Page-046-L prev next

*exuɛ̃ [ ˩ \ ] the remnants, ashes, of



*    a farm-fire; they must be burnt



*    once again; cf. xuɛ̃ [ / ].



*exuɔxuɔ, exwɔxwɔ [ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] a rat trap.



*exwae [ ˥ ˩ ] a group of charms of



*    oval shape, made of a pounded



*    “medicine” that has been mixed



*    with water or, when making a



*    “stronger” exwae, with coco-



*    nut milk or blood. Those



*    “stronger” exwaes must not be



*    made in one’s house (in the



*    ɛgũ [ ˥ ˩ ]) but in the bush. The



*    exwae is usually kept in the ɛgũ,



*    i.e. the apartment where one’s



*    Osũ [ ˩ ˥ ] stands; in that case it is



*    used to “push” one’s enemies



*    into danger (v. sua [ / ]), and



*    also in cursing and blessing. In



*    other cases it stands under a



*    small thatched shelter outside



*    the wall of the compound; those



*    exwaes are of a “stronger”



*    nature: they are called exwae



*    n-odĩɔʋ̃a [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] “main exwae”,



*    lit. “exwae that is senior to



*    man”, and they give strength to



*    the particular god whom the



*    owner of the exwae follows.



*    Others are found in the shrines



*    of gods; they are given the



*    blood of sacrifices (v. wa [ / ];



*    ɔwaisɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ]). Possibly the



*    exwaes always have some rela-



*    tion to the Osũ [ ˩ ˥ ]; they are



*    also said to be “moving with



*    witches”, and, therefore, the



*    witch-doctor holds an exwae



*    when “giving chop to witch-



*    craft” in order that it may com-



*    municate with the witches and



*    tell them that they are given



*    food. A curse is: exwaa (exwae



*    ɔ-) sua ɽuɛ [ ˥ ˩ ˩ / ‿ ˩ ] “may exwae



*    push you”: v. asua [ ˩ ˥ ], ɛbo [ ˩ \ ].



*exwe [ ˥ ˥ ] (1) tomato. (2) garden-egg.