THE MAKOLOLO TRIBE.
RISE AND FALL OF AFRICAN TRIBES -- ORIGIN OF THE MAKOLOLO TRIBE --
ORGANIZATION BY SEBITUANE -- INCAPACITY OF HIS SUCCESSOR, SEKELETU
-- MODE OF GOVERNMENT -- APPEARANCE OF THE MAKOLOLO -- THEIR GENERAL
CHARACTER -- HONESTY -- GRACEFUL MODE OF MAKING PRESENTS -- MODE OF
SALUTATION -- FOOD AND COOKING -- A MAKOLOLO FEAST -- ETIQUETTE AT
MEALS -- MANAGEMENT OF CANOES -- THE WOMEN, THEIR DRESS AND MANNERS
-- THEIR COLOR -- EASY LIFE LED BY THEM -- HOUSE-BUILDING -- CURIOUS
MODE OF RAISING THE ROOF -- HOW TO HOUSE A VISITOR -- LAWSUITS AND
SPECIAL PLEADING -- GAME LAWS -- CHILDREN’S GAMES -- A MAKOLOLO
VILLAGE -- M’BOPO AT HOME -- TOBY FILLPOT -- MAKOLOLO SONGS AND
DANCES -- HEMP-SMOKING, AND ITS DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS -- TREATMENT OF
THE SICK, AND BURIAL OF THE DEAD.
In the whole of Africa south of the equator, we find the great events
of the civilized world repeated on a smaller scale. Civilized history
speaks of the origin and rise of nations, and the decadence and fall
of empires. During a course of many centuries, dynasties have arisen
and held their sway for generations, hiding away by degrees before the
influx of mightier races. The kingdoms of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon,
Greece, Rome, Persia, and the like, have lasted from generation after
generation, and some of them still exist, though with diminished
powers. The Pharaohs have passed from the face of the earth, and their
metropolis is a desert; but Athens and Rome still retain some traces of
their vanished glories.
In Southern Africa, however, the changes that take place, though
precisely similar in principle, are on a much smaller scale, both of
magnitude and duration, and a traveller who passes a few years in the
country may see four or five changes of dynasty in that brief period.
Within the space of an ordinary life-time, for example, the fiery
genius of Tchaka gathered a number of scattered tribes into a nation,
and created a dynasty, which, when deprived of its leading spirit,
fell into decline, and has yearly tended to return to the original
elements of which it was composed. Then the Hottentots have come from
some unknown country, and dispossessed the aborigines of the Cape so
completely that no one knows what those aborigines were. In the case
of islands, such us the Polynesian group, or even the vast island of
Australia, we know what the aborigines must have been; but we have no
such knowledge with regard to Southern Africa, and in consequence the
extent of our knowledge is, that the aborigines, whoever they might
have been, were certainly not Hottentots. Then the Kaffirs swept down
and ejected the Hottentots, and the Dutch and other white colonists
ejected the Kaffirs.
So it has been with the tribe of the Makololo, which, though thinly
scattered, and by no means condensed, has contrived to possess a
large portion of Southern Africa. Deriving their primary origin from
a branch of the great Bechuana tribe, and therefore retaining many of
the customs of that tribe together with its skill in manufactures,
they were able to extend themselves far from their original home, and
by degrees contrived to gain the dominion over the greater part of the
country as far as lat. 14° S. Yet, in 1861, when Dr. Livingstone passed
through the country of the Makololo, he saw symptoms of its decadence.
They had been organized by a great and wise chief named Sebituane, who
carried out to the fullest extent the old Roman principle of mercy
to the submissive, and war to the proud. Sebituane owed much of his
success to his practice of leading his troops to battle in person. When
he came within sight of the enemy, he significantly felt the edge of
his battle-axe, and said, “Aha! it is sharp, and whoever turns his
back on the enemy will feel its edge.” Being remarkably fleet of foot,
none of his soldiers could escape from him, and they found that it was
far safer to fling themselves on the enemy with the chance of repelling
him, than run away with the certainty of being cut down by the chief’s
battle-axe. Sometimes a cowardly soldier skulked, or hid himself.
Sebituane, however, was not to be deceived, and, after allowing him to
return home, he would send for the delinquent, and, after mockingly
assuming that death at home was preferable to death on the field of
battle, would order him to instant execution.
