The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African | Page 5

battle. To these succeed the married women,
who dance in the second division. The young men occupy the third;
and the maidens the fourth. Each represents some interesting scene of
real life, such as a great achievement, domestic employment, a pathetic
story, or some rural sport; and as the subject is generally founded on
some recent event, it is therefore ever new. This gives our dances a
spirit and variety which I have scarcely seen elsewhere[B]. We have
many musical instruments, particularly drums of different kinds, a
piece of music which resembles a guitar, and another much like a
stickado. These last are chiefly used by betrothed virgins, who play on
them on all grand festivals.
As our manners are simple, our luxuries are few. The dress of both
sexes is nearly the same. It generally consists of a long piece of callico,
or muslin, wrapped loosely round the body, somewhat in the form of a
highland plaid. This is usually dyed blue, which is our favourite colour.
It is extracted from a berry, and is brighter and richer than any I have

seen in Europe. Besides this, our women of distinction wear golden
ornaments; which they dispose with some profusion on their arms and
legs. When our women are not employed with the men in tillage, their
usual occupation is spinning and weaving cotton, which they
afterwards dye, and make it into garments. They also manufacture
earthen vessels, of which we have many kinds. Among the rest tobacco
pipes, made after the same fashion, and used in the same manner, as
those in Turkey[C].
Our manner of living is entirely plain; for as yet the natives are
unacquainted with those refinements in cookery which debauch the
taste: bullocks, goats, and poultry, supply the greatest part of their food.
These constitute likewise the principal wealth of the country, and the
chief articles of its commerce. The flesh is usually stewed in a pan; to
make it savoury we sometimes use also pepper, and other spices, and
we have salt made of wood ashes. Our vegetables are mostly plantains,
eadas, yams, beans, and Indian corn. The head of the family usually
eats alone; his wives and slaves have also their separate tables. Before
we taste food we always wash our hands: indeed our cleanliness on all
occasions is extreme; but on this it is an indispensable ceremony. After
washing, libation is made, by pouring out a small portion of the food, in
a certain place, for the spirits of departed relations, which the natives
suppose to preside over their conduct, and guard them from evil. They
are totally unacquainted with strong or spirituous liquours; and their
principal beverage is palm wine. This is gotten from a tree of that name
by tapping it at the top, and fastening a large gourd to it; and sometimes
one tree will yield three or four gallons in a night. When just drawn it is
of a most delicious sweetness; but in a few days it acquires a tartish and
more spirituous flavour: though I never saw any one intoxicated by it.
The same tree also produces nuts and oil. Our principal luxury is in
perfumes; one sort of these is an odoriferous wood of delicious
fragrance: the other a kind of earth; a small portion of which thrown
into the fire diffuses a most powerful odour[D]. We beat this wood into
powder, and mix it with palm oil; with which both men and women
perfume themselves.
In our buildings we study convenience rather than ornament. Each

master of a family has a large square piece of ground, surrounded with
a moat or fence, or enclosed with a wall made of red earth tempered;
which, when dry, is as hard as brick. Within this are his houses to
accommodate his family and slaves; which, if numerous, frequently
present the appearance of a village. In the middle stands the principal
building, appropriated to the sole use of the master, and consisting of
two apartments; in one of which he sits in the day with his family, the
other is left apart for the reception of his friends. He has besides these a
distinct apartment in which he sleeps, together with his male children.
On each side are the apartments of his wives, who have also their
separate day and night houses. The habitations of the slaves and their
families are distributed throughout the rest of the enclosure. These
houses never exceed one story in height: they are always built of wood,
or stakes driven into the ground, crossed with wattles, and neatly
plastered within, and without. The roof is thatched with reeds. Our
day-houses are left open at the sides; but those in which we sleep are
always covered, and plastered in the inside, with a composition mixed