Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
stated previously, this kind of object, on its own, is almost useless but for the physical properties of
its organic or inorganic matter. Once it has been designated as an image, it acquires a new status.
If it is a piece of wood, it remains a piece of wood, no matter how exquisite it may look, no matter
how much it resembles the image of a kindred spirit, until the power of the word is intromitted into
it. Once the priest says, “Let this wood become Iqwekala, the god of lightning and thunder, or the
Oba Oloke the first,” it assumes its new role. It becomes a privileged wood and is venerated by all
the initiated. It could also be likened to the respect accorded to a mere piece of cloth in civilized
nations as soon as it is painted in that country's national colors.
Incantation, therefore, gives materials used in traditional medicine added meaning and value,
much more than their basic physical properties will allow. Incantation is thus useful in two ways:
First, it enables the healer to invoke the powers of the rhythmic word, giving it as much intensity as
he or she desires by repetition; and second, it uses the powers of designated votive images in healing.
taBOO aND tOtEMS
Apart from the use of charms and fetishes, the most common feature of traditional African life
as it relates to the practice of medicine is the imposition of certain “taboos” and the adoption of
totems. This practice is as much socially functional as it is religious, and as made explicit further
in the chapter, both concepts are necessary for the proper understanding of the African attitude
regarding life.
The word
taboo
is Polynesian and has about the same meaning as
sacer
(Greek),
Kadesh
(Hebrew), and
Nso
(lgbo, Nigeria); there is no English equivalent, and the modern usage of the
original Polynesian word is sometimes misleading. In its proper sense, it is a term used to describe
certain objects or creatures or even actions that are prohibited, unapproachable, and dreaded. It
may variously be used to denote the “consecrated,” sacred, or divine, but with an implicit element
of being profane, dangerous, forbidden, and uncanny. According to the Chambers (mini) diction-
a r y,
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taboo is (something) forbidden for religious reasons or not approved by social custom. Taboo
is considered necessary by most African cultures as a tool to restrict excessive individual freedom
from interfering with the orderly development of the community. It is difficult not to disagree with
Sigmund Freud's conclusion that “Taboo prohibitions have no grounds and are of unknown ori-
gin.”
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The pronouncements of taboo are traceable to the leadership of the community: council of
elders, guild of medicine men, or the chief. Taboo is distinct from ordinary law since it derives its
power from the community spirit. The consent of all the custodians of the community's fetishes and
shrines is usually obtained before a taboo is imposed. Common law is concerned with the regulation
of the relationship between individuals, while taboos are restrictions derived from the local inter-
pretation of the immutable laws of nature, which govern the orderliness of life. It is also not correct,
as Freud remarked, that these prohibitions are mainly directed against liberty of enjoyment and
against freedom of movement and communication. The prohibitions are strictly aimed at abstinence
and renunciations that affect the continued existence of the community, except in a few instances
for which the taboo is merely ceremonial in nature.
The main objects of taboo are in agreement essentially with the outline provided by Freud:
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1. Protection of the weak, especially women and children, from the influence of chiefs, priests, sorcer-
ers, and the like;
2. Provision against the dangers incurred by handling or coming in contact with corpses, by eating
certain foods, and the like;
3. Prevention of interference in the principal acts of life, such as birth, initiation, marriage, and the like;
4. Securing the living community against the wrath or power of the gods and spirits; and
5. Protection of important persons and institutions against harm.
