628

HOUTH AFlUCAN JOUHNAL OF SCIEXCE, 1'01. XXX, JlfI. 628-632,

October, 1933.

DOG SACRIFICE AMONG THE BANTU.

BY
REV. S. H. DORKAN, M.A., F.RA.I., F.H.G.S.

Read 7 July, 1933.

The dog was probably the first wild animal to be domesti-

cated by prehistoric man. His bones have been found in caves
of the Azilian period, that is late Palaeolithic, together with
human bones, but whether he was the. companion and servant
of man, or formed part of hi~ food supply is not elefll'. He may
have dwelt in the caves with early man, in a half-tamed state,
attracted by the scraps of food he could get. Even when only
half-domesticated he may have been used to hunt and capture
wild animals. Before man could domesticate wild animals dogs
or jackals would be required for this purpose. Members of the
Canidae are more easily t-amed than those of the Felidae, as
anyone can prove for himself by takingn jackal or a wild cat
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and trying to tame them. The rea·son is mainly that the

Canidae are gregarious animalfl, while the Felidae are not. Dogs
may have hung about the encampments of primitive man for
what scraps of food they could pick up. The children may have
played with the puppies taken by the men, just as children do
to-day in eastern countries where grown-up dogs are regarded
with the greatest aversion.
As to the origin of the domestic dog, especially those breeds
used in Africa, authorities differ. The European dog is sup-
posed to have come from central Asia when man migrated from
there to western Europe, and he had already domesticated the
animal. As to the particular species of Canidae from which
the European prehistoric dog was derived we have no knowledge.
Some writers hold that his ancestor was a jackal, others main-
tain that he was a wolf. Probably both animals were concerned.
Pariah dogs in India and the East generally look as if they had
a jackal ancestor from their general appearance, while many
African dogs that I have seen in East Africa and the Sudan
suggest a similar ancestry. The usual Bushman dog is not
specially a jackal-like animal. On the other hand the dog of
the Eskimo and North American Indians is distinctly a wolf-like
animal. The fact that jackals were kept in captivity by the
ancient Egyptians, would seem to show that the African domes-
tic dog js Il. descendant of some jackal.like animal. In the
Neolithic lake dwellings the common breed of dogs seems to
have been of this type. On the other hand some authorities,
on the evidence of the Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in
eastern Europe and we~tern Asia, hold that the Indian and
 DOG SACRIFICE AMONG THE BANTU. 629

Persian wild dog (Canis pallipcs) was the ancestor of the Euro-
pean animal. This kind of dog may have hung about the homes
of prehi.storic man, and domestication was rather the result of
association than of deliberate attempt to tame it. Perhaps the
dog found man more friendly than hostile and attached himself
to him, just as stray dogs of to-day do, as much for protection
as for food. Even if he were only semi-<lomestiooted he would
be useful to mana.s a watch dog, and he may have been encour--
aged for this purpose. Wild and semi-tamed dogs have plenty
of pluck in attacking carnivora and other dangerous animals.
Regarding the courage of these animals the Bushman dogs may
he taken as examples. These are lean, hungry-looking animals,
half-starved and savage-tempered. They display astonishing
courage in tackling dangerous animals such as leopards, wild
cats and hyaena.s, and will bail them up without regard to the
consequences, knowing that their masters will support them.
The ordinary Bantu dog is 0. much better type of animal than
the Bushman dog, and is employed for hunting and as a watch
dog. A kind of cross-bred type of greyhound was formerly very
much in favour with the Xosa and Zulu peoples, but since hunt-
ing has been; largely prohibited in the densely populated parts
of South Africa, this breed has mostly disappeared. In central
and east Africa a fairly good breed of dog is found especially
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among the Masai and kindred tribes. Amongst 'these peoples

