ABSTRACT
EVEN elderly natives may be found in these times who are sceptics regarding their religious practices. That is so long as nothing untoward arises, but the moment trouble befalls him, even the most sophisticated youth reverts to the ancient beliefs and practices, ana the more imminent and fatal the threatened calamity, the more strong is the revival of these inbred notions. It may be imagined then that the Mchagga who lives the life of his tribe, will when he thinks himself about to die, have daily recourse to the diviners, which results in daily sacrifices. It is here that the dissensions among the spirits become really burdensome, for no number of sacrifices may pacify them; each sacrifice may in fact aggravate their discord, until at last the dying man is faced with the choice of losing his life or his property, and not infrequently hope and the dread of poverty induce him to keep what he has left rather than let his all go in fees to medicine men and sacrifices to insatiable spirits. A poor man is said not to offer more than six sacrifices! What a really wealthy man expends must be beyond belief. Besides the sacrifices of sheep, goats and cattle, at frequent intervals, they will make daily offerings of beer, milk and honey, which is poured into a small hollow dug close to the supports inside the hut. When every sacrifice is found unavailing, and the sick man's condition only goes
from bad to worse, the relatives who are daily with and around the dying man will suspect witchcraft; so they remove from the patient's hut all women, they being always suspects in witchcraft, and none but close male relatives are admitted to or near the hut. As a sign that the hut is segregated two Dracrena stems with leaves tied together are planted at the entrance to the enclosure and two over the doorway of the hut. The people avoid intruding, for it is considered evil to importune sick people.
