THE DAMARA TRIBE.
LOCALITY AND ORIGIN OF THE DAMARAS -- DIVISIONS OF THE TRIBE -- THE
RICH AND POOR DAMARAS -- CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY -- APPEARANCE OF
THE PEOPLE -- THEIR PHYSICAL CONSTITUTION -- MAN’S DRESS -- THE
PECULIAR SANDALS, AND MODE OF ADORNING THE HAIR -- WOMEN’S DRESS --
COSTUME OF THE GIRLS -- PORTRAIT OF A DAMARA GIRL RESTING HERSELF
-- SINGULAR CAP OF THE MARRIED WOMEN -- FASTIDIOUSNESS CONCERNING
DRESS -- CATTLE OF THE DAMARAS -- “CROWING” FOR ROOTS AND WATER
-- ARCHITECTURE AND FURNITURE -- INTELLECT OF THE DAMARAS --
ARITHMETICAL DIFFICULTIES -- WEAPONS -- THE DAMARA AS A SOLDIER --
THE DIFFERENT CASTES OR EANDAS -- FOOD, AND MODE OF COOKING -- DAMARA
DANCES AND MUSIC -- MATRIMONIAL AFFAIRS -- VARIOUS SUPERSTITIONS --
THE SACRED FIRE AND ITS PRIESTESS -- APPARITIONS -- DEATH AND BURIAL
OF A CHIEF -- CEREMONIALS ON THE ACCESSION OF HIS SON -- THE DAMARA
OATH.
If the reader will refer to a map of Africa, and look at the western
coast just below lat. 20° S., he will see that a large portion of the
country is occupied by a people called Damaras, this word being a
euphonious corruption of the word Damup, which signifies “The People.”
Who the Damaras originally were, how long they have occupied the land,
and the place where they originally came from, are rather dubious, and
they themselves can throw no light on the subject.
The tribe is a very interesting one. Once of great power and
importance, it spread over a vast tract of country, and developed its
own peculiar manners and customs, some of which, as will be seen, are
most remarkable. Its day of prosperity was, however, but a short one,
as is the case with most tribes in this part of the world. It has
rapidly sunk from its high estate, has suffered from the attacks of
powerful and relentless enemies, and in a few more years will probably
perish off the face of the earth. So rapid have been the changes, that
one traveller, Mr. Anderssen, remarks that within his own time it has
been his fate to witness the complete ruin and downfall of the once
great Damara nation.
Such being the case, it is my intention to give a brief account of the
tribe, noticing only those peculiarities which serve to distinguish
it from other tribes, and which might in the course of a few years be
altogether forgotten. The account given in the following pages has
been partly taken from Mr. Anderssen’s “Lake Ngami,” partly from Mr.
Galton’s work on Southwestern Africa, and partly from the well-known
book by Mr. Baines, to whom I am also indebted for many sketches, and
much verbal and written information.
As far as can be ascertained, the aborigines were a race called, even
by themselves, the Ghou Damup--a name quite untranslatable to ears
polite, and therefore euphonized by the colonists into Hill Damaras,
though in reality there is no connection between them. The Ghou Damup
say that their great ancestor was a baboon, who married a native lady,
and had a numerous progeny. The union, however, like most unequal
matches, was not a happy one, the mother priding herself on her family,
and twitting her sons with their low connections on the paternal side.
The end of the matter was, that a split took place in the family, the
sons behaving so badly that they dared no longer face their high-born
Hottentot connections, and fled to the hills, where they have ever
since dwelt.
The Damaras may be roughly divided into two bodies, the rich and the
poor, the former being those who possess cattle, and live chiefly on
the milk, and the latter those who have either no cattle, or only one
or two, and who, in consequence, live by the chase and on the wild
roots which they dig. For the Damaras are not an agricultural people,
probably because their soil is not, as a general rule, adapted for the
raising of crops.
The poor Damaras, called Ovatjumba, are looked down upon by the richer
sort, and, in fact, treated as if they were inferior beings. Their
usual position is that of servitude to the wealthy, who consider them
rather as slaves than servants, punish them with great severity, and do
not hesitate even to take their lives. It will be seen from this fact
that the primitive simplicity of the savage life is not precisely of
an Arcadian character; and that savages are not indebted to Europeans
for all their vices. For some undoubtedly they are, and display a
singular aptitude in acquiring them; but most of the greatest evils of
the world, such as drunkenness, cruelty, immorality, dishonesty, lying,
slavery, and the like, are to be found in full vigor among savage
nations, and existed among them long before they ever saw an European.
To say that the vices above mentioned were introduced to savages by
Europeans is a libel on civilization. Whenever a savage can intoxicate
himself he will do so, no matter in what part of the world he lives.
So determinedly is he bent on attaining this result, that he will
drink vast quantities of the native African beer, which is as thick
as ordinary gruel, or he will drink the disgustingly-prepared kava of
Polynesia; or he will smoke hemp in a pipe, or chew it as a sweetmeat;
or swallow tobacco smoke until he is more than half choked, or he will
take opium if he can get it, and intoxicate himself with that.
