Liberia ^ 



that it even lingers or revives in Christian Europe or America 

 at the present day in the form of confirmation services in 

 branches of the Christian Church, in the Catholic sodalities, 

 in boys' and girls' clubs, and so on. 



In Liberia, as in other parts of Africa, initiation ceremonies 

 generally commence with boys and girls on their approach 

 to puberty. The two institutions for the different sexes are 

 kept absolutely distinct. A man interfering with the women's 

 school runs the risk of at any rate severe bodily harm, whilst 

 any unfortunate woman who by blundering or of set purpose 

 pries into the mysteries ot the boys' school is more probably 

 killed — and in some districts eaten. 



To enforce regard for the teaching given in these assemblies, 

 and respect for tribal custom, lore, and the wisdom of the 

 elders, recourse must be had of necessity to a bogey^ to what 

 is commonly termed a devil} The institution of this mysterious, 

 somewhat supernatural personage may no doubt be traced 

 very far back in human history, to the times which immediately 

 followed on the birth of human consciousness and the dawn 

 of religion. But it has sometimes occurred to the present 

 writer to trace the origin back, the form devised for this 

 disciplinary devil in West Africa, to the superstitious dread 

 which the Negro of forested Africa feels for the gorilla or even 

 the chimpanzee. Some of the masks and mantles of long imita- 

 tion hair which are worn in the countries at the back of Old 

 Calabar or even here and there in Liberia decidedly suggest 

 the appearance of a man-ape. In Liberia the devil's mask 

 is carved out of ebony or of other wood stained black. 

 The voluminous dress is usually composed of palm filaments 

 dyed black. 



The men's devil in these Negro societies has to attend 



' In Vai, the FeDiha (literally, Fen (5(7 = big thing.) 

 1030 