He incorporated the conquered tribes with his own Makololo, saying
that, when they submitted to his rule, they were all children of the
chief, and therefore equal; and he proved his words by admitting them
to participate in the highest honors, and causing them to intermarry
with his own tribe. Under him was an organized system of head chiefs,
and petty chiefs and elders, through whom Sebituane knew all the
affairs of his kingdom, and guided it well and wisely. But, when he
died, the band that held together this nation was loosened, and bid
fair to give way altogether. His son and successor, Sekeletu, was
incapable of following the example of his father. He allowed the
prejudices of race to be again developed, and fostered them himself by
studiously excluding all women except the Makololo from his harem, and
appointing none but Makololo men to office.
Consequently, he became exceedingly unpopular among those very tribes
whom his father had succeeded in conciliating, and, as a natural
result, his chiefs and elders being all Makololo men, they could
not enjoy the confidence of the incorporated tribes, and thus the
harmonious system of Sebituane was broken up. Without confidence in
their rulers, a people cannot retain their position as a great nation;
and Sekeletu, in forfeiting that confidence, sapped with his own hands
the foundation of his throne. Discontent began to show itself, and his
people drew unfavorable contrasts between his rule and that of his
father, some even doubting whether so weak and purposeless a man could
really be the son of their lamented chief, the “Great Lion,” as they
called him. “In his days,” said they, “we had great chiefs, and little
chiefs, and elders, to carry on the government, and the great chief,
Sebituane, knew them all, and the whole country was wisely ruled. But
now Sekeletu knows nothing of what his underlings do, and they care not
for him, and the Makololo power is fast passing away.”
Then Sekeletu fell ill of a horrible and disfiguring disease, shut
himself up in his house, and would not show himself; allowing no
one to come near him but one favorite, through whom his orders were
transmitted to the people. But the nation got tired of being ruled by
deputy, and consequently a number of conspiracies were organized, which
never could have been done under the all-pervading rule of Sebituane,
and several of the greater chiefs boldly set their king at defiance.
As long as Sekeletu lived, the kingdom retained a nominal, though not
a real existence, but within a year after his death, which occurred in
1864, civil wars sprang up on every side; the kingdom thus divided was
weakened, and unable to resist the incursions of surrounding tribes,
and thus, within the space of a very few years, the great Makololo
empire fell to pieces. According to Dr. Livingstone, this event was
much to be regretted, because the Makololo were not slave-dealers,
whereas the tribes which eventually took possession of their land were
so; and, as their sway extended over so large a territory, it was a
great boon that the abominable slave traffic was not permitted to exist.
Mr. Baines, who knew both the father and the son, has the very meanest
opinion of the latter, and the highest of the former. In his notes,
which he has kindly placed at my disposal, he briefly characterizes
them as follows:--“Sebituane, a polished, merciful man. Sekeletu, his
successor, a fast young snob, with no judgment. Killed off his father’s
councillors, and did as he liked. Helped the missionaries to die rather
than live, even if he did not intentionally poison them--then plundered
their provision stores.”
The true Makololo are a fine race of men, and are lighter in color than
the surrounding tribes, being of a rich warm brown, rather than black,
and they are rather peculiar in their intonation, pronouncing each
syllable slowly and deliberately.
The general character of this people seems to be a high one, and
in many respects will bear comparison with the Ovambo. Brave they
have proved themselves by their many victories, though it is rather
remarkable that they do not display the same courage when opposed to
the lion as when engaged in warfare against their fellow-men. Yet they
are not without courage and presence of mind in the hunting-field,
though the dread king of beasts seems to exercise such an influence
over them that they fear to resist his inroads. The buffalo is
really quite as much to be dreaded as the lion, and yet the Makololo
are comparatively indifferent when pursuing it. The animal has an
unpleasant habit of doubling back on its trail, crouching in the bush,
allowing the hunters to pass its hiding-place, and then to charge
suddenly at them with such a force and fury that it scatters the bushes
before its headlong rush like autumn leaves before the wind. Yet the
Makololo hunters are not in the least afraid of this most formidable
animal, but leap behind a tree as it charges, and then hurl their
spears as it passes them.
Hospitality is one of their chief virtues, and it is exercised with
a modesty which is rather remarkable. “The people of every village,”
writes Livingstone, “treated us most liberally, presenting, besides
oxen, butter, milk, and meal, more than we could stow away in our
canoes. The cows in this valley are now yielding, as they frequently
do, more milk than the people can use, and both men and women present
butter in such quantities, that I shall be able to refresh my men as we
go along. Anointing the skin prevents the excessive evaporation of the
fluids of the body, and acts as clothing in both sun and shade.