Similarly, the savage is essentially cruel, not having the least
regard for the sufferings of others, and inflicting the most frightful
tortures with calm enjoyment. As for morality, as we understand the
word, the true savage has no conception of it, and the scenes which
nightly take place in savage lands are of such a nature that travellers
who have witnessed them are obliged to pass them over in discreet
silence. Honesty, in its right sense, is equally unknown, and so is
truthfulness, a successful theft and an undetected falsehood being
thought evidences of skill and ingenuity, and by no means a disgrace.
Slavery, again, thrives mightily among savages, and it is a well-known
fact that savages are the hardest masters toward their slaves on the
face of the earth.
The land in which the Damaras live is rather a remarkable one,
and, although it is of very large extent, only a small portion is
habitable by human beings. The vegetation is mostly of the thorny
kind, while water is scarce throughout a great portion of the year,
the rainy season bringing with it sudden floods which are scarcely
less destructive than the previous drought. “Being situated in the
tropic of Capricorn, the seasons are naturally the reverse of those
in Europe. In the month of August, when our summer may be said to be
at an end, hot westerly winds blow, which quickly parch up and destroy
the vegetation. At the same time, whirlwinds sweep over the country
with tremendous velocity, driving along vast columns of sand, many feet
in diameter and several hundred in height. At times, ten or fifteen of
these columns may be seen chasing each other. The Damaras designate
them Orukumb’ombura, or, Rain-bringers, a most appropriate name, as
they usually occur just before the first rains fall.
“Showers, accompanied by thunder and vivid lightning, are not unusual
in the months of September and October; but the regular rains do not
set in till December and January, when they continue, with but slight
intermission, till May. In this month and June, strong easterly winds
prevail, which are not only disagreeable, but injurious to health. The
lips crack, and the skin feels dry and harsh. Occasionally at this
time, tropical rains fall, but they do more harm than good, as sudden
cold, which annihilates vegetation, is invariably the result. In July
and August the nights are the coldest, and it is then no unusual thing
to find ice half an inch thick.”
The Damaras have a very odd notion of their origin, thinking that they
sprang from a tree, which they call in consequence the Mother Tree. All
the animals had the same origin; and, after they had burst from the
parent tree, the world was all in darkness. A Damara then lighted a
fire, whereupon most of the beasts and birds fled away in terror, while
a few remained, and came close to the blaze. Those which fled became
wild animals, such as the gnoo, the giraffe, the zebra, and others,
while those which remained were the sheep, the ox, the goat, and dog,
and became domesticated. The individual tree is said still to exist at
a place called Omariera, but, as it happens, every sub-tribe of the
Damaras point to a different tree, and regard it with filial affection
as their great ancestor. The natives call this tree Motjohaara, and the
particular individual from which they believe that they sprung by the
name of Omumborumbonga. The timber is very heavy, and of so close and
hard a texture, that it may be ranked among the ironwoods.
In appearance the Damaras are a fine race of men, sometimes exceeding
six feet in height, and well proportioned. Their features are tolerably
regular, and they move with grace and freedom. (See illustration No. 1,
on p. 308.) They are powerful, as becomes their bulk; but, as is the
case with many savages, although they can put forth great strength on
occasions, they are not capable of long and continued exertion.
The bodily constitution of the Damaras is of the most extraordinary
character. Pain for them seems almost non-existent, and an injury
which would be fatal to the more nervously constituted European has but
little effect on the Damara. The reader may remember the insensibility
to pain manifested by the Hottentots, but the Damaras even exceed
them in this particular. Mr. Baines mentions, in his MS. notes, some
extraordinary instances of this peculiarity. On one occasion a man had
broken his leg, and the fractured limb had been put up in a splint. One
day, while the leg was being dressed, Mr. Baines heard a great shout of
laughter, and found that a clumsy assistant had let the leg fall, and
had rebroken the partially united bones, so that the leg was hanging
with the foot twisted inward. Instead of being horrified at such an
accident, they were all shouting with laughter at the abnormal shape
of the limb, and no one seemed to think it a better joke, or laughed
more heartily, than the injured man himself. The same man, when his
injuries had nearly healed, and nitrate of silver had to be applied
freely to the parts, bore the excruciating operation so well that he
was complimented on his courage. However, it turned out that he did not
feel the application at all, and that the compliments were quite thrown
away.
On another occasion, a very remarkable incident occurred. There had
been a mutiny, which threatened the lives of the whole party, and the
ringleader was accordingly condemned to death, and solemnly executed by
being shot through the head with a pistol, the body being allowed to
lie where it fell. Two or three days afterward, the executed criminal
made his appearance, not much the worse for the injury, except the
remains of a wound in his head. He seemed to think that he had been
rather hardly used, and asked for a stick of tobacco as compensation.
