English:
Identifier: banofboridemonsd00trem (find matches)
Title: The ban of the Bori; demons and demon-dancing in West and North Africa
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: Tremearne, A. J. N. (Arthur John Newman), 1877-1915
Subjects: Hausa (African people) Demonology Dance Ethnology
Publisher: London, Heath, Cranton & Ouseley Ltd
Contributing Library: Wellesley College Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries
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hey would do nothing but drink, let them off with theirtaxes. In Tripoli, there are many spirits of this kind, and theyare said to give their victims a thirst and other evil effectsof drunkenness. At the dance, a number appear together,and sit down in a ring, laugh foolishly, let saliva run overtheir clothes, and then fall about, finally being helped outof the ring by Masu-Bori not being ridden at the moment.Since bori and wild animals were evidently connected inthe Hausa mind, it is not at all inappropriate to say thatthese particular spirits are beastly drunk. Mai-Gangaddi (The Nodding One) or Sarikin Barchi(King—should be Queen—of Sleep—because nearly al-ways a female) (48) gives her victims sleeping-sickness.At the dance, she suddenly dozes off in the middle of someact. She does not dance around, but simply sits downand begins to spin, but soon lets her head fall upon oneside or the other, waking up again for an instant whentouched or spoken to by other Masu-Bori. Apparently
Text Appearing After Image:
47-—Spirits of Drunkenness at Tripoli. 48-—Ba-Toye, the Fire Bori ; Sarikin Kofa, the Leper, and Mai»Gan-gaddi, the Spirit of Sleeping-Sickness. BORI—THE BLACK SPIRITS 339 she will never leave the ring of her own free will (or perhapsshe has not the energy to do so), so when it is time for herto go, a thread of cotton is held out to her, and seeing thisshe sneezes and departs.Her song is : Complete the town (i.e. buck up) Gangaddi. She pre-vents my spinning, (does) Gangaddi,She prevents my sitting properly. See she is sleepy,She prevents my spinning.Look, your rival wife is coming, sit up and spinLest your husband drive you away. The above is somewhat difficult to follow. It is sungby the musicians, of course, the first three lines describingthe spirit, the last two being a friendly warning to her—an unusual form. Bidda is a bad spirit. When he seizes anyone whom hedoes not like, he makes his body quite stiff by putting apiece of iron in it which reaches from the navel to the
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