Buja-Sacred Huts and Magical Aspects of Food
4
Sacred Huts and Magical Aspects of Food Posted on 01/04/2015 Robert Nassau , as David Livingstone before him, was a missionary, explorer, and recorder of people, geography and customs in the areas through which he traveled and lived. Also, as Livingstone, he was a product of the colonial era of the nineteenth century, and thus his writing, analyses and claims should be read in relation to that historical and political paradigm. ...... DIANABUJA'S BLOG: Africa, The Middle East, Agriculture, History and Culture Ambling through the present and past with thoughts about the future
-
Upload
diana-buja -
Category
Documents
-
view
222 -
download
2
description
The role played by magic among people of 19th century west Africa
Transcript of Buja-Sacred Huts and Magical Aspects of Food
-
SacredHutsandMagicalAspectsofFoodPostedon01/04/2015
RobertNassau,asDavidLivingstonebeforehim,wasamissionary,explorer,andrecorderofpeople,geographyandcustomsintheareasthroughwhichhetraveledandlived.Also,asLivingstone,hewasaproductofthecolonialeraofthenineteenthcentury,andthushiswriting,analysesandclaimsshouldbereadinrelationtothathistoricalandpoliticalparadigm.
......
DIANABUJA'SBLOG:Africa,TheMiddleEast,Agriculture,HistoryandCultureAmblingthroughthepresentandpastwiththoughtsaboutthefuture
-
Palmandplantainleaveshavebeenmadeintoclothingforthistraditionaldoctor.Source,Rev.NassauFetichisminWestAfrica.
Earlier,Iwrotethefollowingaboutmagicalityandfood
Premoderncuisineinmanypartsoftheworldcanbemorefullyunderstoodnotsimplyasatechnicalrecipetobeconstructedbutalsoinrelationtothecontextinwhichitissituated.Hence,theremaybesocial,sexual,political,religiousorotheraspectsthatfigureinthetotalrecipeaspresentedinthefinishedproduct.ItisourWesternproclivitytodisassociatefactfromcontextthatmaycreatedifficultiesinunderstandingagivencuisineinitstotality.
DuringhisfortyyearsofmissionaryworkinwestAfrica,theRev.Nassauseemstohavelearnedthisimportantfactalthoughitisnotspecificallystatedassuchinhisworks.ToexaminetheapproachheusesinincorporatingwhatIshallcallthemagicalityofcuisineinanotherwiseseculardish.IwilltalkabouttheroleofSacredHutsandMagicalAspectsofFood.
SourceTheMagicalityofCuisine1:MeatCookedinPlantainLeavesasaLovePhiltre,19thCenturyGabon,WestAfrica
RobertHamillNassauportrait
TheRev.Nassauexplains:
Insomepartofthelongsinglestreetofmostvillagesisbuiltalowhut,sometimesnotlargerthanadogkennel,inwhich,amongalltribes,arehungcharmsorbywhichisgrowingaconsecratedplant(alily,acactus,aEuphorbia,oraFicus).Insometribesarudelycarvedhuman(generallyfemale)figurestandsinthathut,asanidol.Idolsarerareamongmostofthecoasttribes,butarecommonamongalltheinteriortribes.
-
VotivehutnexttoaresidentialhutinBurundi,c.1910.Source.MeyerLesBarundi:Uneetudeethnologique
enAfrique
ThattheyarenotnowfrequentlyseenontheCoastis,Ithink,notduetoalackoffaithinthem,butperhapstoaslightsenseofcivilizedshame.Theidolhasbeenthematerialobjectmostdenouncedbymissionariesintheirsermonsagainstheathenism.
Thehalfawakenednativehidesit,orhemanufacturesitforsaletocuriohunters.Areallyvaluedidol,supposedtocontainaspirit,hewillnotsell.Hedoesnotalwayshidehisfetichcharmwornonhispersonforitpassesmusterinhisexplanationofitsuseasamedicine.Thatidol,charm,orplant,asthecasemaybe,isbelievedforthetimetobetheresidenceofaspiritwhichistobeplacatedbyofferingsofsomekindoffood.
