitting over the
fire while the evening meal was cooking, when he suddenly jumped up and said he must
go outside for a bit. She remonstrated and asked him to wait for his food, but he hurried
off. Later he returned, complaining of feeling very ill; his belly swelled up and he died soon
after. It was said that this man was very friendly with a woman named Abibi and that
when he went out into the bush, he was heard calling in a low voice, “Is that you, Abibi?”
When his body was examined, two punctures were found on the left side of the chest. It
was supposed that it was Abibi he expected to meet and with her enjoy a cannibalistic
repast, whereas it was a juaseketela who had called and killed him.
This brief outline of a case of sickness, suspicion of witchcraft, death, and the consulta-
tion with the caster-of-lots, the witch-finder, ordeal poison, death, and the catching of the
cannibal witch, has been given as a more or less consecutive story in order that it may be most
easily understood. Some further details concerning the lot-caster, witchcraft, etc., must
be added.
Lot-casting. Medicine men who cast lots were at one time fairly plentiful and were con-
sulted on many matters, often of small importance from a European point of view. Chief
of all were questions of witchcraft. The modus operandi varied in different cases. In usawi
and other important matters, the medicine man always used the chisango (divining in-