“They always made their presents gracefully. When an ox was given,
the owner would say, ‘Here is a little bit of bread for you.’ This
was pleasing, for I had been accustomed to the Bechuanas presenting
a miserable goat, with the pompous exclamation, ‘Behold an ox!’ The
women persisted in giving me copious supplies of shrill praises, or
‘lullilooing,’ but although I frequently told them to modify their
‘Great Lords,’ and ‘Great Lions,’ to more humble expressions, they so
evidently intended to do me honor, that I could not help being pleased
with the poor creatures’ wishes for our success.”
One remarkable instance of the honesty of this tribe is afforded by Dr.
Livingstone. In 1853, he had left at Linyanti, a place on the Zambesi
River, a wagon containing papers and stores. He had been away from
Linyanti, to which place he found that letters and packages had been
sent for him. Accordingly, in 1860, he determined on revisiting the
spot, and, when he arrived there, found that everything in the wagon
was exactly in the same state as when he left it in charge of the king
seven years before. The head men of the place were very glad to see him
back again, and only lamented that he had not arrived in the previous
year, which happened to be one of special plenty.
This honesty is the more remarkable, because they had good reason
to fear the attacks of the Matabele, who, if they had heard that a
wagon with property in it was kept in the place, would have attacked
Linyanti at once, in spite of its strong position amid rivers and
marshes. However, the Makololo men agreed that in that case they were
to fight in defence of the wagon, and that the first man who wounded
a Matabele in defence of the wagon was to receive cattle as a reward.
It is probable, however, that the great personal influence which Dr.
Livingstone exercised over the king and his tribe had much to do with
the behavior of these Makololo, and that a man of less capacity and
experience would have been robbed of everything that could be stolen.
When natives travel, especially if they should be headed by a chief,
similar ceremonies take place, the women being intrusted with the
task of welcoming the visitors. This they do by means of a shrill,
prolonged, undulating cry, produced by a rapid agitation of the tongue,
and expressively called “lullilooing.” The men follow their example,
and it is etiquette for the chief to receive all these salutations
with perfect indifference. As soon as the new comers are seated, a
conversation takes place, in which the two parties exchange news, and
then the head man rises and brings out a quantity of beer in large
pots. Calabash goblets are handed round, and every one makes it a point
of honor to drink as fast as he can, the fragile goblets being often
broken in this convivial rivalry.
Besides the beer, jars of clotted milk are produced in plenty, and each
of the jars is given to one of the principal men, who is at liberty to
divide it as he chooses. Although originally sprung from the Bechuanas,
the Makololo disdain the use of spoons, preferring to scoop up the milk
in their hands, and, if a spoon be given to them, they merely ladle
out some milk from the jar, put it into their hands, and so eat it.
A chief is expected to give several feasts of meat to his followers.
He chooses an ox, and hands it over to some favored individual, who
proceeds to kill it by piercing its heart with a slender spear. The
wound is carefully closed, so that the animal bleeds internally, the
whole of the blood, as well as the viscera, forming the perquisite of
the butcher.
Scarcely is the ox dead than it is cut up, the best parts, namely,
the hump and ribs, belonging to the chief, who also apportions the
different parts of the slain animal among his guests, just as Joseph
did with his brethren, each of the honored guests subdividing his own
portion among his immediate followers. The process of cooking is simple
enough, the meat being merely cut into strips and thrown on the fire,
often in such quantities that it is nearly extinguished. Before it is
half cooked, it is taken from the embers, and eaten while so hot that
none but a practised meat-eater could endure it, the chief object being
to introduce as much meat as possible into the stomach in a given time.
It is not manners to eat after a man’s companions have finished their
meal, and so each guest eats as much and as fast as he can, and acts as
if he had studied in the school of Sir Dugald Dalgetty. Neither is it
manners for any one to take a solitary meal, and, knowing this custom,
Dr. Livingstone always contrived to have a second cup of tea or coffee
by his side whenever he took his meals, so that the chief, or one of
the principal men, might join in the repast.
