CHAPTER IV
ABBEOKUTA.
Introduction to the "Alake"—Royal attire—Wives, over one hundred—Ogboni Elders—Native Game, Wari—Visit to the Chiefs.
ACTING-CONSUL Lieut. Lodder had furnished me with a letter of introduction to his Majesty Okukenu, Alake of Abbeokuta, which I was anxious to present. The Reverend Henry Townsend of the Church Missionary Society kindly accompanied me. My reception by the King was very cordial. I explained to him the object of my visit to the country, which he was pleased to hear. He observed that for people coming with such purposes, and for missionaries, he had great "sympathy," and would afford every encouragement; but that some of the people (emigrants from the Brazils, Cuba, and Sierra Leone) who were now coming into his dominion, especially traders, gave him much trouble. His body above the loins was nude; otherwise his attire consisted of a handsome velvet cap trimmed with gold, a costly necklace of coral, and a double strand of the same ornament about his loins, with a velvet cloth thrown gracefully about the rest of his person, under which he wore his shocoto, a sort of loose trowsers reaching only to the knees. One of his wives (he has more than a hundred) was seated on the same mat fanning him. He fondled on his knees an infant, and eight or ten of his other little children, all about the same age, were gamboling around him. On his right were seated several very old men dressed in white cloths, elders of the Ogboni council, with one or other of whom his majesty usually plays at the native game of wari, a description of which is given in another place. He offered me the only chair in his establishment. The Reverend Mr. Townsend, being an intimate acquaintance, sat on an end of his mat. A few slaves, by the by, his chief administrative officers, also sat near him. He presented me on my departure a head of cowries, worth nearly fifty cents. During the next few days I visited the principal chiefs, to explain the object of my visit and to make to each a small present. Though humble, these presents were well received and in every instance a return present of cola nuts, (cola sterculia acuminata,) or of cowries was given. The natives generally at first regarded me as a white man, until I informed them of my connection with the Negro. This announcement always gained me a warmer reception.
The reader here will permit me to digress to explain a matter respecting which there has hitherto been some misconception. It has been asserted that the native African does not manifest under any circumstance the same deference for colored men, as he does for white men; and so fully is this believed, particularly in the United States, that both my colleague Dr. Delany and myself were frequently cautioned respecting the danger to which we should be exposed in consequence of our complexion. It is indeed true that more respect has been accorded to white men, on account of their superior learning and intelligence, than to the generality of semi-civilized black men from the Brazils and other places, who now live in the Aku country; but it is a great mistake to think that the same is withheld from colored men similarly endowed with their white brethren. Let any disinterested person visiting Abbeokuta, place himself in a position to notice the manner in which such a person, for instance, as the Reverend Samuel Crowther, or even his son of the same name, each a pure Negro, is treated, and he would soon perceive the profound respect with which Africans treat those of their own race worthy of it. The white man who supposes himself respected in Africa, merely because he is white, is grievously mistaken. I have had opportunities to know, that if he should, presuming on his complexion, disregard propriety in his bearing towards the authorities, he would receive as severe rebuke as a similar offense would bring him in England. One of the chiefs of Abbeokuta, Atambala, was with us one day when a young missionary entered, and passed him with only a casual nod of the head. As soon as he was seated the haughty old chief arose and said, in his own tongue: "Young man, whenever any of my people, even the aged, approaches me, he prostrates himself with his face to the ground. I do not expect the same from you, or from civilized men, (oyibo,) nevertheless remember always that I shall demand all the respect due to a chief of Abbeokuta." A sufficient apology was given, and the matter ended, not without, it is hoped, teaching a salutary lesson.
