THE PORO OF THE MENDI

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ONE of the most interesting and remarkable of the many
"societies" that form so powerful a factor in the world of
fetish among the aborigines in West Africa is the Poro of
the Mendi.
The Mendi tribe inhabit about ten thousand square miles
of the Sierra Leone Protectorate, or a little less than one-third
of the entire hinterland; and although this race cannot be
said to be the most intelligent or most advanced in the
country, they are an interesting people, brave in war, hard-
working, and make excellent soldiers, besides being agri-
culturists and skilled in the weaving of cloth.
The Poro, which means literally law, or " one word"
among these people, is a power in the land; it is in fact the
governing and ruling power of the natives, and embodies
everything or anything good or bad in the country, that
requires framing into order, keeping secret among the masses,
guarding as public property, and making into law.
Before any person can be initiated into the secrets and
become a member of the Society, he has to undergo a course
of special training and preparation.
Boys and men only are eligible to join the Poro; women
are not admitted, although they can participate in the advan-
tages (or disadvantages) caused by the promulgation of the
Poro laws in the country.
The Poro is divided into two arms, the civil and the
religious. To the religious arm every man or boy who
aspires to become a "poro man" must belong; while the
civil arm is formed for special public purposes, such as the
making of peace or war, the government of the country, or
the formation of new or special laws.
184 JOURNAL OF THE AFRICAN SOCIETY

No native who has been initiated into the Poro as a member

would ever reveal to an "outsider" the true secrets of the
division to which he belongs in the Society. Such a revela-
tion would probably mean death by poisoning, or, at any
rate, tribal ostracism and excommunication. Neither is it
likely that any " outsider " could ever become familiar with
the carefully guarded secrets of this interesting organisation.

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No European that the writer has ever met or heard of has
been able to penetrate into the inner arcana of this associa-
tion, although several attempts have been made by Europeans
and others to do so, and a few have been initiated into some
of the preliminary stages through which the natives them-
selves have to pass upon first joining.
The Poro Society holds its meetings usually during the
dry season, that is, between the months of October and May.
Arrangements are then made for the initiation of new mem-
bers who have been under training in the bush during the
rains. The entrance to the Poro arena, which is, as a rule,
situated in the close vicinity of a town, is divided into apart-
ments by means of grass-made mats. The poro-house is
invariably situated in the thick bush and is unroofed. The
approach to this poro-bush can be easily distinguished by
the Kant, which is the emblem of the Poro, and which is
always placed in conspicuous places in the neighbourhood
of this " club house." At the outer door of the " club "
stands the Wuju, who might be likened unto a hall-porter
with administrative powers. One of his duties, and he has
many to perform, is to conduct the oral examination of the
candidate before he is allowed to pass through. This ex-
amination is somewhat peculiar, and consists of certain
questions, which always have impossible answers, although
the neophyte does his best to satisfy the Wuju examiner by
answering them in the affirmative. When the examination
is completed, the Wuju seizes the candidate and a pretended
struggle takes place, the former endeavouring to drag the
latter inside, which, as a matter of course, he always succeeds
in doing. As soon as the candidate is inside, he is welcomed
by the members, and the din of the tom-toms, shouting,
and singing that has been going on all the time, ceases.
 THE PORO OF THE MENDI 185

Then comes the payment of the entrance fee. The value

of this depends upon the status and means of the candidate,
and to what division he is joining. For an ordinary person,
the Wuju would be given a few leaves of tobacco, some
snuff, or a piece of cloth. After this, another apartment has
to be " passed," and more fees paid, and then the work of
the Wuju ceases for the time being, and the candidate is
handed over to the head medicine-man, who asks him to

