Dreams in Central Africa. By A. G. O. Hodgson.
Source: Man, Vol. 26 (Apr., 1926), pp. 66-68Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
The following information was obtained from ten headmen of theYao, Ngoni, Nyanja and Chewa tribes in Dowa District, Nyasaland, having regard to the questions suggested by Professor Seligman in MAN, 120, 1923. Two of the informants profess Mohammedanism, two had attended Mission schools for short periods, and all were middle-aged or elderly. Although questioned separately, they gave the same interpretation in most cases.
A person dreams because he has a spirit which survives after his death; if he did not dream, he would have no spirit and would perish utterly. No instance is known, however, of a man or woman who has never dreamt; many dream regularly every night in the cool season, and all do so more frequently in cold than in hot weather. Their dreams are usually of common occurrences in the everyday world, but occasionally also of connected stories with obvious meanings or with confused and nonsensical content. No contributory cause is alleged, but dreams of the latter classes have generally accepted meanings, and dreams are generally referred to only in cases where the dreamer is ignorant of the interpretation and seeks the advice of an older man or woman. Some such interpretations are as follows:-
(1) Flying.-If one dreams that oneself or anyone else is flying in the sky like a bird, the person flying will enjoy long life and good health.
(2) Fire.-If one dreams of a fire burning, the dreamer will be involved in a serious misfortune, generally in a law-suit. If the fire goes out, the dreamer will emerge from his suit satisfactorily, the rise and decline of the fire symbolising the outbreak and subsidence of the case. To dream of a great bush fire augurs the advent of war, but if ashes and smoke only, without flame, are observed, the war will come to a speedy and satisfactory conclusion.
(3) Climbing.-To dream that oneself or another is climbing a tree or ascencding a hill signifies that the climber will be promoted to chieftainship or other high rank.
(4) Loss of a tooth or teeth-Is taken to indicate that the dreamer will shortly lose his wife or child or other near relation. One (Chewa) informant interpreted this dream to mean that the dreamer's wife would bear a son who would grow up to be a strong man.
(5) Oedipus.-If one dreams that one is having connection with one's mother or sister, the dreamer is being bewitched by some unknown person, and may procure medicine to put in his house to catch his enemy, though usually he is too ashamed to take any action or to mention the matter.
(6) To dream of a flood of water in a river has the same signification as in No. (2), though the informant quoted in No, (4) stated that it might also mean that the dreamer's wife was commencing her period.
(7) To dream that someone is sick means that the person dreamt of will not be ill for a very long time, and to dream of the death of someone who is in reality sick at the time of the dream augurs the speedy recovery of the patient.
(8) A dream of frequent occurrence is one of being chased downhill by a lion, the common symbol for chieftainship. If the dreamer escapes, he himself will become a chief or otherwise rise to importance: but if he is seized by the lion, it means that a chief is plotting against him.
(9) To dream of crossing a river signifies death; but the informant quoted in Nos. (4) and (6) gave the same interpretation as in No. (2), the dreamer winning his case if successful in crossing the river.
(10) To dream of digging a pit or of hoeing nthumbira (raised mounds for maize or potatoes) signifies that the dreamer will soon be digging a grave for one of his relations, the pit being suggested in the second instance by the depression between the mounds.
(11) To be afflicted with lice is a lucky dream, as the dreamer will acquire great wealth, or, if hitherto a childless woman, will produce a son.
(12) Rain symbolises mourning at the funeral of a relation.
(13) To dream of a snake round one's leg means that the dreamer will be bound in prison, or, in former times, as a slave.
(14) Drinking beer symbolises the drinking of mwabvi (ordeal poison).
(15) To dream of falling through space signifies approaching sickness, but if the dreamer rises after the fall, he will duly recover.
(16) To dream of a hearth stone (fua) means that one will shortly see a chief, as the hearthstone always remains in one place, like a chief, and is not thrown away after use.
(17) If one dreams of an ant-heap, one's wife is pregnant by another man, the likeness being due to the fact that an ant-heap is always slowly increasing in size.
(18) If one dreams that one is catching fish, the dreamer will find a bag of money; but if the fish are of a slippery variety, like mudfish, the dreamer will not be able to keep the money, which will soon be lost or stolen.
(19) It is unlucky if one of the objects of the dream is confused or grotesque, as, for example, if a person or animal has some of the characteristics of another. The spirit of the dreamer is troubled, and must be appeased by the dreamer washing his person in medicine made from the roots of the mtsizi tree and by a beer dance.
(20) If one dreams of a dead relation wearing a black cloth, the dreamer will be in mourning for a long time owing to continual deaths of his relations.
A. G. O. HODGSON.
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