NATIVES OF BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA 
443 
The patient, however, fails to recover, we will suppose, either by faith cure in 
the belief that the evil influence of the witch is averted, or by good nursing and 
suitable drugs. He dies. If he has been a chief or a rich man and has lived in 
a district where European influence does not prevail, a sudden capture is made 
of a number of his slaves who are put in slave sticks to be subsequently 
slaughtered at their master’s grave, so that they may go with him to the spirit 
world. 
Amongst the Wankonde at the north end of Lake Nyasa the female relatives 
wash and anoint the dead body with oil ; and this custom of washing, anointing 
and subsequently swathing the corpse after death is almost universal in this part 
of Africa. 
But the Wankonde have a peculiar custom (as I am informed by Dr. Cross) 
of making a post mortem examination immediately after death, in order that the 
cause from which the person has died may be fully ascertained. The body is 
laid out in the shade of a tree, and one of the elders of the village takes a sharp 
bamboo and makes an incision in the median line of the stomach from the end 
of the breast bone to the navel. He then carefully examines the mesentery, and 
according to what he sees in the distribution of the blood-vessels confirms or 
denies the supposition that death has been due to witchcraft. This is done to 
the corpse of every person not dying in warfare. 1 
Among all tribes the persons who have handled, washed, anointed and laid 
out the corpse are considered to be unclean for several days afterwards. They 
eat amongst themselves and if they have to approach the village remain outside 
calling for what they want. Ordinarily the people who perform these services 
for the deceased are his relations—the brothers or sisters. If the Head person 
be a woman she is attended to in the first instance by women. The body 
is swathed in cloth among those tribes who are in contact with supplies of 
European goods ; but this would appear to be rather a custom imported from 
the Muhammadan. In the wilder parts of the country corpses are usually tied 
up with strips of bark in a sitting position. When these services are completed 
and the deceased is ready for burial those who have prepared the body perform 
various ablutions and get rid of their “ uncleanliness.” 
one pain by another ; they dry-cup freely and seem to be very successful in this. We have a lot to learn 
from the Wankonde doctors.” 
In regard to dry-cupping it is usually performed in this way :—First of all the place on the skin where 
the cupping is to take place is moistened, then a cup-shaped instrument made of antelope horn with 
a small hole bored at the end is firmly pressed on to the moistened skin. The hole at the stem of the cup 
is filled up with wax. Through this is thrust a tube of grass—similar to the straws with which people 
absorb cooling drinks. The doctor then sucks hard at the grass tube, the blood comes to the surface of the 
skin and the drawn-up flesh rises into the cup. The grass tube is withdrawn and the hole closed with 
wax after the air is exhausted. When the horn is removed the blood has formed large weals or lumps under 
the skin. 
1 The Anyanja divide the causes of death into three. One is the direct act of God, namely some 
sudden accident or the outcome of some widespread epidemic ; occasionally also the result of well-known 
diseases obviously incurred in a natural manner. Secondly, death in warfare or by open assassination, for 
the murderer may or may not be held responsible according to native law ; these deaths at any rate demand 
no further enquiry. Thirdly, death by witchcraft, where the malady is of an obscure kind, or where an 
individual has been killed by some wild beast, either in hunting or as an act of unprovoked aggression on 
the part of the animal. On these occasions the wild beast is supposed to be either inspired by the spirit 
of the witch or to be actually a “were,” or human being disguised as a wild animal The Wa-yao hold 
much the same ideas. When during a truce the Yao chief Makanjira was considering the terms of peace 
proposed by Major Edwards one of his councillors rose and advised war with the British to the bitter end. 
The discussion was taking place in the bush, and by a curious coincidence at that moment an enraged 
bull buffalo charged the whole party, singling out (and so wounding that eventually he died) the aforesaid 
councillor. The Yao at once declared that this buffalo was none other than Major Edwards and war was 
resumed with greater bitterness on this account. 
