The Natural History of Man; being an account of the manners and customs of the uncivilized races of men ... With new designs by Angas, Danby, Wolf, Zwecker, etc, etc. Engraved by the Brothers Dalziel

Preface

. This work is simply, as the title-page states, an account of the manners and customs of uncivilized races of men in all parts of the world. Many travellers have given accounts, scattered rather at raudorn through their books, of the habits and modes of life exhibited by the various people among whom they have travelled. These notices, however, are distributed through a vast number of books, many of them very scarce, many very expensive, and most of them ill-arranged ; and it has therefore been my task to gather together in one work, and to present to the reader in a tolerably systematic and intelligible form, the varieties of character which develop themselves among races who have not as yet lost their individuality by moi civilization. In this task I have been greatly assisted by many travellers, whe have taken a kindly interest in the work, and have given me the invaluable help of their practical experience.

Tho engravings with which the work is profusely illustrated have been derived many sources. For the most part the countenances of the people have been drawn from photographs, and in many instances whole groups taken by the photographer have been transferred to the wood-block, the artist only making a few changes of attitude, so as to avoid the unpleasant stiffness which characterises photographic groups. As any of the illustrations are taken from sketches made by travellers, who have kindly allowed me to make use of them ; and I must here express my thanks to Mr. T. Baines, the accomplished artist and traveller, who made many sketches expressly for the work, and placed at my disposal the whole of his diaries and portfolios. I must ak my thanks to Mr. J. B. Zwecker, who undertook the onerous task of interpre pictoriaily the various scenes of savage life which are described in the work, and who _'ht to that task a hearty goodwill and a wide knowledge of the subject, without which the work would have lost much of its spirit.

The drawings of the weapons, I'RKF VI implements, and utensils are all taken from actui u is, most of which are h my own collection, made, through a series of several years, for the express purpose o illustrating this work. That all uncivilized tribes should be mentioned, is necessarily impossible, and I havi been reluctantly forced to omit altogether, or to dismiss with a brief notice, mani interesting people, to whom I would gladly have given a greater amount of spao Especially has this been the case with Africa, to whicii countiy the moiety of tin book is necessarily given, in consequence of the extraordinary variety of the natrv customs which prevail in that wonderful land. We have, for example, on one sidi of a river, a people well clothed, well fed, well governed, and retaining but few o the old savage customs.

On the other side, we find people without clothes, government manners, or morality, and sunk as deeply as man can be in all the squalid miseries of savage life. Besides, the chief characteristic of uncivilized Africa is the continual change to which it is subject. Some tribes are warlike and restless, always working their way seawards from the interior, carrying their own customs with them, forming settlements on their way, and invariably adding to their own habits and superstitions those of the tribes among whom they have settled. In process of time they become careless of the military arts by which they gained possession of the country, and are in their turn ousted by others, who bring fresh habits and modes of life with them. It will be seen, therefore, how full of incident is life in Africa, the great stronghold of barbarism, and how necessary it is to devote to that one continent a very coni-able portion of the entire work.

EXPLANATION OF THE FRONTISPIECE. Thl Frontispiece gives a pictorial representation of African mankind. Superstition reigning supren . -. ■ ■ .., ; ii ii nt figure is the fetish priest, with his idols at his feet, aud holding up for adoration the s. War is illustrated by the Kaffir chief ih thc foreground; the Bosjesmau with his bow aud pq _irrows, and the Abyssinian chief behind him. The gluttony of the Negro race is exemplified e the squatting men with their jars of porridge and fruit. The grace and beauty of the young fe** ,- by the Nubian girl and .Shooa woman behind the Kaffir ; while the hideousness of the old wp] .ex-mplified by the Negro woman above with her fetish. Slavery is illustrated by the slave car l distance, and the pyramidspeak of the interest attached to Africa by hundreds of centuries.

