MARGI TALES OR MYTHS II

The second category of forces which control the world are anthropomorphic spirits of which there are two classes; yal and shatar. These supernaturals are actively malevolent or mischievous; the good which they do is entirely by indirection; that is, they may not do ill and to that extent do good. Although these beings do not always have anthropomorphic appearances, their behavior is conspicuously like man's. They have appetites, reside at specific places, and, most importantly, they are amenable to human acts in that they must be pleased, angered, persuaded, or even tricked or fooled. Thus men are not entirely helpless with respect to these supernaturals unlike their relationship to iju. The majority of rituals are aimed at influencing them.

Yal are the more dangerous of the two, being capable of causing serious illness and even death. One is very careful not to offend a yal; either by specific act or by inadvertence. Margi do not talk lightly about yal, and they treat their traditional abodes with respect. There are countless yal, most of whom reside in unknown places; however, clairvoyants (salkur) have revealed the residences of some yal and these are named and treated with deference by all. Some revealed yal are associated with the life of a hamlet, and the abodes of such public yal are entrusted to men called zuli who take care of the shrines and perform rituals when appropriate. The office of zuli is hereditary in the patrilineal line of the senior clan of the hamlet.

There is a tendency for revealed or public yal to reside in extraordinary places--deserted mountains, unusual rocks, large trees, or springs; furthermore, any such place is regarded as a likely place for a yal to be. For example, long ago it was revealed that a yal lived at the mouth of Makwan Valley where a large spring is surrounded by woods. It is called Yal Tsitsila. There are no public rituals associated with this yal as with some others; it is simply a place known to have a yal. Individuals may sacrifice to Yal Tsitsila as a private matter, and one may see i'iwa (pottery shrines) which has been left there. For most people the spot is simply a spring that one may use as respectfully and quietly as possible. Unlike other watering spots where women get their families’ water, here they do not linger to gossip though they are not particularly loath to use it when it is convenient. The spot is a sanctuary from thefts and persons sometimes leave portions of their loads there with no fear of loss. There are stories of many strange occurrences at Tsitsila, and it must be conceded that it is an awe inspiring place as one stands in the wide stream bed leading from the pool with the rock wall beyond, high banks on both side, and arched trees forming a roof above.

This description illustrates the extent to which the natural is linked with the supernatural.

 

The supernaturals of the second type, while less dreadful and less specific, are more ubiquitous and are more frequently a part of a Margi's view of the world in which he lives. These are the shatar, who usually only cause misfortune or bad luck and who occasionally are merely mischievous. They cannot be ignored, however, not only because of the ill which they do but because it is said that a shatar can give a person to a yal. There are no public or named shatar, no  shrines nor zuli associated with them. And although shatar have no specifically designated abodes, one often sees offerings on ant hills which are the traditional homes of shatar.

Virtually anything unusual which is not dire can be attributed to a shatar. Shatar may cause the silence which occasionally falls upon a talking group, a sudden dust devil or any of hundreds of other insignificant but puzzling occurrences. One type of shatar is more specific; it is  the mischievous kikyuwi, dwarfs who live in tiny compounds in the earth. They are notorious for causing people to become lost in the bush: for if one walks along a path across which a kikyuwi has urinated directions become reversed, a situation which can be rectified by placing one's left foot upon an ant hill. The most tangible evidence of kikyuwi are the remains of their deserted compounds. These "compounds" are perfectly circular "walls" of pressed mud measuring about 3/8 inches in thickness, 12 inches in diameter, and just barely rising above the level of the ground.

 Unlike many other West African societies, Margi culture does not emphasize ancestor worship and therefore ancestors are not a significant part of their world. Only the most recently deceased ancestor is specifically revered and believed to have direct influence over the affairs of the living. Like the yal and shatar, direct action from an ancestor is most likely to be negative, not because the ancestors are bad or because good is not normally attributed to the ancestors, but because failure to perform the annual ritual to one's father might incur his wrath. This view is not at great variance with attitudes toward Margi fathers, though it would rarely be so articulated.