Among the Makololo, rank has its drawbacks as well as its privileges,
and among the former may be reckoned one of the customs which regulate
meals. A chief may not dine alone, and it is also necessary that at
each meal the whole of the provisions should be consumed. If Sekeletu
had an ox killed, every particle of it was consumed at a single meal,
and in consequence he often suffered severely from hunger before
another could be prepared for him and his followers. So completely is
this custom ingrained in the nature of the Makololo, that, when Dr.
Livingstone visited Sekeletu, the latter was quite scandalized that a
portion of the meal was put aside. However, he soon saw the advantage
of the plan, and after a while followed it himself, in spite of the
remonstrances of the old men; and, while the missionary was with him,
they played into each other’s hands by each reserving a portion for the
other at every meal.
Mention has been made of canoes. As the Makololo live much on the banks
of the river Zambesi, they naturally use the canoe, and are skilful in
its management. These canoes are flat-bottomed, in order to enable them
to pass over the numerous shallows of the Zambesi, and are sometimes
forty feet in length, carrying from six to ten paddlers, besides other
freight. The paddles are about eight feet in length, and, when the
canoe gets into shallow water, the paddles are used as punt-poles. The
paddlers stand while at work, and keep time as well as if they were
engaged in a University boat race, so that they propel the vessel with
considerable speed.
Being flat-bottomed, the boats need very skilful management, especially
in so rapid and variable a river as the Zambesi, where sluggish depths,
rock-beset shallows, and swift rapids, follow each other repeatedly.
If the canoe should happen to come broadside to the current, it would
inevitably be upset, and, as the Makololo are not all swimmers, several
of the crew would probably be drowned. As soon, therefore, as such a
danger seems to be impending, those who can swim jump into the water,
and guide the canoe through the sunken rocks and dangerous eddies.
Skill in the management of the canoe is especially needed in the chase
of the hippopotamus, which they contrive to hunt in its own element,
and which they seldom fail in securing, in spite of the enormous size,
the furious anger, and the formidable jaws of this remarkable animal.
The dress of the men differs but little from that which is in use in
other parts of Africa south of the equator, and consists chiefly of a
skin twisted round the loins, and a mantle of the same material thrown
over the shoulders, the latter being only worn in cold weather. The
Makololo are a cleanly race, particularly when they happen to be in the
neighborhood of a river or lake, in which they bathe several times
daily. The men, however, are better in this respect than the women,
who seem rather to be afraid of cold water, preferring to rub their
bodies and limbs with melted butter, which has the effect of making
their skins glossy, and keeping off parasites, but also imparting a
peculiarly unpleasant odor to themselves and their clothing.
As to the women, they are clothed in a far better manner than the men,
and are exceedingly fond of ornaments, wearing a skin kilt and kaross,
and adorning themselves with as many ornaments as they can afford.
The traveller who has already been quoted mentions that a sister of
the great chief Sebituane wore enough ornaments to be a load for an
ordinary man. On each leg she had eighteen rings of solid brass, as
thick as a man’s finger, and three of copper under each knee; nineteen
similar rings on her right arm, and eight of brass and copper on her
left. She had also a large ivory ring above each elbow, a broad band
of beads round her waist, and another round her neck, being altogether
nearly one hundred large and heavy rings. The weight of the rings on
her legs was so great, that she was obliged to wrap soft rags round
the lower rings, as they had begun to chafe her ankles. Under this
weight of metal she could walk but awkwardly, but fashion proved itself
superior to pain with this Makololo woman, as among her European
sisters.
Both in color and general manners, the Makololo women are superior to
most of the tribes. This superiority is partly due to the light warm
brown of their complexion, and partly to their mode of life. Unlike
the women of ordinary African tribes, those of the Makololo lead a
comparatively easy life, having their harder labors shared by their
husbands, who aid in digging the ground, and in other rough work. Even
the domestic work is done more by servants than by the mistresses of
the household, so that the Makololo women are not liable to that rapid
deterioration which is so evident among other tribes. In fact they have
so much time to themselves, and so little to occupy them, that they
are apt to fall into rather dissipated habits, and spend much of their
time in smoking hemp and drinking beer, the former habit being a most
insidious one, and apt to cause a peculiar eruptive disease. Sekeletu
was a votary of the hemp-pipe, and, by his over-indulgence in this
luxury, he induced the disease of which he afterward died.
The only hard work that falls to the lot of the Makololo women is that
of house-building, which is left entirely to them and their servants.