CONTENTS. ''HAP. PAOE I. The Kaffirs 1 II. Course of Life 8 III. Course of Life {concluded) , , 12 IV. Masculine Dress and Ornaments 19 V. Masculine Dress and Ornaments (concluded) 29 VI. Feminine Dress and Ornaments VII. Architecture 52 VIII. Cattle Keeping 62 IX. Marriage ....,..,., 71 X. Marriage (concluded) .....,,...,... 81 XI. "War — Offensive Weapons 93 XII. War (concluded) — Defensive Wrapons and Mode of Fighting . 110 XIII. Hunting 128 XIV. Agriculture , . , 145 XV. Food , .... 151 XVI. Social Characteristics , . , , 170 XVII. Religion and Superstition 183 XVIII. Religion and Superstition (consumed) 194 XIX. Superstition (concluded) , . , 208 XX. Funeral Rites 220 XXI. Domestic Life , , 226 XXII. The Hottentot Races 240 XXIII. Weapons , , 255 XXIV. The Bosjesman or Bushman 265 XXV.

The Bosjesman (continued) 274 XXVI. The Bosjesman (concluded) 291 XXVII. The Korannas and Xamaquas . . . 300 XXVIII. The Bechuanas .... 312 XXIX. TtT% Bechuanas (cone/" led.) 322 XXX. Tb ai ' 337 YT\' ivambo sip Ovampo Tribe CONTENTS. VIII chap. pas a XXXII. The Makololo Tribe 360 XXXIIL The Batete and Makoba Tribes 373 XXXIV. The Batoka and Manganja Tribes 386 XXXV. The Bantai and Badema Tribes 399 XXXVI. The Balondo or Balonda and the Angolese 408 XXXVII. The Wagogo and Wanyamuezi 427 XXXVIII. Karague 442 XXXIX. The Watusi and Waganda . . 452 XL. The Wantoro 467 XLI. Gani, Madi, Obbo, and Kytch 477 3XLII. The Neam-Nam, Dor, and Djour Tribes 487 XLIII. The Latooka Tribe 505 XLIV. The Shir, Bari, Djibba, Xuehr, Dinea, and Shillook Tribes . 514 XLV. The Ishooo, Ashango, and Obongo Tribes 531 XLVI.

The Apongo and Apingi Tribes . 541 XLVII. The Bakalai ■ 549 XLVIII. The Ashira 555 XLIX. The Camma, or Commi 563 L. The Shekiani and MpongwÆ 582 LI. The Fans 590 . LII. The Fans (concluded) 599 LIII. The Krumen and Fanti 610 LIV. The Ashanti .622 LV. Dahome 629 LVI. Dahome (continued) . 644 LV1L Dahome (concluded) 650 LVIII. The Egbas 659 LIX. Bonny 670 LX The Mandingoes 677 LXI. The Bubes and Congoese 681 LXII. Bornu , (389 LXIII. The Shooas, Tibboos, Tuaricks, Begharmis, and Musouese . 700 LXIV. Abyssinia 714 LXV. Abyssinia (continued) 723 LXVI. Abyssinia (concluded) 733 LXVII. Xubian and Hamran Arabs LXVIII. Bedouins, Hassaniyehs, and Malagasy TO BE COMPLETED EST THIRTY-TWO MONTHLY SHILLING PARTS. OMPANION BOOK to the ILLUSTRATED NATURAL HISTORY, ROUTLEDGE'S ILLUSTEATED Natural History of Man, IN ALL COUNTRIES OF THB WORLD.