Yet, although so indifferent to external injuries, they are singularly
sensitive to illness, and are at once prostrated by a slight
indisposition, of which an European would think nothing at all. Their
peculiar constitution always shows itself in travelling. Mr. Baines
remarks that a savage is ready to travel at a minute’s notice, as he
has nothing to do but to pick up his weapons and start. He looks with
contempt upon the preparation which a white man makes, and for two
or three days’ “fatigue” work will beat almost any European. Yet in
a long, steady march, the European tires out the savage, unless the
latter conforms to the usages which he despised at starting.
He finds that, after all, he will require baggage and clothing of
some kind. The heat of the mid-day sun gives him a headache, and he
is obliged to ask for a cap as a protection. Then his sandals, which
were sufficient for him on a sandy soil, are no protection against
thorns and so he has to procure shoes. Then, sleeping at night without
a rug or large kaross cannot be endured for many nights, and so he
has to ask for a blanket. His food again, such as the ground-nuts on
which the poorer Damaras chiefly live, is not sufficiently nutritious
for long-continued exertion, and he is obliged to ask for his regular
rations. His usual fashion is to make a dash at work, to continue
for two or three days, and then to cease altogether, and recruit his
strength by passing several days in inaction.
The dress of the Damaras is rather peculiar--that of the women
especially so. The principal part of a man’s dress is a leathern rope
of wonderful length, seldom less than a hundred feet, and sometimes
exceeding four or even five hundred. This is wound in loose coils round
the waist, so that it falls in folds which are not devoid of grace. In
it the Damara thrusts his axes, knob-kerries, and other implements, so
that it serves the purpose of a belt, a pocket, and a dress. His feet
are defended by sandals, made something like those of the Bechuanas,
and fastened to the feet in a similar manner, but remarkable for their
length, projecting rather behind the heel, and very much before the
toes, in a way that reminds the observer of the long-toed boots which
were so fashionable in early English times. Sometimes he makes a
very bad use of these sandals, surreptitiously scraping holes in the
sand, into which he pushes small articles of value that may have been
dropped, and then stealthily covers them up with the sand.
They are very fond of ornament, and place great value on iron for this
purpose, fashioning it into various forms, and polishing it until it
glitters brightly in the sunbeams. Beads, of course, they wear, and
they are fond of ivory beads, some of which may be rather termed balls,
so large are they. One man had a string of these beads which hung from
the back of his head nearly to his heels. The uppermost beads were
about as large as billiard balls, and they graduated regularly in size
until the lowest and smallest were barely as large as hazel-nuts. He
was very proud of this ornament, and refused to sell it, though he
kindly offered to lend it for a day or two.
[Illustration: (1.) DAMARA WARRIOR AND WIFE. (See pages 305,306.)]
[Illustration: (2.) DAMARA GIRL RESTING. (See page 309.)]
His headdress costs him much trouble in composing, though he does
not often go through the labor of adjusting it. He divides his hair
into a great number of strands, which he fixes by imbuing them with a
mixture of grease and red ochre, and then allows them to hang round his
head like so many short red cords. A wealthy man will sometimes adorn
himself with a single cockleshell in the centre of the forehead, and
Mr. Baines remarks, that if any of his friends at home would only have
made a supper on a few pennyworth of cockles, and sent him the shells,
he could have made his fortune. The men have no particular hat or cap;
but, as they are very fastidious about their hair, and as rain would
utterly destroy all the elaborately-dressed locks, they use in rainy
weather a piece of soft hide, which they place on their heads, and fold
or twist into any form that may seem most convenient to them. The fat
and red ochre with which he adorns his head is liberally bestowed on
the whole body, and affords an index to the health and general spirits
of the Damara. When a Damara is well and in good spirits he is all red
and shining like a mirror, and whenever he is seen pale and dull he
is sure either to be in low spirits or bad circumstances. As a rule,
the Damaras do not wash themselves, preferring to renew their beauty
by paint and grease, and the natural consequence is, that they diffuse
an odor which is far from agreeable to European nostrils, though their
own seem to be insensible to it. Indeed, so powerful are the odors of
the African tribes, that any one who ventures among them must boldly
abnegate the sense of smell, and make up his mind to endure all kinds
of evil odors, just as he makes up his mind to endure the heat of the
sun and the various hardships of travel in a foreign land.
The dress of the women is most remarkable, not to say unique. As
children, they have no clothing whatever; and, until they are asked
in marriage, they wear the usual costume of Southern Africa, namely,
the fringe-apron, and perhaps a piece of leather tied round the waist,
these and beads constituting their only dress. The illustration No. 2,
opposite, is from a drawing by Mr. Baines, which admirably shows the
symmetrical and graceful figures of the Damara girls before they are
married, and their contours spoiled by hard work. The drawing was taken
from life, and represents a young girl as she appears while resting
herself. It seems rather a strange mode of resting, but it is a point
of honor with the Damara girls and women not to put down a load until
they have conveyed it to its destination, and, as she has found the
heavy basket to fatigue her head, she has raised it on both her hands,
and thus “rests” herself without ceasing her walk or putting down her
burden.
Not content with the basket load upon her head, she has another load
tied to her back, consisting of some puppies. The Damara girls are very
fond of puppies, and make great pets of them, treating them as if they
were babies, and carrying them about exactly as the married women carry
their children.