The mode of making a house is rather remarkable. The first business
is to build a cylindrical tower of stakes and reeds, plastered with
mud, and some nine or ten feet in height, the walls and floor being
smoothly plastered, so as to prevent them from harboring insects. A
large conical roof is then put together on the ground, and completely
thatched with reeds. It is then lifted by many hands, and lodged on
top of the circular tower. As the roof projects far beyond the central
tower, it is supported by stakes, and, as a general rule, the spaces
between these stakes are filled up with a wall or fence of reeds
plastered with mud. This roof is not permanently fixed either to the
supporting stakes or the central tower, and can be removed at pleasure.
When a visitor arrives among the Makololo, he is often lodged by the
simple process of lifting a finished roof off an unfinished house,
and putting it on the ground. Although it is then so low that a man
can scarcely sit, much less stand upright, it answers very well for
Southern Africa, where the whole of active life is spent, as a rule,
in the open air, and where houses are only used as sleeping-boxes.
The doorway that gives admission into the circular chamber is always
small. In a house that was assigned to Dr. Livingstone, it was only
nineteen inches in total height, twenty-two in width at the floor, and
twelve at the top. A native Makololo, with no particular encumbrance in
the way of clothes, makes his way through the doorway easily enough;
but an European with all the impediments of dress about him finds
himself sadly hampered in attempting to gain the penetration of a
Makololo house. Except through this door, the tower has neither light
nor ventilation. Some of the best houses have two, and even three, of
these towers, built concentrically within each other, and each having
its entrance about as large as the door of an ordinary dog-kennel.
Of course the atmosphere is very close at night, but the people care
nothing about that.
The illustration No. 2, upon the next page, is from a sketch furnished
by Mr. Baines. It represents a nearly completed Makololo house on
the banks of the Zambesi river, just above the great Victoria Falls.
The women have placed the roof on the building, and are engaged in
the final process of fixing the thatch. In the centre is seen the
cylindrical tower which forms the inner chamber, together with a
portion of the absurdly small door by which it is entered. Round it is
the inner wall, which is also furnished with its doorway. These are
made of stakes and withes, upon which is worked a quantity of clay,
well patted on by hand, so as to form a thick and strong wall. The clay
is obtained from ant-hills, and is generally kneaded up with cow-dung,
the mixture producing a kind of plaster that is very solid, and can be
made beautifully smooth. Even the wall which surrounds the building and
the whole of the floor are made of the same material.
It will be seen that there are four concentric walls in this building.
First comes the outer wall, which encircles the whole premises. Next is
a low wall which is built up against the posts that support the ends
of the rafters, and which is partly supported by them. Within this is
a third wall, which encloses what may be called the ordinary living
room of the house; and within all is the inner chamber, or tower, which
is in fact only another circular wall of much less diameter and much
greater height. It will be seen that the walls of the house itself
increase regularly in height, and decrease regularly in diameter, so as
to correspond with the conical roof.
On the left of the illustration is part of a millet-field, beyond which
are some completed houses. Among them are some of the fan-palms with
recurved leaves. That on the left is a young tree, and retains all its
leaves, while that on the right is an old one, and has shed the leaves
toward the base of the stem, the foliage and the thickened portion of
the trunk having worked their way gradually upward. More palms are
growing on the Zambesi River, and in the background are seen the vast
spray clouds arising from the Falls.
The comparatively easy life led by the Makololo women makes polygamy
less of a hardship to them than is the case among neighboring tribes,
and, in fact, even if the men were willing to abandon the system,
the women would not consent to do so. With them marriage, though it
never rises to the rank which it holds in civilized countries, is
not a mere matter of barter. It is true that the husband is expected
to pay a certain sum to the parents of his bride, as a recompense
for her services, and as purchase-money to retain in his own family
the children that she may have, and which would by law belong to her
father. Then again, when a wife dies her husband is obliged to send
an ox to her family, in order to recompense them for their loss, she
being still reckoned as forming part of her parent’s family, and her
individuality not being totally merged into that of her husband.
Plurality of wives is in vogue among the Makololo, and is, indeed,
an absolute necessity under the present conditions of the race, and
the women would be quite as unwilling as the men to have a system
of monogamy imposed upon them. No man is respected by his neighbors
who does not possess several wives, and indeed without them he could
not be wealthy, each wife tilling a certain quantity of ground, and
the produce belonging to a common stock. Of course, there are cases
where polygamy is certainly a hardship, as, for example, when old men
choose to marry very young wives. But on the whole, and under existing
conditions, polygamy is the only possible system.
