Kamchadales »every old woman is looked upon as a witch and interpreter of dreams. » 1 4 3 5 As respects the occurrence of female doctors, we are told that among the East African Mgangas, although they are of both sexes, the women generally confine themselves to the medical part of the profession. The healing of wounds, as also in general all medical treatment, is among the Kafirs performed by women. Among the Ogowe River tribes women administer medicine and pharmacy. In Fezzan the medical practice is more. particularly in the hands of old experienced women. Female doctors seem to be more numerous than men among the Northern Californians, and among the Karok, likewise, the doctors who had to diagnose cases of illness were mostly women. In their complaints and disorders the Creeks sometimes employ male, but more frequently female practitioners to attend them. From Nicaragua we hear that the old women cured the sick, and this Iwas also the case in the province of Chicora, where they had no other physicians, as is expressly stated. 1o In the Koitapu tribe of New Guinea, who among their neigh 1 5 7 6 9 • Крашенниковъ, Описаніе земли Камчатки, її. 81. + Lenz, Skizzen aus Westafrika, p. 204. Nachtigal, Sahara und Sudan, i. 158. 7 Powers, Tribes of California,' in Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region, iii. 26. 8 Schoolcraft, Historical and Statistical Information respecting the Indian Tribes of the United States, v. 270. 9 cap. vii. Herrera, Description de las Indias Ocidentales, dec. iii. lib. iv. 10 Ib., dec. ii. lib. x. cap. vi. bours enjoy a great reputation for skill in the healing art, women are oftener called upon than men. ' It is in this connection a remarkable fact that women are almost universally considered to be endowed with mysterious powers in a much higher degree than is the case with men. Mr. Lane's account displays the idea of the Moslem world in this respect: The wickedness of women is a subject upon which the stronger sex among the Arabs, with an affected feeling of superior virtue, often dwell, in common conversation. That women are deficient in judgment and good sense is held as a fact not to be disputed even by themselves, as it rests on an assertion of the Prophet; but that they possess a superior degree of cunning is pronounced. equally certain and notorious. Their general depravity is pronounced to be much greater than that of men.»> 2 Doughty, in his description of the Arabian desert, tells us of a Moslem who had put away his wife, and subsequently declared with great lamentation that she had bewitched him in revenge. Such cases were said to be common in that region -the work of the hareem, or women, with their sly philters and maleficent drinks.3 The Santals fear the malevolent propensities of their women, as is shown by the fact that the men »are particularly careful to keep their sacred knowledge from their wives for fear that they should acquire undue influence with the bongas (gods), become witches, and eat up the family with impunity when the protection of its gods has been withdrawn.» 4 been withdrawn.» A similar observation occurs among certain Australians. From Central and 1 Lawes, 'Ethnological Notes on the Tribes of New Guinea,' in Jour. Anthr. Inst. viii. 374. 2 3 The Thousand and One Nights, Introduction, i. 38. Doughty, Arabia Deserta, ii. 384. 4 Risley, Tribes and Castes of Bengal, ii. 232. South-Eastern Australia we hear that the sacred implements, by means of which the sorcerers work various spells, are specially kept concealed from the sight of women. 1 In Dahome, where supposed spiritual power in women is very general, »the husband may not chastise or interfere with his wife whilst the fetish is upon her, and even at other times the use of the rod might be dangerous.> 2 3 The notions of the spiritual propensities of women account for the inclination, which is displayed by many peoples, to attribute witchcraft particularly to the female sex. In Greenland decrepit old women especially are thought to serve as Illiseersut, or malevolent sorcerers. The Yurok and Karok in California believe old squaws can by witchcraft prevent the salmon from ascending. the river, and in former times they not unfrequently slew by butcherly murder the unfortunate hag so suspected.» 4 1 Eyre, Journals of Expeditions into Central Australia, ii. 359. Howitt, 'Australian Medicine Men,' in Jour. Anthr. Inst. xvi. 26. 