the dog is regarded with some degree of interest and affection,
and is not looked upon with the aversion common in Moham-
medan countries, and especially in India, where the Hindus
regard him as an unclean animal, and prohibit his entry into
their dwellings lest he should defile them. He is a nuis-ance and
is treated accordingly. In ancient Egypt and Greece dogs were
highly prized, especially certain particular breeds of mastiffs
and greyhounda. The same may he said of the dogs kept by
the Romans, though they did not specialise in any particular
breeds.
The dog has a religious significance among many peoples
nnd in widely separated countries, ancient and modern. When
an Aztec king died a dog was sacrificed to carry his soul across
a deep stream, which separated the upper from the under world,
in order to announce his arrival, otherwise he would not be
received among the spirits of his ancestors. The three-headed
dog Cerberus in Greek mythology guarded the entrance to the
spirit land. Dogs were sacrificed by the heathen nations sur-
rounding the Jews as we learn from the book of I.saiah (LXVI-3).
The fact that Caleb, the name of one of the leaders of the
Israelites, may indicate that the dog was a totem of the tribe of
Judah to which he belonged. A river running into the Levant
Sea, a few miles north of Beirut, the Nahr-el-Kelb, may also
indicate this. The evidences of totemism among the Hebrews
are slight, and it would be unwise to assert that the dog was a.
former totem. Robertson Smith, in his "Religion of the
Semites," states that in certain mysteries dogs were declared
 630 SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE.

to be brothers of the initiates. Among the Babylonians Marduk

the god had four famous dogs that accompanied him everywhere
he went. Other Semitic peoples, like the inhabitants of Harran,
worshipped the dog as one of their gods, and Al-Nadini, a
Mohammedan writer, asserts that they offered sacrifices to him.
In the legend of Melcarth of Tyre, who is stated to have dis-
covered the famous purple dye, he is accompanied by a dog.
The great god of the d.ead, Anubis of the ancient Egyptians, was
jackal-headed, which may indicate the ancestry of their dogs.
Dogs were sacrificed by the Greeks to Hecate, and she is repre-
sented as being accompanied by mad dogs, and loved to be
addressed by the name of ., Dog." The great dog of Cullan in
Irish mythology, which Cuchullain slew, and afterwards adopted
his name, was some kind of sacred animal. Darius forbade the
Carthaginians who sacrificed dogs to eat them as part of the
sacrificial meal. Certain ancient peoples used the dog for pur-
poses of divination, and during the process his movements were
carefully watched. The Lycians and Carians of Asia Minor
claimed descent from the dog Apollo, and in Rome the Penates
were associated with dogs, while in Greece the wolf was sacred
to Apollo.
So much for the dog ill ancient mythology and ritual: what
is his place in modem beliefs and practices, especially among
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the peoples of Africa? Outside of Africa at the present day the dog
is held in high esteem and virtually worshipped at the pr,esent
day by the Kalangs of Java, the Gonds and Bheels, jungle tribes
of India the Karens of Burmah, certain pooples of south-west
China, some people of Japan, most of the Indians of North !tnd
South America, and the Sakalavas of Madagascar. In Africa
he holds an important place in iSQuthem Nigeria, the Gold Coast,
Baghirmi, Congo, Tanganyika, Kenya, Angola and South-West
Africa. Among the peoples of these various countries the dog
is sacrificed on certain occasions, such as to obtain abundance
of rain, to prevent its fall in excessive quantities, for the cement-
ing of alliances, the promotion of friendship, the conclusion of
peace, the warding off of disease and at. funeral ceremonies. Dog
sacrifices were specially performed by the Iroquois, Foxes, Bears
and other Indian tribes of North America for protection against
evil spirits or enemies.
The dog figures in the creation myths of North America,
Madagascar, China, Siam, Anam and Tong-King. He figures
especially in the creation of man in Alaska, Madagascar,
Sumatra, Indo-China and in some of the eouth Sea Islands.
According to the Algonkins of North America he foretells a
great flood, from which £he people were saved by his timely
warning, while the Chinese assert that he saved the empire by.
killing the chief of a borde of barbarian invaders. On the other
hand he appears as a malevolent being among the Masai and
Nandi of Kenya, inasmuch as he brought death into the world.
This is only a variant of the Bushman story of the hare.
 DOG SACRIFICE AMONG THE BANTU. 631
With regard to dog totems, these are found in widely
separated countries, such as North America, South America,
Mongolia, Turkestan, Indo-China, Burmah, West Africa, Benin,
the Gold Coast, Congo Free State, Uganda and Angola. The
dog is, however, uncommon as a totem in Africa, although he
frequently figures in the folk-tales of tribes as far apart as the
Mabunda of Barotseland and the Nandi of Kenya. In ,these
instances I think the wild dog is referred to, and while the
domestic animal may now be employed as a totem, the wild
dog was the original totem, as he is to-day among the Baganda,
Mabunda and Ovambo tribes. The domesticated animal is now
sacrificed in place of the wild dog. This view of the matter
is strengthened by the fact that among the Mabunda and allied
tribes the usual word for dog is mbwa, but the totem animal
is katali or katari. In forest-clad countries where the Baganda
and Ma,bunda live the wild dog is a comparatively scarce animal,
as there is not, much game of the kind on which he lives. .
The sacrifice of the dog does not necessarily prove that
he was or is the totem animal of the particular tribe concerned.
A dog is cut in two by the Nandi, Baganda and Baghirmi of
the :French Sudan on the conclusion of peace. '1'he manner of
this is as follows: A representative of each of the contending
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peoples takes hold of the head, front and hind legs of the animal,
while a Lhird man, usually a witch doctor or priest, cuts the
animal in two with one slash ofa long-bladed spear, and while
doing so invokes curses upon anyone who breaks the peace by
prophesying for him a violent death like the dog. The same
ceremony is performed among the Baganda at the settlement
of village or private quarrels. In each case the body is thrown
into the bush to be devoured by wild animals. Among the
Bailunda of the Congo Free State the burial of a chief is accom-
panied by the killing of dogs as well as other animals. They
are not buried with the corpse, but 1heir bodies are roasted and
eaten by the mourners. Among t'he Mashonas a dog is some-
times sacrificed in the ceremonies at the planting of the crops. An
ox is usually sacrificed as well. The colour of the dog is always
black. He is a specially selected animal, and is carefully fed
for the eeremony until he is quite fat. The reason for the par-
ticular colour is that the dog may induce the rain to fall copiously
on the crops. These animals were specially dedicated to the
particular guardian spirit and were named after it.
The sacrifice of the domestic dog among the Ovambo is an
interesting ceremony, because it is performed in the case of
witchcraft, illness, or disaster of any kind. It is one of the most
important of the sacrifices of the Ovambo, and is regarded as
being particularly efficacious in the case of illness 8mong the
chief's children. The performer, who is usually a friend of the
family, may be an ordinary person, but if he is not sufficiently
proficient, a witch doctor is called in, more especially if the
family is well to do and able t() pay a substantial fee. In
 63~ SOl'TH AFRICAN JOURXAL OF SCIENCE.