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Wood. 210 llh GEORGE ROTjTLF.DGE AND SONS, THE BROADWAY, LU!*. CHAPTER IJ mE KAFFIR, OR ZINGIAN TRIBES, AND THEIR. PHYSICAL PECULIARITIES — ORIGIN OF THE NAME THEORIES AS TO THEIR PRESENCE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA THE CHIEF TRIBES AND XHT.Ht LOCALITIES THE ZULUS AND THEIR APPEARANCE THEIR COMPLEXION ANT, IDEAS OF BE —POINTS OF SIMILITUDE AND CONTRAST BETWEEN THE KAFFIR AND THE NEGRO — MENTAI3 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KAFFIR HIS WANT OF CARE FOR THE FUTURE, AND SEASONS FOB IT CONTROVERSIAL POWERS OF THE KAFFIR THE SOCBATIC MODE OF ARGTOJtENI — ' > ~' HORNS OF A DILEMMA LOVE OF A KAFFIR FOR ARGUMENT HIS MENIAL TRAINING AND ITS CONSEQUENCES PARTHIAN MODE OF ARGUING PLACABLE NATURE OF THE KAFF1P. SE OF SELF-RESPECT FONDNESS FOR A PRACTICAL JOKE — THE WOMAN AND THE MELON HOSPITALITY OF THE KAFFIRS THEIR DOMESTICATED NATURE AND FONDNESS FOR CHILDREN THEIR HATRED OF SOLITUDE.

Over the whole of the Southern portion of the great Continent of AfriGa is .spread a trkable and interesting race of mankind. Though divided into numerous tribes, and differing in appearance, manners, and customs, they are evii ast in the same mould, and belong to the same group of the human race. They arc dark, but not so black as the true negro of the West. Their hair is crisp, short, and curled, but not so woolly as lc negro ; their lips, though large when .compared with those of Europeans, are small . compared to those of the negro. The form is finely modelled, the stature tall, the 1 .light, the forehead high, .the expression intelligent , and, altogether,. this gro i i:;nd affords as fine examples of the human form as can be found anywhere on the . jive a name to this large group is not very easy.

Popularly, the tribes which it are known as Kaffirs ; but that term has now been restricted to the tribes on the t of the continent, between the sea and the range of the Draakensberg Moun- Moreover, the name Kaffir is a very inappropriate one, being simply the term which the Moslem races apply to all who do not believe with themselves, and by which they designate black and white men alike. Some ethnologists have designated them by the gmsta,] name of Chuanas, the word being the root 'of the well-known Bechna.ua, Sechii.uLt. and similar names; while others have preferred the word Bantu, and o1 hich last word is. perhaps the best. Whatever may be tiie title, it is evident that they are not aborigines, but that they have led upon Southern Africa from some other locality — probably from more northern parts of the same continent.

Some writers claim for the Kaffir or Zingian tribes an Asiatic origin, and have a theory that in the course of their migration they mixed with tiie negroes, and so became possessed of the frizzled hair, the thick lips, the dark skin, and other peculiarities of the negro race. Who might Lave been the true aborigines of Southern Africa cannot be definitely stated, inasmuch as even within very recent times great changes have taken place. At -resent time South Africa is practically European, the white man, whether Dutch or .Er dish, having dispossessed the owners of the jsoilf_and either settled upon the land or ed the dark-skinn'?d inhabitants to th&-^%a^^aere dependants. Those whom they displaced were themselves interlopers, having overcome and ejected the L ■ttent,,' tribes, who in their turn seem but to have suffered the same fate which in the . 'me oi their greatness they had brought upon others.

At the present day the great Zingian group affords the best type of the inhab t: i oi Southern Africa, and we will therefore begin with the Kaffir tribes. If the reader will refer to the map of Africa, he will see that upon the sov,th-easi coast a long range of mountains runs nearly parallel with the sea-line, and extend, fro' i lat. 27° to 33°. It is the lin 3 of the Draakensberg Moun tains, and along the strip of land which interven ss bi these mountains and ! are found the genuine Kaffir tribes. There are other tribes belonging to the same group of mankind which are found, on the western side of the Draakensberg, and are spread over the entire country, from Delagoa Bay on the east to the Orange River on the west. These tribes are familiar to, readers of African travel under the names of Bechuanas, Ba yeye, Namaqua, Ovampo, &cv But, by common consent, the. name of Kaffir is now restricted to those tribes which inhabit the strip of country above mentioned.

