THE FEAST OF THE TREES 



Amongst the more highly developed races in Equa- 

 torial Africa, such as the Bantu, all religious ceremonies 

 take place at the foot of a sacred tree. Strange to say the 

 tree that is almost invariably chosen is of little or no 

 value, economically speaking, in their domestic life. 

 Wherever I witnessed ceremonial gatherings they were 

 held under some variety of Ficus, and here it is interest- 

 ing to note that the title of the Tree of Life has been 

 claimed for the Hindu World Tree — the ficus religiosa. 

 The Africa ficus was generally of the parasitic variety 

 of fig. The one thing that it did yield was good shade. 

 The branches were widespread. There could indeed be 

 no better Church or Temple in tropical Africa than 

 the shrine of the sacred tree. Such trees have in time 

 past been religiously guarded. Often as a Forest Officer 

 I came across them when I was creating a new planta- 

 tion, and before I knew the significance of the Ficus 

 I gave orders for such a tree to be cut. Naturally 

 labourers were reluctant to touch it, and it was only when 

 a direct order was given that such trees would be felled. 

 Owing to the enormous spread of the branches yield- 

 ing dense shade, young trees of valuable species would 

 not thrive underneath them, and in creating a uniform 

 forest it was obviously necessary to dispose of those that 

 were interfering with the new plantations. However I 

 was always careful to respect such trees that I knew 

 were used for ceremonial gatherings. 



I do not wish to convey that the only trees protected 

 or venerated in Equatorial Africa are useless. In the 



195 