Ihaveseeninthosesacredhutsadishofboiledplantains(oftenbyforeignersmiscalledbananas)oraplateoffish.Thisfoodisgenerallynotremovedtillitspoils.Sometimes,wherethegiftisaverylargeone,afeastismadepeopleandspiritaresupposedtojoininthefestival,andnothingislefttospoil.
atraditionalspiritualhutatthegateofkayakinondo.thesacredmijikendakayaforestsUNESCO:WorldHeritagesit
Thatitisofusetothespiritisfullybelievedbutjusthow,fewhavebeenabletotellme.Somesaythatthehfeoressenceofthefoodhasbeeneatenbythespiritonlytheformofthevegetableorfleshremainingtoberemoved.
Decle[authorofThreeYearsinSavageAfrica]alsodescribesthereligioushabitsoftheBarotsetribesofSouthernCentralAfrica:Theychieflyworshipthesoulsoftheirancestors.Whenanymisfortunehappens,thewitchdoctordivineswithknuckleboneswhethertheancestorisdispleased,andtheygotothegraveandofferupsacrificeofgrainorhoney.
-
AboutdianabujaWithagroupofBaTwa(pygmy)womenpotters,withwhomwe'veworkedtoenhanceproductionandsalesoftheirwonderfulpotsfantasticforcookingandserving.Toseethe2blogsonthisworkenter'batwapots'intothesearchenginelocatedjustabovethispicture.BlogentriesthroughoutthissiteareaboutAfrica,aswellasabouttheMiddleEastandlifeingeneralreflectingover35yearsofworkandresearchinAfricaandtheMiddleEastComeandjoinme!Viewallpostsbydianabuja
Theyalsobringtothetombscookedmeats,whichtheyleavethereafewminutesandtheneat.Whentheygotopraybyagrave,theyalsoleavesomesmallwhitebeads.WhilstanEnglishmanwasjourneyingtoLialui,hepassednearalittlewoodwheretherelayaveryveneratedchief.Theboatmenstopped,andhavingsacrificedsomecookedmillet,theirheadmandesignatedamantoofferupaprayer,whichranthus:
*Youseeuswearewornouttravellers,andourbellyisemptyinspirethewhiteman,forwhomwerow,togiveusfoodtofillourstomachs.
AmongtheWanyamwezi,EverychiefhasnearhishutaMusimohut,inwhichthedeadaresupposedtodwell,andwheresacrificesandofferingsmustbemade.MeatandflouraredepositedintheMusimohuts,andarenot,aswithmanyotherpeoples,consumedafterwards.ThecommonpeoplealsohavetheirMusimohuts,buttheyaresmallerthanthatofthechief,andtheofferingstheymakeare,ofcourse,notsoimportantashis.
fetichdoctorpatchhairistheprofessionaltonsure.Source,Rev.NassauFetichisminWestAfrica.
TextsourceNassauFetichisminWestAfricaFortyYearsObservationofNativeCustomsandSuperstitions,bytheRev.RobertHamillNassau.UniversityPress,Cambridge,U.S.A.1904.
Otherentriesinthisseriesare:
1. TheMagicalityofCuisine1:MeatCookedinPlantainLeavesasaLovePhiltre,19thCenturyGabon,WestAfrica
2. TheMagicalityofCuisine2:ARecipeforacomplicatedLoveFiltreforMen.19thCenturyGabon3. TheMagicalityofCuisine3:ADishofFishandPlantainstoGuaranteeSuccessfulFishing,19thCentury
Gabon,WestAfrica4. TheMagicalityofCuisine4:FeedingtheSoilaStewofLeavesandBarktoGuaranteeSuccessfulGardening,
19thCenturyGabon,WestAfrica