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which degree he is desirous of belonging. Having chosen
his " degree," more fees are paid, and the candidate then
receives his first lesson in the more important of the Poro
laws. But the real Poro laws are not revealed to any can-
didate until he has been sworn on strong country fetish
medicine not to reveal their secrets and until he has under-
gone his preliminary training, which lasts for some months
and which usually takes place in the bush during the rainy
season. The administration of the oaths takes some little
time, is conducted with the greatest ceremony, and is con-
sidered to be of the utmost importance by the Society.
When the candidate is sworn and is thoroughly conversant
with all the laws and secrets of his degree, and when the
fees have been paid to the fetish medicine men who adminis-
tered the oaths, he becomes a full Poro man with all the
rights and privileges appertaining thereto.
The three divisions of the Poro are known as the Kai-
mahun; the Binima, or Missi, and the Yuyira and Wujanga.
The first, only the chiefs and people of high rank and im-
portance join, to the second, the middle-class people and the
followers of Islam belong, while the last two are the divisions
for the slaves and lower-class folks. These divisions are
quite separate, and the doings, consultations, and decisions
of the Kaimahun, or chiefs' division, might and probably
would be. unknown to any person outside it.
When the final initiation of a Poro man has taken place the
public are made aware in the following manner. In the
early hours of the morning before the newly-joined candidate
is to be introduced to the outside world as a full member, one
of the Poro men climbs a tree, and arouses everyone by a
loud shouting. While this shouting is going on, out come
186 JOURNAL OF THE AFRICAN SOCIETY

the poro officials, accompanied by the Devil, the poro boys—

who usually form up in two ranks—and the Wujangas. The
party then proceed to the town- and a kind of collection is
made. After this, they return to the bush.
A curious belief is that when the boys join for their pre-
liminary training, the Poro devil is supposed to be pregnant,
and remains so until the boys become full poro members and
finally leave the bush.

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On the return of the town party to the bush, the.poro devil
is taken ill, and has to be attended to by the Wujangas, who
bring him food and water. As soon as the poro devil has
recovered, everyone shouts with joy, and this shouting is
taken up by the people in the town. No one, who is not a
member of the Society, and therefore no woman, is supposed
to see the poro devil, and when he comes into the town,
warning of his proposed visit is always sent. As soon as
he arrives, or just before, the inhabitants go inside their
houses, and cover up the doors and windows, while the
women are supposed to kneel down, shout, and clap their
hands.
When the devil is inside the town, there is silence, and
he walks about carrying in his hand a kind of speaking
trumpet, which is a hollow flute of wood, and through which
he addresses the chief of the town by making a few common-
place remarks.
He then goes away.
Upon the final visit, and when the poro boys are to leave
the bush, the devil remains for most of the night in the town,
blowing his flute, and making all who are not asleep pain-
fully aware of his presence by his groans and shouts.
The last night of the poro boys' stay in the bush is usually
spent in making long ropes of a kind of fern, which, when
complete, are fastened round some tree in the bush to a tree
in the public thoroughfare; and the people are told that by
that means the devil has ascended to the sky.
The dress of the Poro boys is somewhat curious. The
headdress consists of a kind of closely-knitted grass fabric
which fits on the forehead; it is about six inches high and
oval in shape, with a straight base. It is kept in place by
 THE PORO OF THE MENDI 187

means of string fastened round the head and tied behind.

Round their waists, the Poro boys wear a kind of fibre skirt,
which reaches about eight inches below the knee. Their
bodies are covered with a net, nlade of native string, very
like a fishing net with large meshes. Altogether the dress
gives the wearer a barbarous appearance, and is certainly
most fantastic.