The king of Abbeokuta, whose person is considered too sacred, for the popular gaze, is never permitted to leave the palace except on special occasions, and then he only goes into the open space without the palace-gates, one of his wives being in attendance to screen his face with a large fan. So with the king of Oyo, who once or twice only in the year exhibits himself to the public, decorated in his best robes and wearing a crown of coral. At these times any one can stare at his majesty with impunity. In Ilorin the king may not be seen, except as a mark of special favor, even by those to whom he affords the privilege of an audience. If the reader will permit the expression, Abbeokuta might be said to be in form an irregular circle. The circumference of its outer wall, for in some parts of the city there are three walls, is about twenty-three miles. It was originally formed of over one hundred townships, each independent and governed by its own chief. The people are of the Egba tribe of the Akus, sometimes incorrectly called Yorubas. About fifty years ago, wars with the surrounding tribes, particularly with the Yorubas, had disorganized their nation, the greatest number of their people being enslaved, and sent to the Brazils, Cuba, and other places; many of them were also recaptured by British cruisers and taken to Sierra Leone. A few flying before their relentless enemy, and wandering from place to place, at length found refuge beneath a shelf of rock now called "Olumo;" this hiding-place is said to have been before the den of a band of robbers. Advantage was taken of the security thus afforded, by others of the Egba tribe, and their number continued to increase until they felt strong enough to form a town and build a wall. In a short time that town, as before stated, contained the remnants of over one hundred townships, and became too powerful to be successfully assaulted by their enemies. The walls now include a number of huge hills of superior building granite, the quarrying of which will doubtless yield large profit to its inhabitants at no remote day.
They called the town very appropriately, "Abbeokuta," which means under a rock. It is now estimated to contain more than one hundred thousand inhabitants, and its population is fast increasing by accessions, not only from the surrounding tribes, who find in it greater security for life and property, but also from many of those, and their descendants, who were sold away as slaves.
Although the people have increased, one is at a loss to divine what has become of the chiefs of so many townships. One after another they have fallen off, and their successors have either never been appointed or are too insignificant to command attention. The treaty we concluded with the authorities of the place was signed by only seven chiefs, the king's signature not included. To them we were sent specially by the king, an act which seemed to indicate, either that they alone were of sufficient consequence to take part in such a matter, or that they, by common consent, were deemed the representatives of the rest.
The language of the Egbas, is the same as that of the Yorubas, Ijebus and other neighboring tribes, concerning which the author of "Polyglotta Africana" makes the following just remarks: "For the last few years they have very erroneously made use of the name Yoruba, in reference to the whole nation, supposing that the Yoruba is the most powerful Aku tribe, but the appellation is liable to far greater objection than that of Aku, and ought to be forthwith abandoned; for it is, in the first place, unhistorical, having never been used of the whole Aku nation by any body, except for the last few years conventionally by the mission-aries; secondly, it involves a twofold use of the word 'Yoruba,' which leads to a confusion of notions; for in one instance the same word has to be understood of a whole, in another only of a part; and thirdly, the name being thus incorrect, can never be received by the different tribes as a name for the whole nation."
Viewed as to its power of enforcing order, and affording security for life and property, the government of Abbeokuta is as efficient as a civilized government can be, and it accomplishes these ends with the greatest ease and simplicity. Punishment is always summary and certain; notwithstanding, nobody complains of injustice. The penalty for theft is extreme, being either decapitation or foreign slavery. Before the advent of missionaries and civilized people adultery was sometimes also a capital offense; now it is modified to heavy fines, the amount of which is always proportioned to the position and wealth of the offender. Cases of adultery often occur, and must be expected until they are taught to abandon the disgusting system of polygamy.
The tenure of property is as it is among civilized people, except as to land, which is deemed common property; every individual enjoys the right of taking unoccupied land, as much as he can use, wherever and whenever he pleases. It is deemed his property as long as he keeps it in use; after that, it is again common property. This custom is observed by all the Akus.
The surviving relatives of one buried on any lot of ground, have a right to that ground which nothing can tempt them to relinquish, and from respect to the sentiment, no one would invade, on any pretext, particularly when the deceased was a mother or father. Mr. S. Crowther, Jr., has long desired to possess a strip of land contiguous to his place of business, but no offer of money can induce the owner to part with it, although he is very poor; because his father lies buried there.