FETISHISM
54
FETISHISM
as infused with divine power, or as the divinity itself.
Idolatry in this sense is a higher form of fetishism.
Farnell does not distinguish clearly between fetish and
amulet, and calls relics, crucifixes, the Bible itself,
fetishes. In his view any sacred object is a fetish.
But objects may be held as sacred by external associa-
tion with sacred persons or places without having any
intrinsic sanctity. This loose use of the word has led
writers to consider the national flag (especially a tat-
tered battle-flag), the Scottish stone of Scone, the ma.s-
cot, the horseshoe, as fetishes, whereas these objects
have no value in themselves, but are prized merely for
their associations — real in the case of the battle-flag,
fancied in the case of the horseshoe.
The theory advanced by certain writers that fetishism represents the earliest stage of religious thought, has a twofold basis: (1) philosophical; (2) sociological.
(1) Philosophical Basis: the Theory of Evolution. — Assuming that primitive man was a semi-brute, or a semi-idiot, some writers of the Evolutionist School under the influence of Comte taught that man in the earliest stage was a fetish-worshipper, instancing in proof the African tribes, who in their view repre- sent the original state of mankind. This basis is a pure assumption. More recent investigation reveals clearly the universal belief in a Great God, the Creator and Father of mankind, held by the negroes of Africa; Comber (Gram, and Diet, of the Congo Language) and Wilson (West Guinea) prove the richness of their lan- guages in structure and vocabulary; while Tylor, Spencer, and most advocates of the animistic theory look upon fetishism as by no means primitive, but as a decadent form of the belief in spirit and souls. Fi- nally, there are no well-authenticated cases of savage tribes whose religion consists of fetish-worship only.
(2) Sociological Basis. — Historians of civilization, impressed liy the fact that many customs of savages are also found in the highest stages of civilized life, con- cluded that the development of the race could best be understood by taking the savage level as a starting- point. The life of savages is thus the basis of the higher development. But this argument can be in- verted. For if the customs of savages may be found among civilized races, evident traces of higher ideals are also found among savages. Furthermore, the theory that a savage or a child represents exclusively, or even prominently, the life of primitive man, cannot be entertained. Writers on the philosophy of reli- gion have used the word fetishism in a vague sense, susceptible of many shades of meaning. To obtain a correct knowledge of the subject, we must go to au- thorities like Wilson, Norris, Ellis, and Kingsley, who have spent years with the African negroes and have made exhaustive investigations on the spot. By fetish or ju-ju is meant the religion of the natives of West Africa. Fetishism, viewed from the outside, appears strange and complex, but is simple in its underlying idea, very logically thought out, and very reasonable to the minds of its adherents. The prevailing notion in West Guinea seems to be that God, the Creator (Anyambfi, Anzam), having made the world and filled it with inhabitants, retired to some remote corner of the universe, and allowed the affairs of the world to come under the control of evil spirits. Hence the only religious worship performed is directed to these spirits, the purpose being to court their favour or ward off their displeasure. The Ashantis recognize the exist- ence of a Supreme Being, whom they adore in a vague manner althougli, being invisible. He is not repre- sented by an idol. At the commencement of the world, God was in daily relations with man. He came on earth, conversed with men, and all went well. But one day He retired in anger from the world, leaving its management to subaltern divinities. These are spirits which dwell everywhere — in waters, woods, rocks — and it is necessary to conciliate them, unless
one wishes to encounter their displeasure. Such a
phenomenon then as fetish- or spirit-worship, existing
alone without an accompanying belief in a Supreme
Being who is above all fetishes and other objects of
worship, has yet to be discovered. Other nations,
holding the fundamental idea of one God who is Lord
and Creator, say that this God is too great to interest
Himself in the affairs of the world; hence after having
created and organized the world. He cliarged His sub-
ordinates with its government. Hence they neglect
the worship of God for the propitiation of spirits.
These spirits correspond in their functions to the gods
of Greek and Roman mythology, but are never con-
founded with the Supreme Being by the natives.
Fetishism therefore is a stage where God is quietly
disregarded, and the worship due to Him is quietly
transferred to a multitude of spiritual agencies under
His power, but uncontrolled by it. " All the air and
the future is peopled by the Bantu", says Dr. Norris,
" with a large and indefinite company of spiritual be-
ings. They have personality and will, and most of the
human passions, e. g., anger, revenge, generosity,
gratitude. Though they are all probably malevolent,
yet they may be influenced and made favorable
by worship."
In the face of this animistic view of nature and the peculiar logic of the African mind, all the seemingly weird forms and ceremonies of fetishism, e. g. the fetish or witch-doctor, become but the natural conse- quences of the basal idea of the popular religious belief. There are grades of spirits in the spirit- world. Miss Kingsley holds that fourteen classes of spirits are clearly discernible. Dr. Nassau thinks the spirits commonly affecting human affairs can be classified into six groups. These spirits are different in power and functions. The class of spirits that are human souls, always remain human souls; they do not become deified, nor do they sink in grade permanently. The locality of spirits is not only vaguely in the surround- ing air, but in prominent natural objects, e. g. caves, enormous rocks, hollow trees, dark forests. While all can move from place to place, some belong peculiarly to certain localities. Their habitations may be nat- ural (e. g. large trees, caverns, large rocks, capes, and promontories; and for the spirits of the dead, the vil- lages where they had dwelt during the lifetime of the body, or graveyards) or acquired, e. g. for longer or shorter periods under the power wielded by the incan- tations of the nganga or native doctor. By his magic art any spirit may be localized in any object whatever, however small, and thus placed it is under the control of the "doctor" and subservient to the wishes of the possessor or wearer of the object in which it is con- fined. This constitutes a fetish. The fetish-worship- per makes a clear distinction between the reverence with which he regards a certain material object and the worship he renders to the spirit for the time being inhabiting it. Where the sjiirit, for any reason, is supposed to have gone out of that thing and defini- tively abandoned it, the thing it.self is no longer reverenced, but thrown away as useless, or sold to the curio-hunting white man.
Everything the African negro knows by means of his senses, he regards as a twofold entity — partly spirit, partly not spirit or, as we say, matter. In man this twofokl entity appears as a corporeal body, and a spiritual or "astral" body in shape and feature like the former. This latter form of " life " with its " heart " can be stolen by magic power while one is asleep, and the individual sleeps on, unconscious of 'his loss. If the life-form is returned to him before he awakes, he will l>e unaware that anything unusual has happened. If he awakes before this portion of him has been re- turned, though he may live for a while, he will sicken and eventually die. If the magician who stole the "life" has eaten the "heart", the victim sickens at once and dies. The connexion of a certain spirit with
