Black Magic?

Hired Murderer or Black Magic?

Native Cult in NW New Guinea

THE following notes on the New Guinea cult called “Sangguma” come from an article publihsed, in Dutch, in the European publication “Anthropos.”

The original article was written by Father G. J. Koster, a Hollander who was with the Roman Catholic Mission in the Bogia and Potsdamhafen districts on the north-west New Guinea coast for about 15 years prior to the outbreak of World War 11. At the beginning of the war, Father Koster returned to Holland and is still there.

The majority of European residents in the Territory are biased against pro fessional anthropologists, says Father K<pster, but in order to show that these scientists have a place in better under standing of the native mind, it is neces sary to point out only one problem which il called “Sarijggurna,” a mysterious cult that has given l more than one patrol officer a headache.

Literally, Sangguma means “force by sorcery” and it is generally understood to be murder by black magic—or in plain Pidgin, “Poison.”

The unsophisticated village native does not believe in death through natural causes. By him, death is attributed to supernatural means—an enemy or a re sident of rival village makes “poison” against him. But Sangguma is a much more positive business than making black magic, although it is most difficult to prove that it is performed by pro fessional murderers who form a sort of union of underworld gangsters in native style.

Another anthropologist who spent some time in Northern New Guinea. Margaret Mead, believed that the Sangguma or ganisation contained manv indentured labourers and was rapidly diffusing through the indentured labour popula tion of the Madang and Aitaps coasts.

But this seems open to doubt.

Most Europeans attribute such native deaths to auto-suggestion—for some un known reason the native in question has been persuaded to give up his natural will to live. A Mr. Johnston, of Banara Plantation, and Father Koster, were the first Europeans to discover that Sang guma was more than sorcery. It came about like this: While both men were in the vicinity of Dalua village, native women reported having been confronted in the nearby jungle with a number of men with blackened faces. The village men hurried into the bush and found a voung man lying on the ground, writhing in pain.

He was carried into the village, where Johnston and Father Koster gave first aid, and an examination revealed that small, sharp bones had Ipeen driven into the upper arms of the .youth, into his thighs and knees. Other bones were removed from other parts of . his body, later.

This finding verified the opinion held by some old residents that Sangguma is nothing but hired murder.

Apparently, the victim is singled out and ambushed by hired murderers who render him unconscious in some way.

While he is thus powerless, the bones are inserted in his body in such a way that death is sure to follow within a few days.

Bones of the flying-fox, or of fish, are usually used, they are inserted between the collar bones, in the upper legs and arms, one in the tongue, and others in vital parts, and they are driven home so as to become invisible. In some cases a long rib of a coconut leaf is inserted in the lower bowel, which it finally per forates.

When these operations have been com

pleted, the victim is brought back to con sciousness and usually is able to return to thp; village under his own power. Within a week or so” he usually dies, his death being attributed to black magic by his relatives, instead of to mutilations of which they are unaware. As he has a swollen tongue, he cannot speak, and be ing speechless, he is usually regarded as

“long-long”—unbalanced.

It would, of course, be easy by post mortem to analyse the cause of death—

but in a native society post-mortems are not yet the rule.