this case the sacrifice is considered to be more efficacious. The

modu8 operandi is as follows: First the doctor carefully examines
the sick child and informs the parents that the sufferer has evil
spirits which have been introduced into the body by some enemy
or wizard, and that these must he exorcised by a suitable sacri-
fice. He mayor may not indicate whom he thinks is the guilty
person. The sacrifice must be a dog, preferably of the patient's
family. 'rhe parents agree to tbe suggestion and a dog is
procured for the doctor. He does not slaughter U with a knife
or assegai, but takes a knobkerrie and beats out its Lrains,
completely smashing the head to pieces. When it has been
killed in this manner, the doctor takes a small stick, to the end
of which has been fastened strips of palm leaves, not unlike the
'feathers of an arrow, dips it in the blood of the heart, which
he has pulled out of the body, and rubs it on the forehead, arms
-nnd legs of the patient. After this has been done the carcase
is flayed, and the liver, lungs, kidneys and heart vre roa£ted
whole on a fire. Mealie pap is cooked, and the doctor takes a
lump, rolls it into a ball in which he makes a hollow in which
he puts parts of the roasted meat and hands it to the child.
The latter takes it in both hands, but before trying to eat it,
the witch doctor takes portions of the pap and roasted meat
and scatters it about with the little ·stick. While the sufferer
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is eating his portion, he must not attempt to eat the pap and
meat separately, but must consume them both together. While
he does so the doctor says to him: ,. Eat your meat, it has
been cooked for you." The remainder of the meat of the dog
is then boiled, not roasted, and is eaten by the relatives of the
patient, and no part must be left over or thrown away. All
must be consumed, because if the enemy were to obtain posses-
sion of any part of it, the sacrifice would be in vain. The skin
of the dog is carefully burried in a se.cret place, at some distance
from the village, and the ceremony is complete, and the sufferer
is supposed to be rid of the evil spirit and to recover. The
doctor's fee is usually three sheep, but in the case of wealthy
families a heifer. This is the only instance that I know among
the South African Bantu tribes of the dog being eaten, though
he is eaten in the ordinary way of food in the Congo and Nigeria.
While the Ovambo eat the dog sacrificially they do not. eat the
animal as food. He is not a totem of any of the Ovambo clans
so far as I know. If he were, that would account for his being
,eaten sacrificially. It is more the personality and ritual of the
witch doctor that counts rather than the particular animal sacri-
ficed, as any other kind would do just as well.