home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
/ Treasures of the America…Museum of Natural History / Treasures of the American Museum of Natural History.iso / pc / treasure / tr27 / t27pg04.pic (.png) < prev    next >
Macintosh Picture Format  |  1996-09-10  |  190.3 KB  |  640x310  |  8-bit (235 colors)
   ocr: Dancera to each other, as well as to the spiritual forces that control destiny. Ikoto is the Yoruba word for a small land snail, and Marikoto ("I see the snail") is the name of this Egungun masquerader. Marikoto is not an ancestor, but it does have a role in appeasing the ancestors. The snail's soft body and particularly the slime or liquid that the snail pro- duces is believed to have medicinal qualities. When the snail's liquid is applied to the head of a person having difficulties, destiny is appeased and metaphorically "softened." Thus Marikoto counteracts evil and dissolves 416