Formerly, a considerable number of tribes inhabited, this district, and were ciently distinct to be : ; reckoned as different nai Now, however, these babi reduced to five; namely, the Ai. i •. xi the north, followed southwards by RANGE OF THE KAFFIR TRIBES. the Amaswazi, the Amazulu, the Amaponda, and the Amakosa. Here it must be that the prefix of 'Ama," attached to all the words, is one of the forms by a 'of certain names is designated. Thus, we might speak of a single 3 Zulu, or Ponda Kaffir ; but if we wish to speek of more than one, we form ; prefixing " Ama to the word. The other tribes, although they for the most part still exist and rei names, are practically merged into those whose names have been mention Of all the true Kaffir tribes, the Zulu is the chief type, and that tribe will described.

Although spread over a considerable range of country, the Zulu tribe has its head quarters rather to the north of Natal, and there may be found the best specimen* of this splendid race of men. Belonging, as do the Zulu tribes, to the dark-skinned portion of mankind th<dr skin does not possess that dead, jetty black which is characteristic of the Western negro. It is a moTe transparent skin, the layer of colouring matter does not seem to be so the ruddy hue of the blood is perceptible through the black. It is held by the Kaffi FROM CHILDHOOD TO AGE. (From pnolvaraphic Portraits.) Married Man. Old Councillor. 7 Man or "Boy. Unmarried Girl Old Woman. Young Married Woman and lie the perfection of buman colouring ; and a Zulu, if asked what he considers to be the finest complexion, will say that it is, like his own, black, with a little red.

Some dark-skinned nations approve of a fair complexion, and in some parts of the world the chiefs are so much fairer than the commonalty, that they seem almost to belong to different races. The Kaffir, however, holds precisely the opposite opinion. According to his views of human beauty, the blacker a man is the handsomer he is considered, pro vided that some tinge of red be perceptible. They carry this notion so far, that in sounding the praises of their king, an act at which they are very expert, they mention, as -.ne of his excellences, that he chooses to be black, though, being so powerful a mouarch, he might have been white if he had liked. Europeans who have resided for any length of time among the Kaffir tribes seem to imbibe similar ideas about the superior beauty of the black and red complexion.

They become used Lo it, and perceive httle varieties in individuals, though to an inexperienced he colour would appear exactly similar in every person. When they return to civilized .■-ociety they feel a great contempt for the pale, lifeless-looking complexion of Europeans, and some time elapses before they learn to view a fair skin and light hair with E THE KAFFIK. degree of admiration. Examples of albinos are occasionally seen among the Kaffirs, but they are not pleasant-looking individuals, and are not admired by their blacker and more fortunate fellow-countrymen. A dark olive is, however, tolerably common, but the real hue of the skin is that of rather blackish chocolate. As is the case with the negro race, the newly-born infant of a Kaffir is nearly as pale as that of a European, tlie dark hne becoming developed by degrees.

Though dark of hue, the Kaffirs are as fastidious about their dusky complexion as any European belle could be of her own fairer skin ; and the pride with which a Kaffir, even though he be a man and a tried warrior, regards the .shining, transparent black of Ids skin, has in it something ludicrous to an inhabitant of Europe. The hair of the Kaffir, whether it belong to male or female, never becomes' long, but envelopes the head in a close covering of crisp, woolly curls, very similar to the hair of the true negro. The lips are always large, and the mouth wide, and the nose has very wide nostrils. These peculiarities the Kaffir has in common with the negro, and it nov/ and then happens that an individual has these three features -o strongly marked that he might be mistaken for a negro at first sight.

