Section 2. Taboos on Eating and Drinking.
IN THE OPINION of savages the acts of eating and drinking are attended
with special danger; for at these times the soul may escape from the mouth,
or be extracted by the magic arts of an enemy present. Among the
Ewe-speaking peoples of the Slave Coast "the common belief seems to be
that the indwelling spirit leaves the body and returns to it through the mouth;
hence, should it have gone out, it behoves a man to be careful about
opening his mouth, lest a homeless spirit should take advantage of the
opportunity and enter his body. This, it appears, is considered most likely to
take place while the man is eating." Precautions are therefore adopted to
guard against these dangers. Thus of the Bataks it is said that "since the
soul can leave the body, they always take care to prevent their soul from
straying on occasions when they have most need of it. But it is only
possible to prevent the soul from straying when one is in the house. At
feasts one may find the whole house shut up, in order that the soul may
stay and enjoy the good things set before it." The Zafimanelo in
Madagascar lock their doors when they eat, and hardly any one ever sees
them eating. The Warua will not allow any one to see them eating and
drinking, being doubly particular that no person of the opposite sex shall
see them doing so. "I had to pay a man to let me see him drink; I could not
make a man let a woman see him drink." When offered a drink they often
ask that a cloth may be held up to hide them whilst drinking. 1
If these are the ordinary precautions taken by common people, the
precautions taken by kings are extraordinary. The king of Loango may not
be seen eating or drinking by man or beast under pain of death. A favourite
dog having broken into the room where the king was dining, the king
ordered it to be killed on the spot. Once the king's own son, a boy of
twelve years old, inadvertently saw the king drink. Immediately the king
ordered him to be finely apparelled and feasted, after which he commanded
him to be cut in quarters, and carried about the city with a proclamation that
he had seen the king drink. "When the king has a mind to drink, he has a
cup of wine brought; he that brings it has a bell in his hand, and as soon as
he has delivered the cup to the king, he turns his face from him and rings
the bell, on which all present fall down with their faces to the ground, and
continue so till the king has drank... . His eating is much in the same style,
for which he has a house on purpose, where his victuals are set upon a
bensa or table: which he goes to, and shuts the door: when he has done,
he knocks and comes out. So that none ever see the king eat or drink. For
it is believed that if any one should, the king shall immediately die." The
remnants of his food are buried, doubtless to prevent them from falling into
the hands of sorcerers, who by means of these fragments might cast a fatal
spell over the monarch. The rules observed by the neighbouring king of
Cacongo were similar; it was thought that the king would die if any of his
subjects were to see him drink. It is a capital offence to see the king of
Dahomey at his meals. When he drinks in public, as he does on
extraordinary occasions, he hides himself behind a curtain, or
handkerchiefs are held up round his head, and all the people throw
themselves with their faces to the earth. When the king of Bunyoro in
Central Africa went to drink milk in the dairy, every man must leave the
royal enclosure and all the women had to cover their heads till the king
returned. No one might see him drink. One wife accompanied him to the
dairy and handed him the milk-pot, but she turned away her face while he
drained it. 2