Mary Slessor
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Mary Slessor (2 December 1848 - 13 January 1915) was a Scottish missionary to Nigeria. Her determined work and strong personality allowed her to be trusted and accepted by the locals, spreading Christianity and promoting women's rights.
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[edit] Early life
Mary was born in Aberdeen and moved to Dundee at the age of 11 when her family was looking for work. Her father was an alcoholic who had to stop his work as a shoemaker and eventually became a mill labourer. Mary's mother ensured that she attended church and made her a half time worker at a jute mill, working for half the day and attending the mill school for the other half.
She developed a strong interest in religion and joined a local mission teaching the poor. One famous story from this time is that of the Red Headed Lady. Mary dared a gang of boys that she would not flinch as they swung a metal weight closer and closer to her face. She successfully stayed still and the boys had to attend her Sunday School as forfeit.
[edit] Travels to Nigeria
| Part of a series on Protestant missions to Africa |
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| Robert Moffat | |
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People |
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Missionary agencies |
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Pivotal events |
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In 1876, she applied to the Foreign Mission Board of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (the Scottish United Presbyterian Mission). She was briefly trained before being sent to Calabar where she arrived in September. It was a time of turmoil in Nigeria. The slave trade, which had stopped traditional life for many, had ceased. Lagos was a major centre of the slave trade until 1851, when the United Kingdom, which had abolished slavery in 1807, captured the city. It was formally annexed as a British colony in 1861.
Disease was almost universal amongst the missionaries. Mary herself suffered from flu and malaria. Vaccinations for smallpox and other diseases only began to be available towards the end of her 40 year stay in Africa.
Mary shocked many missionaries by living with and as the locals. She learned to speak Efik fluently (phonograph recording of her speaking Efik) and became practised in the local customs and culture, thus assisting her missionary work and promotion of women's rights. While her insistence upon working by herself brought her into conflict with authorities, her close understanding of the Nigerians led the local Governor to offer her a position on the Itu court. She adopted a number of children including twins which were considered cursed and often sacrificed.
She received the Order of St John of Jerusalem in 1913. Recurring illness made her very weak and in 1915 she died of a fever. She was buried in Nigeria after a full state funeral. She is currently depicted on the Clydesdale Bank £10 note.
[edit] Defining Moment
In 1882 Mary was a guest of Chief Okon in the remote village of Ibaka. She was accommodated in the chief's 'yard', a compound for his wives, children, goats, chickens and dogs. One night two young wives sneaked out of the yard to visit a man. But they were seen. It was discovered that two other wives in the yard knew they had left and said nothing. So all four wives were in trouble. This is very bad, said Chief Okon. Wives must remain pure. And other wives must not pretend to be ignorant of such a great crime. What punishment do you plan? asked Mary cautiously. I have already met with the elders. One hundred lashes with the whip of crocodile hide! That's too severe!" protested Mary. People die from 100 lashes. If you try to stop it with your written Word of God, the people will say your way is no good because it destroys our power to punish wrongdoers. He was right but Mary cringed. She was no stranger to floggings. Not only was it excruciating and possibly lethal but salt was rubbed into the wounds afterwards. Sometimes a finger or two were chopped off for good measure! I want to meet with the elders, she told Chief Okon. Years ago she would have done everything in her power to work a problem out behind the scenes. She was terrified of men. But now she felt so bold and so authoritative though Christ's strength she was willing to take on all the men and their system of justice in front of the entire village. After Chief Okon gathered the elders and the four wives, Mary stepped before the assemblage. You wives have shamed all the women of the village! she snapped. The wives were stunned. Wives must remain pure, she continued. You betrayed your chief's trust. But the Word of God I bring you in this sacred book says that God has mercy.The four wives began to relax; surely White Ma was going to insist they go unpunished after all. Mary continued, But God does not overlook sin, nor does God forbid punishment for sin. The wives looked sick again. Mary turned on the elders. It is your terrible custom of taking many wives that caused these young women to get bored and stray. Men should not have more than one wife. Did I hear White Ma right? blurted Chief Okon. What's this about not having more than one wife? Does it say that in your book? Yes. Right here in the 10th chapter of Mark, she cried. Chief Okon was boiling. I don't know about this Word of God. An elder growled, Are these sinful wives not to be punished after all? Listen to me! Mary held up her hand. "The wives must be punished for their foolishness. The hide of the crocodile is appropriate..." She speaks wisdom now! yelled an elder. No salt in the wounds, she insisted. Granted, commented the chief. No fingers or toes may be cut off, added Mary.That's a small thing anyway shrugged an elder. Mary announced, Each wife should get ten lashes. Ten lashes is almost as painful as a hundred lashes, commented another elder matter-of-factly. After the first ten lashes they usually faint anyway. And so the young wives received ten lashes. Mary cleaned their wounds rubbed in analgesic salve and gave them an opiate. She would sedate them for a day or two - until the worst pain was over.
