The Leopard Society, leopard men, or Anyoto was a secret society that operated in West Africa approximately between 1890 and 1935. It was believed that members of the society could transform into leopards through the use of witchcraft. The earliest reference to the society in western literature can be found in George Banbury's "Sierra Leone: or the white man's grave" (1888). In western culture, depictions of the society have been widely used to portray Africans as barbaric and uncivilized.
A sculpture by Paul Wissaert depicting a leopard man (1913)
Réorganisation (2002) by Congolese painter Chéri Samba depicts controversy around the above Wissaert sculpture and the Royal Museum for Central Africa
A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla warfare insurgencies, that hide their activities and memberships but maintain a public presence.
"Secret Society Buildings at Yale College" by Alice Donlevy c. 1880. Pictured are: Psi Upsilon (Beta chapter), 120 High Street. Left center: Skull and Bones (Russell Trust Association), 64 High Street. Right center: Delta Kappa Epsilon (Phi chapter), east side of York Street, south of Elm Street. Bottom: Scroll and Key (Kingsley Trust SSS Nonse Association), 490 College Street.
The Brethren of Sincerity) were a secret society of Muslim philosophers in Basra, Iraq, in the 9th or 10th century CE.
A Hongmen seal, 19th century