As soon as they have been asked in marriage, the Damara woman assumes
the matron’s distinctive costume. This is of the most elaborate
character, and requires a careful description, as there is nothing
like it in any part of the world. Round her waist the woman winds an
inordinately long hide rope, like that worn by her husband. This rope
is so saturated with grease that it is as soft and pliable as silk,
but also has the disadvantage of harboring sundry noxious insects, the
extermination of which, however, seems to afford harmless amusement to
the Damara ladies. Also, she wears a dress made of skin, the hair being
worn outward, and the upper part turned over so as to form a sort of
cape.
Many Damara women wear a curious kind of bodice, the chief use of
which seems to be the evidence that a vast amount of time and labor
has been expended in producing a very small result. Small flat disks
of ostrich-shell are prepared, as has already been mentioned when
treating of the Hottentots, and strung together. A number of the
strings are then set side by side so as to form a wide belt, which is
fastened round the body, and certainly forms a pleasing contrast to the
shining red which is so liberally used, and which entirely obliterates
the distinctions of dark or fair individuals. Round their wrists and
ankles they wear a succession of metal rings, almost invariably iron or
copper, and some of the richer sort wear so many that they can hardly
walk with comfort, and their naturally graceful gait degenerates into
an awkward waddle. It is rather curious that the women should value
these two metals so highly, for they care comparatively little for
the more costly metals, such as brass or even gold. These rings are
very simply made, being merely thick rods cut to the proper length,
bent rudely into form, and then clenched over the limb by the hammer.
These ornaments have cost some of their owners very dear, as we shall
presently see.
The strangest part of the woman’s costume is the headdress, which
may be seen in the illustration opposite, of a warrior’s wife. The
framework of the headdress is a skull-cap of stout hide, which fits
closely to the head, and which is ornamented with three imitation ears
of the same material, one being on each side, and the third behind. To
the back of this cap is attached a flat tail, sometimes three feet or
more in length, and six or eight inches in width. It is composed of
a strip of leather, on which are fastened parallel strings of metal
beads, or rather “bugles,” mostly made of tin. The last few inches of
the leather strip are cut into thongs so as to form a terminal fringe.
The cap is further decorated by shells, which are sewed round it in
successive rows according to the wealth of the wearer. The whole of the
cap, as well as the ears, is rubbed with grease and red ochre. So much
for the cap itself, which, however, is incomplete without the veil.
This is a large piece of thin and very soft leather which is attached
to the front of the cap, and, if allowed to hang freely, would fall
over the face and conceal it. The women, however, only wear it thus
for a short time, and then roll it back so that it passes over the
forehead, and then falls on either shoulder.
Heavy and inconvenient as is this cap, the Damara woman never goes
without it, and suffers all the inconvenience for the sake of being
fashionable. Indeed, so highly is this adornment prized by both
sexes that the husbands would visit their wives with their heaviest
displeasure (_i. e._ beat them within an inch of their lives) if they
ventured to appear without it. One woman, whose portrait was being
taken, was recommended to leave her headdress with the artist, so
that she might be spared the trouble of standing while the elaborate
decorations were being drawn. She was horrified at the idea of laying
it aside, and said that her husband would kill her if she was seen
without her proper dress. If she wishes to carry a burden on her head,
she does not remove her cap, but pushes it off her forehead, so that
the three pointed ears come upon the crown instead of the top of the
head, and are out of the way.
However scanty may be the apparel which is worn, both sexes are very
particular about wearing something, and look upon entire nudity much in
the same light that we do. So careful are they in this respect that an
unintentional breach of etiquette gave its name to a river. Some Damara
women came to it, and, seeing that some berries were growing on the
opposite side, and that the water was not much more than waist-deep,
they left their aprons on the bank and waded across. While they were
engaged in gathering the berries, a torrent of water suddenly swept
down the river, overflowed its banks, and carried away the dresses.
Ever afterward the Damaras gave that stream the name of Okaroschekè, or
“Naked River.”
They have a curious custom of chipping the two upper front teeth, so as
to leave a V-shaped space between them. This is done with a flint, and
the custom prevails, with some modifications, among many other tribes.
It has been mentioned that the Damaras have many cattle. They delight
in having droves of one single color, bright brown being the favorite
hue, and cattle of that color being mostly remarkable for their
enduring powers. Damara cattle are much prized by other tribes, and
even by the white settlers, on account of their quick step, strong
hoofs, and lasting powers. They are, however, rather apt to be wild,
and, as their horns are exceedingly long and sharp, an enraged Damara
ox becomes a most dangerous animal. Sometimes the horns of an ox will
be so long that the tips are seven or eight feet apart. The hair of
these cattle is shining and smooth, and the tuft at the end of the tail
is nearly as remarkable for its length as the horns. These tail-tufts
are much used in decorations, and are in great request for ornamenting
the shafts of the assagais. As is generally the case with African
cattle, the cows give but little milk daily, and, if the calf should
happen to die, none at all. In such cases, the Damaras stuff the skin
of the dead calf with grass, and place it before the cow, who is quite
contented with it. Sometimes a rather ludicrous incident has occurred.
