4:0 Proceedings of lite Royal Irish Acadeinij. 



A candidate for initiation into the Leopard society must be a man, and 

 must be a member of the Poro. Women have sometimes taken part in the 

 ceremony, but there is reason to believe that they are women who have been 

 initiated to the Poro or are Sami women, i.e. belonging to the nobility of the 

 countrj', who have the right of entry. 



The Leopard-men usually endeavour to have a Christian or a Moslem as a 

 member, but only very debased specimens of either sect join them. Creoles 

 sometimes join for trade purposes, as by means of the society they can push 

 a trade or get payment of a bill which would otherwise be hopeless. 



The candidate has to procure a victim for di\'ision amongst the members, 

 and each member who receives a share is bound, in his turn, to produce 

 another victim. 



When the nature of the saraka, or sacrifice, for the purpose of cannibalism 

 is announced, two of the messengers of the cannibal society accompany the 

 person who has to provide the sacrifice to " beg " a victim. Xo one not a 

 member of the society could beg a child for sacrifice. As a rxile, five men meet 

 the mother or guardian of the ^actim on a lonely road, and they ask the mother 

 for her child for the good of the country offering perhaps a sovereign for it. 

 Generally the men are related to the woman. Similarly, a man is asked for 

 his son, brother, or sister, an ofi'ering of money being made for the Aictim ; 

 but a victim cannot be bought. At fir-st he refuses or says nothing, but 

 generally through fear he lends himself as a tool for the capture. Before 

 sacrifice is made, the sanction is obtained of the father, mother, and all the 

 male relatives of the \dctim ; this serves the double purpose of increasing the 

 membership of the society and of secrecy. If the sacrifice is being made for 

 or on behalf of a powerful chief, he himself does not beg or ask for the \-ictim, 

 but sends his brother or his messengers to obtain it. 



While this is going on, the country-side is being sworn not to reveal what 

 is about to happen ; the leopard-men take to the bush where they wandered 

 about all night making noises like real leopards. These wanderings and 

 noises are often kept up tiU daybreak ; and the natives say that this noise is 

 only made when the leopard-men want to catch someone, and that it is always 

 heard when and before people are caught : and they are sure it does not come 

 from real leopards, as there would be too many of them, and they would be 

 seen. 



The Tiuga-Tanga is brought out, the Sokko man dances in all the 

 surrounding villages for four days, and the people kill Poro ; Poro and Toma 

 bush are fed. 



It is usually night when the leopard ceremony is held ; but it need not be 

 so — ^it may be day, in the morning, or any time when people are gathered 



