25.10.14 The Pig's Teeth!

David said that witch doctors have to have a licence, which documents the fact that they have these skins and that they probably last without getting moth because of the continual fire in the hut, which kills the moth.

Yesterday Winnie had a scratch on her cheek.  This was caused by a spider that exudes an acid!

Today David ‘perfected’ the leaf casting by coating both sides of the leaf by dipping it in hot wax and then peeling away one side and then peeling away the leaf inside (this tended to destroy or damage the leaf).  Painting one side could have been an option maybe?  However the rushes are a bit crude here and would probably leave brush marks.  I suspect that the plant might look a bit crudely cast but we shall see.

In the afternoon starting reading a third novel – ‘Giraffe’ by JM Ledgard.  David was making himself a Bakonjo spear head which was more bulbus at its base than the spears shown to us in the workshop that looked more like Batoro.  We planned to see a storyteller on 30^th.October/3 muramura graves on 31^st. October.  W/E possible options.  Monday 3^rd.November.  Rocca from 32 Degrees East comes with her parents on Tuesday 4^th.November.  See another witch doctor, possibly Musa’s father, who is supposed to be more powerful than the other guy we visited.

Seem to have the squits tonight – maybe the groundnuts and matoke from last night’s supper.  Got bitten on the face by mosquitoes tonight.

Eria said that the Sudan was considered to be the whole of sub-Saharan Africa at one time, including Egypt, not jus the modern day equivalent of Sudan as the country.  His history of tribes and their origins and migrations seems quite extensive.

Eria found two teeth on the passageway near my bedroom door, which l thought were white buds from the Frangipani bush.  He thought that maybe they had been ‘put’ there and when l went ot pick them up we joked about the witch doctor having put them there!!!  He remarked that they were nearest my door.  He also would not have touched then (as he obviously believed that would seal the transference of the ‘curse’).  This was amusing but started me wondering how indeed they had got there!!  Later on curiosity got the better of me and l asked Perlucy (the housekeeper) whether she knew anything about them and she laughed and said she had given Drongo (the dog) pig with teeth the night before!!! Problem solved!!!