The cow, while licking her imagined offspring, has come upon the grass
which protrudes here and there from the rudely stuffed skin, and,
thrusting her nose into the interior, has dragged out and eaten the
whole of the grass.
It has been mentioned that the Damaras find much of their subsistence
in the ground. They are trained from infancy in digging the ground
for food, and little children who cannot fairly walk may be seen
crawling about, digging up roots and eating them. By reason of this
diet, the figures of the children are anything but graceful, their
stomachs protruding in a most absurd manner, and their backs taking a
corresponding curve. Their mode of digging holes is called “crowing,”
and is thus managed: they take a pointed stick in their right hand,
break up the ground with it, and scrape out the loose earth with the
left. They are wonderfully expeditious at this work, having to employ
it for many purposes, such as digging up the ground-nuts, on which they
feed largely, excavating for water, and the like. They will sometimes
“crow” holes eighteen inches or more in depth, and barely six inches
in diameter. The word “crow” is used very frequently by travellers in
this part of Africa, and sadly puzzles the novice, who does not in the
least know what can be meant by “crowing” for roots, “crow-water,” and
the like. Crow-water, of course, is that which is obtained by digging
holes, and is never so good as that which can be drawn from some open
well or stream.
“Crowing” is very useful in house-building. The women procure a number
of tolerably stout but pliant sticks, some eight or nine feet long, and
then “crow” a corresponding number of holes in a circle about eight
feet in diameter. The sticks are planted in the holes, the tops bent
down and lashed together, and the framework of the house is complete.
A stout pole, with a forked top, is then set in the middle of the
hut, and supports the roof, just as a tent-pole supports the canvas.
Brushwood is then woven in and out of the framework, and mud plastered
upon the brushwood. A hole is left at one side by way of a door, and
another at the top to answer the purpose of a chimney. When the fire
is not burning, an old ox-hide is laid over the aperture, and kept in
its place by heavy stones. Moreover, as by the heat of the fire inside
the hut, and the rays of the sun outside it, various cracks make their
appearance in the roof, hides are laid here and there, until at last an
old Damara hut is nearly covered with hides. These act as ventilators
during the day, but are carefully drawn and closed at night; the
savage, who spends all his day in the open air, almost invariably
shutting out every breath of air during the night, and seeming to have
the power of existing for six or eight hours without oxygen. As if to
increase the chance of suffocation, the Damaras always crowd into these
huts, packing themselves as closely as possible round the small fire
which occupies the centre.
As to furniture, the Damaras trouble themselves little about such
a superfluity. Within the hut may usually be seen one or two clay
cooking-pots, some wooden vessels, a couple of ox-hides by way of
chairs, a small bag of grease, another of red ochre, and an axe for
chopping wood. All the remainder of their property is either carried
on their persons, or buried in some secret spot so that it may not be
stolen.
The intellect of the Damaras does not seem to be of a very high order,
or, at all events, it has not been cultivated. They seem to fail most
completely in arithmetic, and cannot even count beyond a certain
number. Mr. Galton gives a very amusing description of a Damara in
difficulties with a question of simple arithmetic.
“We went only three hours, and slept at the furthest watering-place
that Hans and I had explored. Now we had to trust to the guides, whose
ideas of time and distance were most provokingly indistinct; besides
this, they have no comparative in their language, so that you cannot
say to them, ‘Which is the _longer_ of the two, the next stage or the
last one?’ but you must say, ‘The last stage is little; the next, is
it great?’ The reply is not, ‘It is a little longer,’ ‘much longer,’
or ‘very much longer,’ but simply, ‘It is so,’ or ‘It is not so.’ They
have a very poor notion of time. If you say, ‘Suppose we start at
sunrise, where will the sun be when we arrive?’ they make the wildest
points in the sky, though they are something of astronomers, and give
names to several stars. They have no way of distinguishing days, but
reckon by the rainy season, the dry season, or the pig-nut season.
“When inquiries are made about how many days’ journey off a place
may be, their ignorance of all numerical ideas is very annoying. In
practice, whatever they may possess in their language, they certainly
use no numeral greater than three. When they wish to express four, they
take to their fingers, which are to them as formidable instruments
of calculation as a sliding rule is to an English school-boy. They
puzzle very much after five, because no spare hand remains to grasp
and secure the fingers that are required for ‘units.’ Yet they seldom
lose oxen: the way in which they discover the loss of one is not by the
number of the herd being diminished, but by the absence of a face they
know.
“When bartering is going on, each sheep must be paid for separately.
Thus, suppose two sticks of tobacco to be the rate of exchange for one
sheep, it would sorely puzzle a Damara to take two sheep and give him
four sticks. I have done so, and seen a man first put two of the sticks
apart, and take a sight over them at one of the sheep he was about to
sell. Having satisfied himself that that one was honestly paid for,
and finding to his surprise that exactly two sticks remained in hand
to settle the account for the other sheep, he would be afflicted with
doubts; the transaction seemed to come out too ‘pat’ to be correct, and
he would refer back to the first couple of sticks; and then his mind
got hazy and confused, and wandered from one sheep to the other, and he
broke off the transaction until two sticks were put into his hand, and
one sheep driven away, and then the other two sticks given him, and the
second sheep driven away.