[Illustration: (1.) OVAMBO HOUSES. (See page 316.)]
[Illustration: (2.) HOUSE BUILDING. (See page 328.)]
Another reason for the plurality of wives, as given by themselves, is
that a man with one wife would not be able to exercise that hospitality
which is one of the special duties of the tribe. Strangers are taken
to the huts and there entertained as honored quests, and as the women
are the principal providers of food, chief cultivators of the soil, and
sole guardians of the corn stores, their co-operation is absolutely
necessary for any one who desires to carry out the hospitable
institutions of his tribe. It has been mentioned that the men often
take their share in the hard work. This laudable custom, however,
prevailed most among the true Makololo men, the incorporated tribes
preferring to follow the usual African custom, and to make the women
work while they sit down and smoke their pipes.
The men have become adepts at carving wood, making wooden pots with
lids, and bowls and jars of all sizes. Moreover, of late years,
the Makololo have learned to think that sitting on a stool is
more comfortable than squatting on the bare ground, and have, in
consequence, begun to carve the legs of their stools into various
patterns.
Like the people from whom they are descended, the Makololo are a
law-loving race and manage their government by means of councils or
parliaments, resembling the pichos of the Bechuanas, and consisting
of a number of individuals assembled in a circle round the chief, who
occupies the middle. On one occasion, when there was a large halo round
the sun, Dr. Livingstone pointed it out to his chief boatman. The man
immediately replied that it was a parliament of the Barimo, _i. e._ the
gods, or departed spirits, who were assembled round their chief, _i.
e._ the sun.
For major crimes a picho is generally held, and the accused, if found
guilty, is condemned to death. The usual mode of execution is for two
men to grasp the condemned by his wrists, lead him a mile from the
town, and then to spear him. Resistance is not offered, neither is the
criminal allowed to speak. So quietly is the whole proceeding that, on
one very remarkable occasion, a rival chief was carried off within a
few yards of Dr. Livingstone without his being aware of the fact.
Shortly after Sebituane’s death, while his son Sekeletu was yet a
young man of eighteen, and but newly raised to the throne, a rival
named Mpepe, who had been appointed by Sebituane chief of a division
of the tribe, aspired to the throne. He strengthened his pretensions
by superstition, having held for some years a host of incantations,
at which a number of native wizards assembled, and performed a number
of enchantments so potent that even the strong-minded Sebituane was
afraid of him. After the death of that great chief Mpepe organized a
conspiracy whereby he should be able to murder Sekeletu and to take his
throne. The plot, however, was discovered, and on the night of its
failure his executioners came quietly to Mpepe’s fire, took his wrists,
led him out, and speared him.
Sometimes the offender is taken into the river in a boat, strangled,
and flung into the water, where the crocodiles are waiting to receive
him. Disobedience to the chief’s command is thought to be quite
sufficient cause for such a punishment. To lesser offences fines are
indicted, a parliament not being needed, but the case being heard
before the chief. Dr. Livingstone relates in a very graphic style the
manner in which these cases are conducted. “The complainant asks the
man against whom he means to lodge his complaint to come with him to
the chief. This is never refused. When both are in the kotla, the
complainant stands up and states the whole case before the chief and
people usually assembled there. He stands a few seconds after he has
done this to recollect if he has forgotten anything. The witnesses to
whom he has referred then rise up and tell all that they themselves
have seen or heard, but not anything that they have heard from others.
The defendant, after allowing some minutes to elapse, so that he may
not interrupt any of the opposite party, slowly rises, folds his cloak
about him, and in the most quiet and deliberate way he can assume,
yawning, blowing his nose, &c., begins to explain the affair, denying
the charge or admitting it, as the case may be.
“Sometimes, when galled by his remarks, the complainant utters a
sentence of dissent. The accused turns quietly to him and says, ‘Be
silent, I sat still while you were speaking. Cannot you do the same? Do
you want to have it all to yourself?’ And, as the audience acquiesce in
this bantering, and enforce silence, he goes on until he has finished
all he wishes to say in his defence. If he has any witnesses to the
truth of the facts of his defence, they give their evidence. No oath
is administered, but occasionally, when a statement is questioned,
a man will say, ‘By my father,’ or ‘By the chief, it is so.’ Their
truthfulness among each other is quite remarkable, but their system of
government is such that Europeans are not in a position to realize it
readily. A poor man will say in his defence against a rich one, ‘I am
astonished to hear a man so great as he make a false accusation,’ as if
the offence of falsehood were felt to be one against the society which
the individual referred to had the greatest interest in upholding.”