A more careful view, however, would at once detect the lofty and intellectual forehead, the prominence of the nose, and the high cheek-bones, together with a nameless but decided cast of countenance, which marks them out from all other groups of the dark-skinned natives of Africa. The high cheek-bones form a very prominent feature in the countenances of the 'Hottentots and Bosjesmans, but the Kaffir cannot for a moment be -ken for either one or the other, any more than a lion coidd be mistaken for a puma. The expression us the Kaffir face, especially when young, is rather pleasing ; and, as a general rule, is notable when in repose for a slight pkintiveness, this expression being marked most strongly in the young, of both sexes. The dark eyes are lively and full_of intellect, and a kind of cheerful good humour pervades the features.

In the e.x of their faces, though not at all in their features, the Kaffir presents a curious resemblance to the inhabitants of Polynesia, and from the same reason. As a people, they are devoid of care. • The three great causes of care in more civilized lands have but little influence on a Kaffir. The clothes whicii he absolutely needs are of the most trifling description, and in our sense of the word cannot be recognised as clothing at all. The slight hut which enacts the part of a house is constructed of materials that can be bought for about a shilling, and to the native cost nothing but the labour of cutting and carrying. His food, which constitutes his only reiil anxiety, is .obtained far more easily th dized nations, for game-preserving is unknown in Southern Africa, and any bird ues the property of any one who chooses to take the trouble of capturing it.

One • missionary clergy was much struck by this utter want of care, when hi plaining the Scriptures to some dusky hearers. The advice "to take no though morrow" had not the least effect on them. Theynever had taken any th -c tbe morrow, and never would do so, and rather wondered that any one been foolish enough to give them such needless advice^^ There is another cause for this heedless enjoT* .. the present n **iyr, an instinctive fatalism, arising from the peculiar nature\>f their government. T_he po-. life and death with which the Kaffir rulers are invested is exercised in so reckless a manner, that no Kaffir feels the least security for his Use. He knows perfectly well that the king may require his life at any moment, and he therefore m himself about a future which may have no existence for him.

Of course these traits of character belong only to the Kaffir in their normal co fur, when these .splendid savages have placed themselves under tlie protection of Eun,, ii. newly-felt security of life produces its natural results, and they -will -lit which would do no discredit to a white man. A lad, for example, eil service for a year, in order to obtain a cow at tlie end of that time. Had In --.ii while under the rule of his own king, he would have insisted on prei and would have honourably fulfilled his task provided that the king did Mm executed THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA. 5 Their fatalism is, in fact, owing to the peculiarly logical turn of a Kaffir's mind, and his determination to follow an argument to its conclusion. He accepts the acknowh*' fact that his life is at the mercy of the king's caprice, and draws therefrom the inevitable conclusion that he can calculate on nothing beyond the present moment.

The lofty and thoughtful forehead of the Kaffir does not belie his character, for, of all savage races, the Kaffir is perhaps the most intellectual. In acts he is honourable and straightforward, and, with one whom he can trust, his words will agree with his actions. But he delights in controversy, and has a special faculty for the Socratic mode of argument ; namely, by asking a series of apparently unimportant questions, gradually hemming in his adversary, and forcing him to pronounce his own sentence of condemnation. If he suspects another of having committed a crime, and examines the supposed culprit before a council, he will not accuse him directly of the crime, but will cross-examine him with a skill worthy of any European lawyer, each question being only capable of being answered in one manner, ancl so eliciting successive admissions, each of which forms a step in the argument.

An amusing example of this style of argument is given by Fleming. Some Kaffirs had been detected in eating an ox, and the owner brought them before a councd, demanding payment for the ox. Their defence was that they had not killed tlie animal, but had found it dying from a wound inflicted by another ox, and so bad con sidered it as fair spoil. When their defence had been completed, an old Kaffir began to examine the previous speaker, and, as usual, commenced by a question apparently of the subject. Q. " Does an ox tail grow up, down, or sideways 1" A. "Downwards." Q. " Do its horns grow up, down, or sideways ? " A. "Up." Q. " If an ox gores another, does he not lower his head and gore upward A. "Yes." Q. " Could he gore downwards ? " A. "No." The wily interrogator then forced the unwilling witness to examine the wound which he asserted to have been made by the horn of another ox, and to admit that the t had been stabbed ancl not gored.

