^ Anthropology : Social 



hot wash. He has no connection with his wife ; he sleeps and 

 eats apart. When the instructing Deya is satisfied with his pro- 

 ficiency, the candidate's family get a bullock ready to pay for 

 his education, and a day is appointed for inducting him into office. 

 This is quite a long ceremony. The test of the reality of his 

 possession is very singular. A fowl or duck is killed and the 

 head cut o.T ; some of the blood is put on the candidate's eyes, 

 and the head is then thrown away into the bushes. The candi- 

 date is now sent to find it. If he succeeds, his possession is real ; 

 if not, he is deceived. The latter case seldom occurs, as good 

 care is taken that the head shall be found, and the candidate is 

 escorted by his relatives (usually on the back of one of them) 

 to the place of ceremony. There he is divested of his filthy 

 hair and habiliments, is clothed in the usual dress of his class, 

 furnished with a stock of grigris and charms, and taken home. 



" Established at home, he is a most wonderful character. 

 Under the inspiration of his demon, there is nothing which he 

 cannot find out or do. For hundreds of miles the secrets of 

 hearts are known and revealed. Hidden acts of witchcraft are 

 brought to light. The potent spells and charms of the Deya 

 control winds, rain, pestilence, health, wealth, life and death. 

 There is no good sought nor ill deprecated for which he does 

 not at once provide a specific grigri. But it is especially in 

 reference to witchcraft that the powers of the Deyabo are in- 

 voked. To guard against this, the Deyabo make charms for 

 the persons of individuals, for their houses, for the town, for 

 the country. 



" By consulting their demons they are supposed to be 

 able at once to designate the witch or wizard in any particular 

 case, and the word of a Deya is taken ordinarily as sufficient 

 proof that the party accused is guilty, or rather as sufficient 

 ground for subjecting him to trial by gedu. This fact, in con- 



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