“When a Damara’s mind is bent upon number, it is too much occupied to
dwell upon quantity; thus a heifer is bought from a man for ten sticks
of tobacco, his large hands being both spread out upon the ground, and
a stick placed upon each finger. He gathers up the tobacco, the size
of the mass pleases him, and the bargain is struck. You then want to
buy a second heifer; the same process is gone through, but half sticks
instead of whole sticks are put upon his fingers; the man is equally
satisfied at the time, but occasionally finds it out, and complains the
next day.
“Once, while I watched a Damara floundering hopelessly in a calculation
on one side of me, I observed Dinah, my spaniel, equally embarrassed on
the other. She was overlooking half a dozen of her new-born puppies,
which had been removed two or three times from her, and her anxiety was
excessive, as she tried to find out if they were all present, or if any
were still missing. She kept puzzling and running her eyes over them
backward and forward, but could not satisfy herself. She evidently had
a vague idea of counting, but the figure was too large for her brain.
Taking the two as they stood, dog and Damara, the comparison reflected
no great honor on the man.
“Hence, as the Damaras had the vaguest notions of time and distance,
and as their language was a poor vehicle for expressing what ideas they
had, and, lastly, as truth-telling was the exception and not the rule,
I found their information to be of very little practical use.”
Although the Damaras managed to overrun the country, they cannot be
considered a warlike people, neither have they been able to hold for
any length of time the very uninviting land they conquered. Their
weapons are few and simple, but, such as they are, much pains are taken
in their manufacture, and the Damara warrior is as careful to keep his
rude arms in good order as is the disciplined soldier of Europe. The
chief and distinctive weapon of the Damara is the assagai, which has
little in common with the weapons that have already been described
under that name. It is about six feet in length, and has an enormous
blade, leaf-shaped, a foot or more in length, and proportionately wide.
It is made of soft steel, and can be at once sharpened by scraping
with a knife or stone. The shaft is correspondingly stout, and to the
centre is attached one of the flowing ox-tails which have already been
mentioned. Some of these assagais are made almost wholly of iron, and
have only a short piece of wood in the middle, which answers for a
handle, as well as an attachment for the ox-tail, which seems to be an
essential part of the Damara assagai.
The weapon is, as may be conjectured, an exceedingly inefficient one,
and the blade is oftener used as a knife than an offensive weapon. It
is certainly useful in the chase of the elephant and other large game,
because the wound which it makes is very large, and causes a great flow
of blood; but against human enemies it is comparatively useless. The
Damara also carries a bow and arrows, which are wretchedly ineffective
weapons, the marksman seldom hitting his object at a distance greater
than ten or twelve yards. The weapon which he really handles well is
the knob-kerrie or short club, and this he can use either as a club at
short quarters, or as a missile, in the latter case hurling it with
a force and precision that renders it really formidable. Still, the
Damara’s entire armament is a very poor one, and it is not matter of
wonder that when he came to match himself against the possessors of
fire-arms he should be hopelessly defeated.
In their conflicts with the Hottentots, the unfortunate Damaras
suffered dreadfully. They were literally cut to pieces by far inferior
forces, not through any particular valor on the part of the enemy, nor
from any especial cowardice on their own, but simply because they did
not know their own powers. Stalwart warriors, well armed with their
broad-bladed assagais, might be seen paralyzed with fear at the sound
and effects of the muskets with which the Hottentots were armed, and
it was no uncommon occurrence for a Damara soldier to stand still in
fear and trembling while a little Hottentot, at twenty paces’ distance,
deliberately loaded his weapon, and then shot him down. Being ignorant
of the construction and management of fire-arms, the Damaras had
no idea that they were harmless when discharged (for in those days
breech-loaders and revolvers were alike unknown to the Hottentots), and
therefore allowed themselves to be deliberately shot, while the enemy
was really at their mercy.
If the men suffered death in the field, the fate of the women was
worse. According to the custom of the Damara tribe, they carried all
their wealth on their persons, in the shape of beads, ear-rings, and
especially the large and heavy metal rings with which their ankles
and wrists were adorned. Whenever the Hottentot soldiers came upon a
Damara woman, they always robbed her of every ornament, tearing off all
her clothing to search for them, and, as the metal rings could not be
unclenched without some trouble, they deliberately cut off the hands
and feet of the wretched woman, tore off the rings, and left her to
live or die as might happen. Strangely enough they often lived, even
after undergoing such treatment; and, after stanching the flowing blood
by thrusting the stumps of their limbs into the hot sand, some of them
contrived to crawl for many miles until they rejoined their friends.
For some time after the war, maimed Damara women were often seen,
some being without feet, others without hands, and some few without
either--these having been the richest when assaulted by their cruel
enemies.
