- 21 - 
Short ly after dinner our friends from the Snake Society called 
for us, and led us through the village and dovm to a dimly lighted 
hut. As we stepped inside the door, a young man wearing an im- 
pressive feather headdress, took our flashlights from us*. There 
was one kerosene lamp burning, and about a dozen people, including 
two women, were crouched about on the floor. Chairs were placed 
for us. One corner of the room was curtained off, and one by one 
we were led over to the curtain and shown the “mysteries" on the 
other side. A would-be gatecrasher, caught prowling outside the 
door, was grabbed, brought in, and made to sit in a corner with his 
back to the room, during the entire evening. After making sure 
that he understood none of the languages in which the initiation 
was going to take olace* After the initiation was over, he was 
fined five shillings, with the alternative of 60 days in jail. 
I was allowed to make notes on the proceedings, and as the 
various fetiches were brought out I tried to get the phonetic 
spelling for each. 
The initiation fee was 8 shillings apiece; after we had paid 
this, and it had been duly counted and divided among ^ the members, 
we were given a speech on the seriousness of the society. It wa s 
not our money that they wanted, they said, but if we were willing to 
take the oath of secrecy , the rules and by-laws, the passwords and 
grip would be explained to us. 
The fetiches were ar raged on a large tray on the floor , and 
the Gli, or Worshipful. Master, picked them up one by one and told 
us their symbolism. This is a Mano society; we had taken Bobor 
with us as' interpreter; each lesson was given in Mano , translated 
into Belle, then" into Kpesse, then into pidgin English, and often 
into an English that we could understand. Si repeating what Bobor 
said. 
A small forked stick is used for catching snake s on the 
ground, a hooked stick for drawing them out of trees. A bundle 
of twigs tied with string symbolizes a snake crossing the road. 
A piece of hollow pith, decorated with cowrie shells, is 
power fill medicine; if the right herb is placed in it, death comes 
to the man who breaks the law of the society . 
Yangwah was given to me as my name; it means that I am the 
judge, “the final arbiter in all discussions; I have the power to 
11 cut the palaver". My symbol was a woman's head fashioned of 
black clay, with cowrie shells for eyes, and a few feathers for a 
head dress. 
Kpleln is a small knife, with a string tied to it that ► 
represents a snake's tail; in giving it to anyone you hold the 
blade and present the handl e • 
Mangow is an oval of clay with two or three cowrie shells, 
stuck through with a needle • It represents a snake crossing uhe 
road. In handing it to anyone you proffer the blunt end. 
