Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 29, 1918.djvu/114

 I04 Magic a7id Religion

Dr. Jevons himself uses the terms good mana, bad mana — what grounds have we for assuming a fundamental differ- ence of attitude towards the two classes ? White magic and white witches are familiar to all folklorists, and, what- ever else they imply, indicate the existence of elements regarded as akin to black magic and malevolent witchcraft, but approved, not condemned, by the community. If this usage of the terms is legitimate, Dr. Jevons's position is undermined ; if he argues that it leaves his contention unassailed, he is throwing over popular usage, on which he professes to found himself.

Perhaps Dr. Jevons will contend that this use of terms is late, and that contact with higher civilisation has hybridised the conceptions of the folk. If so, I can show him an analogous use of terms among the sophisticated natives of West Africa. Among the Ibo the ordinary term for " witch " is a;nosu, which has correlatives in cognate tongues ; if you enquire whether there are avwsu in a town, the informant will certainly understand the term in a bad sense, and reply accordingly. I was one day at Ila engaged in nothing more harmful than shooting green pigeon with an air-gun ; a^s one bird after another came to the ground two old crones, who were standing behind me watching the proceedings, remarked with sage noddings of the head : " Oburo ipadu, ob arnosu " ;, " they (the white men) are not men, they are wonder- workers (magicians)." There was no suggestion that I was engaged in a malevolent work, no hint of anything opprobrious in the remark ; it was as harmless and com- plimentary as the astonishment of an English villager who sees the electric light for the first time.

I interpret these facts to mean that the popular view of magic is not that which Dr. Jevons imagines it to be. Magic includes the illicit, but is not confined to it.

Without examining further at the present time whether