The Damaras are subdivided into a number of eandas--a word which has
some analogy with the Hindoo “caste,” each eanda having its peculiar
rites, superstitions, &c. One eanda is called Ovakueyuba, or the
Sun-children; another is Ovakuenombura, or the Rain-children; and so
on. The eandas have special emblems or crests--if such a word may be
used. These emblems are always certain trees or bushes, which represent
the eandas just as the red and white roses represented the two great
political parties of England. Each of these castes has some prohibited
food, and they will almost starve rather than break the law. One eanda
will not eat the flesh of red oxen--to another, the draught oxen are
prohibited; and so fastidious are they, that they will not touch the
vessels in which such food might have been cooked, nor even stand to
leeward of the fire, lest the smoke should touch them. These practices
cause the Damaras to be very troublesome as guides, and it is not until
the leader has steadily refused to humor them that they will consent to
forego for the time their antipathies.
This custom is the more extraordinary, as the Damaras are by nature and
education anything but fastidious, and they will eat all kinds of food
which an European would reject with disgust. They will eat the flesh
of cattle or horses which have died of disease, as well as that of the
leopard, hyæna, and other beasts of prey. In spite of their unclean
feeding, they will not eat raw, or even underdone meat, and therein
are certainly superior to many other tribes, who seem to think that
cooking is a needless waste of time and fuel. Goats are, happily for
themselves, among the prohibited animals, and are looked upon by the
Damaras much as swine are by the Jews.
Fond as they are of beef, they cannot conceive that any one should
consider meat as part of his daily food. On special occasions they kill
an ox, or, if the giver of the feast should happen to be a rich man,
six or seven are killed. But, when an ox is slaughtered, it is almost
common property, every one within reach coming for a portion of it,
and, if refused, threatening to annihilate the stingy man with their
curse. They are horribly afraid of this curse, supposing that their
health will be blighted and their strength fade away. Consequently,
meat is of no commercial value in Damara-land, no one caring to possess
food which practically belongs to every one except himself. Cows
are kept for the sake of their milk, and oxen (as Mr. Galton says)
merely to be looked at, just as deer are kept in England, a few being
slaughtered on special occasions, but not being intended to furnish
a regular supply of food. Much as the Damaras value their oxen when
alive--so much so, indeed, that a fine of two oxen is considered a
sufficient reparation for murder--they care little for them when dead,
a living sheep being far more valuable than a dead ox. These people
know every ox that they have ever seen. Their thoughts run on oxen
all day, and cattle form the chief subject of their conversation. Mr.
Galton found that, whenever he came to a new station, the natives
always inspected his oxen, to see if any of their own missing cattle
were among them; and if he had by chance purchased one that had been
stolen, its owner would be sure to pick it out, and by the laws of
the land is empowered to reclaim it. Knowing this law, he always, if
possible, bought his oxen from men in whose possession they had been
for several years, so that no one would be likely to substantiate a
claim to any of them.
When the Damaras are at home, they generally amuse themselves in
the evening by singing and dancing. Their music is of a very simple
character, their principal if not only instrument being the bow,
the string of which is tightened, and then struck with a stick in a
kind of rhythmic manner. The Damara musician thinks that the chief
object of his performance is to imitate the gallop or trot of the
various animals. This he usually does with great skill, the test of an
accomplished musician being the imitation of the clumsy canter of the
baboon.
Their dances are really remarkable, as may be seen by the following
extract from the work of Mr. Baines:--“At night, dances were got up
among the Damaras, our attention being first drawn to them by a sound
between the barking of a dog and the efforts of a person to clear
something out of his throat, by driving the breath strongly through
it. We found four men stooping with their heads in contact, vying with
each other in the production of these delectable inarticulations,
while others, with rattling anklets of hard seed-shells, danced round
them. By degrees the company gathered together, and the women joined
the performers, standing in a semi-circle. They sang a monotonous
chant, and clapped their hands, while the young men and boys danced
up to them, literally, and by no means gently, ‘beating the ground
with nimble feet,’ raising no end of dust, and making their shell
anklets sound, in their opinion, most melodiously. Presently the leader
snatched a brand from the fire, and, after dancing up to the women
as before, stuck it in the ground as he retired, performing the step
round and over it when he returned, like a Highlander in the broadsword
dance, without touching it. Then came the return of a victorious party,
brandishing their broad spears ornamented with flowing ox-tails,
welcomed by a chorus of women, and occasionally driving back the few
enemies who had the audacity to approach them.
“This scene, when acted by a sufficient number, must be highly
effective. As it was, the glare of the fire reflected from the red
helmet-like gear and glittering ornaments of the women, the flashing
blades and waving ox-tails of the warriors, with the fitful glare
playing on the background of huts, kraal, and groups of cattle, was
picturesque enough. The concluding guttural emissions of sound were
frightful; the dogs howled simultaneously; and the little lemur,
terrified at the uproar, darted wildly about the inside of the wagon,
in vain efforts to escape from what, in fact, was his only place of
safety.”