When a case is brought before the king by chiefs or other influential
men, it is expected that the councillors who attend the royal presence
shall give their opinions, and the permission to do so is inferred
whenever the king remains silent after having heard both parties. It is
a point of etiquette that all the speakers stand except the king, who
alone has the privilege of speaking while seated.
There is even a series of game-laws in the country, all ivory belonging
of right to the king, and every tusk being brought to him. This right
is, however, only nominal, as the king is expected to share the ivory
among his people, and if he did not do so, he would not be able to
enforce the law. In fact, the whole law practically resolves itself
into this: that the king gets one tusk and the hunters get the other,
while the flesh belongs to those who kill the animal. And, as the flesh
is to the people far more valuable than the ivory, the arrangement is
much fairer than appears at first sight.
Practically it is a system of make-believes. The successful hunters
kill two elephants, taking four tusks to the king, and make believe to
offer them for his acceptance. He makes believe to take them as his
right, and then makes believe to present them with two as a free gift
from himself. They acknowledge the royal bounty with abundant thanks
and recapitulation of titles, such as Great Lion, &c., and so all
parties are equally satisfied.
On page 319 I have described, from Mr. Baines’ notes, a child’s
toy, the only example of a genuine toy which he found in the whole
of Southern Africa. Among the Makololo, however, as well as among
Europeans, the spirit of play is strong in children, and they engage
in various games, chiefly consisting in childish imitation of the more
serious pursuits of their parents. The following account of their
play is given by Dr. Livingstone:--“The children have merry times,
especially in the cool of the evening. One of their games consists
of a little girl being carried on the shoulders of two others. She
sits with outstretched arms, as they walk about with her, and all
the rest clap their hands, and stopping before each hut, sing pretty
airs, some beating time on their little kilts of cow-skin, and others
making a curious humming sound between the songs. Excepting this and
the skipping-rope, the play of the girls consists in imitation of the
serious work of their mothers, building little huts, making small pots,
and cooking, pounding corn in miniature mortars, or hoeing tiny gardens.
“The boys play with spears of reeds pointed with wood, and small
shields, or bows and arrows; or amuse themselves in making little
cattle-pens, or cattle in clay,--they show great ingenuity in the
imitation of variously shaped horns. Some, too, are said to use slings,
but, as soon as they can watch the goats or calves, they are sent to
the field. We saw many boys riding on the calves they had in charge,
but this is an innovation since the arrival of the English with their
horses. Tselane, one of the ladies, on observing Dr. Livingstone noting
observations on the wet and dry bulb thermometers, thought that he too
was engaged in play. On receiving no reply to her question, which was
rather difficult to answer, as their native tongue has no scientific
terms, she said with roguish glee, ‘Poor thing! playing like a little
child!’”
On the opposite page I present my readers with another of Mr. Baines’s
sketches. The scene is taken from a Makololo village on the bank of the
river, and the time is supposed to be evening, after the day’s work is
over. In the midst are the young girls playing the game mentioned by
Mr. Anderssen, the central girl being carried by two others, and her
companions singing and clapping their hands. The dress of the young
girls is, as may be seen, very simple, and consists of leathern thongs,
varying greatly in length, but always so slight and scanty that they
do not hide the contour of the limbs. Several girls are walking behind
them, carrying pots and bundles on the head, another is breaking up the
ground with a toy hoe, while in the foreground is one girl pretending
to grind corn between two stones, another pounding in a small model
mortar, and a third with a rude doll carried as a mother carries her
child. The parents are leaning against their houses, and looking at
the sports of the children. On the left are seen some girls building a
miniature hut, the roof of which they are just lifting upon the posts.
In the foreground on the left are the boys engaged in their particular
games. Some are employed in making rude models of cattle and other
animals, while others are engaged in mimic warfare. In the background
is a boy who has gone out to fetch the flock of goats home, and is
walking in front of them, followed by his charge. A singular tree often
overhangs the houses and is very characteristic of that part of Africa.
