107, Leopard Men

Leopard-men Post, Joproken, Liberia.

107.

In the morning the young man with the secret leads me across the village to a wooden pole about ten feet high, standing alone, weathered and covered with ancient slashed cuts.

He tells me the story of the pole: about sixty years ago some of the men of Joproken became “leopard men”--this was a sort of werewolf change which came over them at night--then as leopard men, they would roam about killing chickens and goats. Apparently this was sort of an accepted practice in this part of the jungle, but when the leopard men started raiding the neighboring villages for prey, finally including children, the neighbors decided things had gone a little too far.

The neighbors joined forces to make up a war party, which attacked and destroyed Joproken, killing most of the inhabitants.

These vigilantes left the mutilated center pole of the old chief’s house as a reminder to future Joprokeners not to become leopard men. I guess they did not plant a bombax tree on this occasion, but the memorial bombax trees and the scarred pole are these African jungle dweller’s Macchu Picchu and their Pyramids--their pre-literate message to generations unborn.

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