THE PRIMITIVE WEST AFRICAN 17 



I have shown that in Yoruba the words used for the 

 senses of smell, sight, and touch are all included in 

 words meaning to copulate. Like the animal he was, 

 primitive man was led by his sense of smell towards 

 women at a certain period ; he saw them, pursued 

 them, and came into contact with them. This was at 

 the season of the year just following the season of fish 

 and flesh ; and, so, just as the rains commenced. 



Man in this animal stage of existence was probably 

 a wanderer on the face of the earth. Attracted by his 

 sense of smell, he, with other males, was drawn 

 towards a female, fought his competitors, and 

 instinctively satisfied his desire, and then left the 

 female to her own devices. She in time conceived 

 and brought forth a child. At this time she possibly 

 in no way connected her conqueror with the event 

 that made her a mother. Like other animals, she 

 tended her offspring until such time as it could look 

 after itself, when she left it or it left her. This 

 process would be repeated until she was past bearing, 

 when men would no longer approach her, and she 

 finally was killed or then, lost or helpless, she died 

 unmourned and forgotten. There are enough traces 

 left in Africa of this wandering life and indifference to 

 the death of the old to enable us to picture the sad 

 existence of such a mother. Even where people in 

 Africa are settled and living in villages this neglect of 

 the old, who have outlived their usefulness and their 

 relations, is often brought to our notice as we travel 

 through the country and meet starved old women by 

 the wayside, either dead or trying to walk to some far- 



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