Comments on: Special Guest Friday: Tamar Myers http://magicalwords.net/specialgueststars/special-guest-friday-tamar-myers/ Writing tips and publishing advice for aspiring novelists. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:33:42 +0000 hourly 1 By: Catie Murphyhttp://magicalwords.net/specialgueststars/special-guest-friday-tamar-myers/#comment-6230 Catie Murphy Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:32:31 +0000 http://magicalwords.net/?p=1256#comment-6230 Wow, how cool, Tamar. I look forward to the books! Wow, how cool, Tamar. I look forward to the books!

]]> By: Jenniferhttp://magicalwords.net/specialgueststars/special-guest-friday-tamar-myers/#comment-6224 Jennifer Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:00:06 +0000 http://magicalwords.net/?p=1256#comment-6224 What an intriguing post! Thank you for sharing, Tamar.Jen What an intriguing post! Thank you for sharing, Tamar.

Jen

]]> By: Tamar Myershttp://magicalwords.net/specialgueststars/special-guest-friday-tamar-myers/#comment-6223 Tamar Myers Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:38:06 +0000 http://magicalwords.net/?p=1256#comment-6223 I wasn't present at the burning of the witchdoctor's amulet hut; my sister was. But from her description, you could cut the air with a knife, there was so much fear. And I suspect the odor, besides the normal smell of burning thatch, was rather pungent, as many of his "medicines" were devised from antelope horn and powders made from various potent tree barks--many of which really did have the power to heal or prevent some diseases, such as certain skin ailments.About the chief/slain. The Belgians were noted for their cruelty to their colonial subjects. Sometimes they would punish an entire villahe for its "crime" but often just the chief. By having a slave for a chief, the Bashilele got around the tricky situation of having one of their own punished if they chose to ignore an edict. The slaves were always former members of other tribes who had been captured while crossing through Bashilele territory. The slave who was made chief had certain honors--a bigger house, more wives, a cool leopard skin robe, but he was "thrown to the wolves" whenever the tribe got into trouble. Pretty clever, huh? Of course he didn't dare rat out to the Belgians about his true situation, or he'd get a knife to his throat. I wasn’t present at the burning of the witchdoctor’s amulet hut; my sister was. But from her description, you could cut the air with a knife, there was so much fear. And I suspect the odor, besides the normal smell of burning thatch, was rather pungent, as many of his “medicines” were devised from antelope horn and powders made from various potent tree barks–many of which really did have the power to heal or prevent some diseases, such as certain skin ailments.

About the chief/slain. The Belgians were noted for their cruelty to their colonial subjects. Sometimes they would punish an entire villahe for its “crime” but often just the chief. By having a slave for a chief, the Bashilele got around the tricky situation of having one of their own punished if they chose to ignore an edict. The slaves were always former members of other tribes who had been captured while crossing through Bashilele territory. The slave who was made chief had certain honors–a bigger house, more wives, a cool leopard skin robe, but he was “thrown to the wolves” whenever the tribe got into trouble. Pretty clever, huh? Of course he didn’t dare rat out to the Belgians about his true situation, or he’d get a knife to his throat.

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