219 
Life at Banza Nokki . 
“ abominable idoland the word is also applied to 
the owl, here as in Dahome the object of superstition. 
I could trace no sign of worship paid to the sun 
(Tangwa or Muinyi), but there are multitudes of 
minor gods, probably deified ghosts, haunting par¬ 
ticular places. Thus, “ Simbi ” presides over vil¬ 
lages and the “ Tadi Nzazhi,” or Lightning Rock, 
near Boma; whilst the Yellala is the abode of an 
evil being which must be propitiated by offerings. 
As usual amongst Fetish worshippers, the only 
trace of belief in a future state is faith in revenants 
—returning men or ghosts. 
Each village has an idol under a little wall-less 
roof, apparently an earthern pot of grease and 
feathers, called Mavunga. This may be the 
Ovengwa of the “ Gamma people,” a “ terrible 
catcher and eater of men, a vampire of the dead; 
personal, whilst the Ibamba are indistinct; tall as 
a tree ; wandering through the woods, ever wink¬ 
ing ; whereas the Greek immortals were known 
by their motionless eyelids. “ Ngolo Wanga ” is 
a man-shaped figure of unpainted wood, kept in 
the hut. Every house is stuck inside and out¬ 
side with idols and fetishes, interpreters of the 
Deity, each having its own jurisdiction over 
lightning, wind, and rain; some act as scare¬ 
crows ; others teach magic, avert evils, preserve 
health and sight, protect cattle, and command fish 
in the sea or river. They are in all manner of 