Mr. Grout, the missionary, mentions an instance of the subtle turn of mind which distinguishes an intelligent Kaffir. One of the converts came to ask what he was to do if he went on a journey with his people. It must first be understood that a Kaffir takes no provisions when travelling, knowing that he will receive hospitality on the way. " What shall I do, when I am out on a journey among the people, and they offer such food as they have, perhaps the flesh of an animal which has been slaughtered in honour of the ghosts of the departed ? . If I eat it, they will say, ' See there ! he is a believer in our religion — he partakes with us of the meat offered to our gods.' Ancl if I do not eat, they will say, ' See there ! he is a believer in the existence and power of our gods, else why does he hesitate to. eat of the meat which we have slaughtered to them ? ' ' Argument is a" Kaffir's native element, and he likes nothing better than a complicated ite where there is plenty of hair-splitting on both sides.

The above instances show that a Kaffir can appreciate a dilemma as well as the most accomplished logicians, and lie is master of that great key of controversy, — namely, throwing the burden of proof on tl.e opponent. In all his controversy he is scrupulously polite, never interrupting an opponent, and patiently awaiting his own turn to speak. And when the case has be^n fully argued, and a conclusion arrived at, he always bows to the decision of the presiding chief, and acquiesces in the judgment, eveft-when a penalty is inflicted upon himself. Trained in such a school, the old and influential chief, who has owed his position as much to his intellect as to his military repute, becomes a most formidable, antagonist in argument, especially when the question regards tlie possession of land and the boundaries to be observed.

He fully recognises the celebrated axiom that language a for the purpose of concealing the thoughts, and has recourse to every evasive subterfuge and THE KAFFIR. sophism that his subtle brain can invent. He will mix truth and falsehood with such ingenuity that it is hardly possible to separate them. He will quietly " beg the question,' and then proceed as composedly as if his argument were a perfectly fair one. He will attack or defend, as best suits his own case, and often, when he seems to be yielding point after point, he makes a sudden onslaught, becomes in his turn the assailant, aud marches to victory over the ruins of his opponent's arguments. OLD COUNCILLOR AND WH ES Here is a portrait of one of the councillors attached to Goza, the well-known Kaffir chief, of whom we shall hear more presently.

And see what a face the man has* — how his broad forehead is wrinkled with thought, and how craftily his black eyes gleam from under their deep brows. Half-naked savage though be be, the man who will enter into controversy with him will find no mean antagonist, and, whether the object be religion or politics, he must beware lest he find himself suddenly defeated exactly when he felt most sure of victory. The Maori of New Zealand is no mean adept at argument, and in many points bears a strong resemblance to the Kaffir character. But, in a contest oi between a Maori chief and a Zulu councillor, the latter would be nearly certain to come off the victor. As a rule, the Kaffir is not of a revengeful character, nor is he troubled with that exceeding tetchiness which characterises some races of mankind.

Not that he is without a sense of dignity. On the contrary, a Kaffir can be among the most dignified of kind when he wishes it, and when there is some object in being so. But he i of himself that, like a true gentleman, he never troubles himself about asserting his dignity. He is so sure' that no real breach of respect can be wilfully committed, that a Kaffir will seldom hesitate to play a practical joke upon another — a proceeding which v be the cause of instant bloodshed among the Malays. And, provided that the joke be a clever one, no one seems to enjoy it more than the victim. One resident in Kaffirland mentions several instances of the tendencv of the h towards practical joking. A lad in his service gravely told his fellow-countrymen that all those who came to call on the Englishmen were ioi ette to kneel d and kiss the ground at a certain distance from the house.