In Damara-land, the authority of the husband over the wife is not so
superior as in other parts of Africa. Of course, he has the advantage
of superior strength, and, when angered, will use the stick with
tolerable freedom. But, if he should be too liberal with the stick,
she has a tacit right of divorce, and betakes herself to some one who
will not treat her so harshly. Mr. Galton says that the women whom he
saw appeared to have but little affection either for their husbands or
children, and that he had always some little difficulty in finding to
which man any given wife happened for the time to belong. The Damara
wife costs her husband nothing for her keep, because she “crows” her
own ground-nuts, and so he cannot afford to dispense with her services,
which are so useful in building his house, cooking his meals, and
carrying his goods from place to place. Each wife has her own hut,
which of course she builds for herself; and, although polygamy is in
vogue, the number of wives is not so great as is the case with other
tribes. There is always one chief wife, who takes precedence of the
others, and whose eldest son is considered the heir to his father’s
possessions.
Though the Damaras have no real religion, they have plenty of
superstitious practices, one of which bears a striking resemblance to
the sacred fire of the ancients. The chief’s hut is distinguished by
a fire which is always kept burning, outside the hut in fine weather,
and inside during rain. To watch this fire is the duty of his daughter,
who is a kind of priestess, and is called officially Ondangere. She
performs various rites in virtue of her office; such as sprinkling
the cows with water, as they go out to feed; tying a sacred knot in
her leathern apron, if one of them dies; and other similar duties.
Should the position of the village be changed, she precedes the oxen,
carrying a burning brand from the consecrated fire, and taking care
that she replaces it from time to time. If by any chance it should be
extinguished, great are the lamentations. The whole tribe are called
together, cattle are sacrificed as expiatory offerings, and the fire
is re-kindled by friction. If one of the sons, or a chief man, should
remove from the spot, and set up a village of his own, he is supplied
with some of the sacred fire, and hands it over to his own daughter,
who becomes the Ondangere of the new village.
That the Damaras have some hazy notion of the immortality of the
soul is evident enough, though they profess not to believe in such a
doctrine; for they will sometimes go to the grave of a deceased friend
or chief, lay down provisions, ask him to eat, drink, and be merry, and
then beg him, in return, to aid them, and grant them herds of cattle
and plenty of wives. Moreover, they believe that the dead revisit the
earth, though not in the human form: they generally appear in the shape
of some animal, but are always distinguished by a mixture of some other
animal. For example, if a Damara sees a dog with one foot like that
of an ostrich, he knows that he sees an apparition, and is respectful
accordingly. If it should follow him, he is dreadfully frightened,
knowing that his death is prognosticated thereby. The name of such an
apparition is Otj-yuru.
When a Damara chief dies, he is buried in rather a peculiar fashion.
As soon as life is extinct--some say, even before the last breath is
drawn--the bystanders break the spine by a blow from a large stone.
They then unwind the long rope that encircles the loins, and lash the
body together in a sitting posture, the head being bent over the
knees. Ox-hides are then tied over it, and it is buried with its face
to the north, as already described when treating of the Bechuanas.
Cattle are then slaughtered in honor of the dead chief, and over the
grave a post is erected, to which the skulls and hair are attached as a
trophy. The bow, arrows, assagai, and clubs of the deceased are hung on
the same post. Large stones are pressed into the soil above and around
the grave, and a large pile of thorns is also heaped over it, in order
to keep off the hyænas, who would be sure to dig up and devour the body
before the following day. The grave of a Damara chief is represented on
page 302. Now and then a chief orders that his body shall be left in
his own house, in which case it is laid on an elevated platform, and a
strong fence of thorns and stakes built round the hut.
The funeral ceremonies being completed, the new chief forsakes the
place, and takes the whole of the people under his command. He remains
at a distance for several years, during which time he wears the sign
of mourning, _i. e._ a dark-colored conical cap, and round the neck a
thong, to the ends of which are hung two small pieces of ostrich shell.
When the season of mourning is over, the tribe return, headed by
the chief, who goes to the grave of his father, kneels over it, and
whispers that he has returned, together with the cattle and wives which
his father gave him. He then asks for his parent’s aid in all his
undertakings, and from that moment takes the place which his father
filled before him. Cattle are then slaughtered and a feast held to the
memory of the dead chief, and in honor of the living one; and each
person present partakes of the meat, which is distributed by the chief
himself. The deceased chief symbolically partakes of the banquet. A
couple of twigs cut from the tree of the particular eanda to which the
deceased belonged are considered as his representative, and with this
emblem each piece of meat is touched before the guests consume it.
In like manner, the first pail of milk that is drawn is taken to the
grave, and poured over it.
These ceremonies being rightly performed, the village is built anew,
and is always made to resemble that which had been deserted; the huts
being built on the same ground, and peculiar care being taken that
the fireplaces should occupy exactly the same positions that they did
before the tribe went into voluntary exile. The hut of the chief is
always upon the east side of the village.
The Damaras have a singular kind of oath, or asseveration--“By the
tears of my mother!”--a form of words so poetical and pathetic, that
it seems to imply great moral capabilities among a people that could
invent and use it.