146 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



barren women are smeared with red ochre antimony 

 and white clay ; and they wear the apron of women 

 who have just given birth. They are presented to the 

 assembly with their doll-babes. Men and women all 

 sing and weep together, in a song lamenting the 

 misfortune of those who have no children. During 

 Ntidi's life he was passed from one to another of the 

 women. Perched on their shoulders he too sang a 

 song of lamentation. When the singing is ended the 

 two fore-quarters of each of the animals slain is taken 

 to the home of the maternal uncle of the woman for 

 whom it was killed, as a formal announcement to him 

 of what has taken place. The " mother " sleeps with 

 the doll as if it were a real child ; and she ceases not 

 to carry it about until her real child is born. The 

 latter then receives the name given to the doll, if of 

 the same sex as the doll is supposed to be ; otherwise 

 another name is chosen. Since Ntidi's death a young 

 unmarried man is chosen to accompany the women on 

 their excursion to the mountain. Although, however, 

 he supplies to some extent the place of Ntidi he does 

 not ride on their shoulders as the cripple did. The 

 cult of Ntidi is said to be disappearing : the medicine- 

 men now cure sterility by their " medicines." * 



A similar fusion of magic and religion has been 

 found among the Huichol of Mexico. A woman 

 desirous of children deposits in a cave near Santa 

 Catarina sacred to a female divinity " a doll made of 

 cotton-cloth, representing the baby wanted. After 



1 E. Jacottet, Bull, Soc. Neuchat. ix. 137. As to Ntidi, see 

 supra, p. 88 He seems to have died in a great famine consequent 

 upon an invasion by Fingoes in the year 1821. As to the doll, see 

 also/owra. Afr. Soc. v. 366. 