2 -- Burton, A Mission to Gelele, King of Dahome, ii. 155. It is worth noticing that slaves are also in certain cases said to be comparatively well treated by their masters, because the latter fear the slaves would in revenge bewitch them, if severely chastised. This is reported by Du Chaillu to be the case among certain Equatorial African peoples (Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa, p. 331), and with reference to Ashanti customs, Wilson writes that masters would abuse their power over the slaves if the fear of witchcraft, in which slaves are supposed to be particularly skilled, did not act as a most salutary check. In many cases the law, or what is the same thing, public opinion, allows a man the power of life and death over his slaves, but he will not hastily resort to extreme measures when he knows that a thousand secret invisible engines of witchcraft may be let loose against him. Slaves know very well in what their own power and the means of redress consist, and they are sure to turn their master's dread of witchcraft to good account. (Western Africa, p. 179) 3 Egede, Description of Greenland, p. 192. Powers, 'Tribes of California,' in Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region, iii. 57. In ancient Peru they had sorcerers and witches, »but this profession was more commonly practised by women. than men.» 1 With reference to Hottentot superstitions we learn that under the imputation of witchcraft >>their Old Women, like ours, suffer more than any others.»> 2 In the Government of Tomsk in South Siberia native sorceresses who harm the people by witchcraft are much more numerous than male sorcerers. Among the Arabs, also, witches exceed the wizards in number, and similarly in Europe, in olden times, women were more frequently accused of practising witchcraft than men. 5 3 6 4 If an Eskimo becomes ill, »the wife is often accused of working some charm on her husband in order that she may enjoy the favours of another.» Likewise in East Central Africa, among the Wawira, the wives of a deceased man are most often regarded as those guilty of his death, and therefore in case of death occuring to their husband the wives generally run away. When a Gaul of rank died under suspicious circumstances his relations had the wives examined in the manner adopted with slaves, and if proof was obtained, put them to severe torture, and killed them. 8 1 Garcilasso de la Vega, Royal Commentaries, i. 60. 2 Kolben, Present State of the Cape of Good-Hope, i. 133. • Костровъ, Колдовство Томской Туберніи, in Записки В.-Сиб. Отд. Геогр. Общ. і. 16. * Wellhausen, Reste Arabischen Heidenthums, p. 159. • Turner, 'Ethnology of the Ungava District, Hudson Bay Territory,' in Smithsonian Reports, xi. 199. 7 Stuhlmann, Mit Emin Pascha, p. 394. From Madagascar we 8 Caesar, De Bello Gallico, B. vi. Ch. 19. learn of a parallel custom referring to slaves. When a member of a native family is taken ill, the slaves of the family are frequently subjected to 1 As we learn from a few instances, among some peoples, who have both male and female priests, a certain class of priestly functions is confined to one or other of the two sexes. Thus the ceremony of the Great Medicine Lodge among the Blackfoot Indians is invariably conducted by a woman. In Greece the oracles hallowed by Apollo were always delivered by a woman. 2 The Roman Vestals, 3 the Peruvian Virgins of the Sun, the Mexican Maidens of Penance and the Persian Sun Priestesses, of whom we have spoken in a previous chapter, illustrate a sacerdotal class whose office is held by females. Also from Africa come occasional reports of priestesses displaying the type of Vestals. Kubary mentions from the Pelew Islands numerous classes of diviners, one of which foretell future events from the fracture of cracked nuts; these are always of the male sex. There are also two classes who predict the future by invoking certain spirits, and these invariably consist of female diviners. Among certain Indians of California, although in these tribes many women are honoured as shamans and prophetesses, none of the female sex are admitted to the medical profession, the privilege of quackery being reserved exclusively to the men. 7 5 the trial by ordeal, it being suspected that some one among them has caused the illness by means of witchcraft. Ellis, History of Madagascar, i. 477 sq. 7 Powers, Tribes of California,'. in Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region, iii. 152. Bancroft, Works, i. 394. |