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Now the question has often been asked whether this strange
and secret society is good or bad for the country and its
inhabitants? On the whole, and when its actions of evil
are checked, it can be said that the Poro Society and many
of its teachings and laws are of great use to its members
and to the country. The instruction given as to the medicinal
use of herbs is of the greatest value, and remarkable cures
have been effected by their aid. The successful treatment of
malarial fevers, including blackwater, which is not unknown
among the inhabitants, has been recognised by some Euro-
peans, and there is a medical man with an extensive practice
in West Africa to-day, whose treatment of JuBmoglobinuria
has been very successful, and who owes this success to the use
of a plant, or rather tree, which grows in a locality where
the disease is common.
The French surgeon, Paul Gouzien, strongly advocates a
drug used by the Fantis in their treatment of blackwater; and
the leaf KinkdUbar, the valuable properties of which are
taught to the members of the Susu Simo, which is their
word for poro, is used by several Europeans resident in
that country, and is recognised by the French as being a
valuable cure and preventive of blackwater fever. Dysentery,
rheumatism, and other diseases peculiar to their country, have
within the writer's own knowledge been very successfully
treated by natives with preparations of local herbs. But
although most of the valuable properties of the various herbs
are taught and known in the Mendi Poro Society, this is by
no means the only benefit that accrues to its members. By
means of the " peace poro," the outward sign of which is a
kind of small fern with a tiny leaf, tribal wars and disputes of
long standing have frequently been brought to a peaceful
and successful conclusion.
188 JOURNAL OF THE AFRICAN SOCIETY

A sign of the Poro placed upon a farm, or tree, is sufficient

to deter any would-be thieves from helping themselves from
the products of either. Not so very long ago the writer of
this article, being on the march and being tired and thirsty,
halted in the vicinity of a tree laden with ripe oranges. A
boy was sent to gather some of the fruit, but, upon going
up to the tree, he returned without touching any of the
oranges. He explained that he dare not do so, as there

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was poro on the tree, and added that if anyone picked or
ate a single orange from that tree, the medicine would catch
him, and he would certainly die. And although everyone
stood looking at that delicious fruit with longing eyes, not
a man would touch it until the medicine man came and
removed the fetish.
The members of any poro division look upon each other as
brothers; they are, in fact, freemasons of the first order, and
one poro man of the same order would never dream of " com-
ing out behind his company," as they say, which means
playing one another false. It can therefore be readily under-
stood that a society that is capable of enforcing such binding
laws, and inspiring such fear at the idea of infringing its
orders and rules, has a remarkably powerful influence over
the country either for good or evil.
In the old days, prior to the formation of our Protectorate
in the Mendi hinterland, the poro was also the cause of much
abuse and mischief, and dangerous and alarming results have
emanated from its widespread influence. One of the serious
effects it was having upon the prosperity of the interior was
when it forbade, by its emblem placed on the indigenous
products, any person to touch them or allow them to be
sold or sent down to the coast. So detrimental to the
commercial interests of the country did this become at
last, that the Government had to cause an ordinance to
be passed, called the " Poro Ordinance," by which any
chief, headman, or person placing poro upon any article
of commerce, and thereby stopping the trade of the country,
would be guilty of an offence. Since the formation of this
ordinance, little or no trouble has been experienced in this
direction. Neither do the Government In any other way
 THE PORO OF THE MENDI 189

interfere with the poro of the natives, except when it promul-

gates laws and gives out orders totally contrary to the ideas
of humanity and justice and to the detriment of a free and
legitimate trade. And the non-interference with the cherished
rights of these people, inherited as they are through, untold
generations, is obviously and unquestionably right. And
the poro is indeed a dangerous society for any " Government
of strangers" or European to interfere with. Surely the

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ideal of a sound, just, and broad-minded administration is
to respect the ancient and interesting laws of the inhabi-
tants of the Great Continent. Let the chiefs rule
their people; and by our policy and diplomacy, by
our justice, judgment, and sympathy, we shall assuredly
enlist them and their subjects upon our side. Their suspicion
of the white man will disappear, and the poro that in the old
days was often used as a means of evil, will, under our—let
us hope—elevating influence to higher and better things, be
enlisted upon our side for good. This will assuredly prove
to be a potent factor in the peaceful order and just govern-
ment of the Mendi people, and for the profitable development
of their teeming soil.
BRAITHWAITE WALUS.