In the native language it is called Mosaawe, and by the Portuguese,
Paopisa. It has a leaf somewhat like that of the acacia, and the
blossoms and fruit are seen hanging side by side. The latter very much
resembles a wooden cucumber, and is about as eatable.
On the same page is another sketch by Mr. Baines, representing a
domestic scene in a Makololo family. The house belongs to a chief named
M’Bopo, who was very friendly to Mr. Baines and his companions, and was
altogether a fine specimen of a savage gentleman. He was exceedingly
hospitable to his guests, not only feeding them well, but producing
great jars of pombe, or native beer, which they were obliged to consume
either personally or by deputy. He even apologized for his inability
to offer them some young ladies as temporary wives, according to the
custom of the country, the girls being at the time all absent, and
engaged in ceremonies very similar to those which have been described
when treating of the Bechuanas.
[Illustration: (1.) CHILDREN’S GAMES. (See page 332.)]
[Illustration: (2.) M’BOPO AT HOME. (See page 332.)]
M’Bopo is seated in the middle, and may be distinguished by the fact
that he is wearing all his hair, the general fashion being to crop it
and dress it in various odd ways. Just behind him is one of his chief
men, whom Mr. Baines was accustomed to designate as Toby Fillpot,
partly because he was very assiduous in filling the visitor’s jars
with pombe, and partly because he was more than equally industrious
in emptying them. It will be noticed that he has had his head shaved,
and that the hair is beginning to grow in little patches. Behind him
is another man, who has shaved his head at the sides, and allowed a
mere tuft of hair to grow along the top. In front of M’Bopo is a huge
earthen vessel full of pombe, and by the side of it is the calabash
ladle by which the liquid is transferred to the drinking vessels.
M’Bopo’s chief wife sits beside him, and is distinguished by the two
ornaments which she wears. On her forehead is a circular piece of hide,
kneaded while wet so as to form a shallow cone. The inside of this
cone is entirely covered with beads, mostly white, and scarlet in the
centre. Upon her neck is another ornament, which is valued very highly.
It is the base of a shell, a species of conus--the whole of which has
been ground away except the base. This ornament is thought so valuable
that when the great chief Shinte presented Dr. Livingstone with one,
he took the precaution of coming alone, and carefully closing the
tent door, so that none of his people should witness an act of such
extravagant generosity.
This lady was good enough to express her opinion of the white
travellers. They were not so ugly, said she, as she had expected. All
that hair on their heads and faces was certainly disagreeable, but
their faces were pleasant enough, and their hands were well formed, but
the great defect in them was, that they had no toes. The worthy lady
had never heard of boots, and evidently considered them as analogous to
the hoofs of cattle. It was found necessary to remove the boots, and
convince her that the white man really had toes.
Several of the inferior wives are also sitting on the ground. One of
them has her scalp entirely shaved, and the other has capriciously
diversified her head by allowing a few streaks of hair to go over the
top of the head, and another to surround it like a band. The reed door
is seen turned aside from the opening, and a few baskets are hanging
here and there upon the wall.
The Makololo have plenty of amusements after their own fashion, which
is certainly not that of an European. Even those who have lived among
them for some time, and have acknowledged that they are among the most
favorable specimens of African heathendom, have been utterly disgusted
and wearied with the life which they had to lead. There is no quiet
and no repose day or night, and Dr. Livingstone, who might be expected
to be thoroughly hardened against annoyance by trifles, states broadly
that the dancing, singing, roaring, jesting, story-telling, grumbling,
and quarrelling of the Makololo were a severer penance than anything
which he had undergone in all his experiences. He had to live with
them, and was therefore brought in close contact with them.
The first three items of savage life, namely, dancing, singing, and
roaring, seem to be inseparably united, and the savages seem to be
incapable of getting up a dance unless accompanied by roaring on the
part of the performers, and singing on the part of the spectators--the
latter sounds being not more melodious than the former. Dr. Livingstone
gives a very graphic account of a Makololo dance. “As this was the
first visit which Sekeletu had paid to this part of his dominions,
it was to many a season of great joy. The head men of each village
presented oxen, milk, and beer, more than the horde which accompanied
him could devour, though their abilities in that way are something
wonderful.
“The people usually show their joy and work off their excitement in
dances and songs. The dance consists of the men standing nearly naked
in a circle, with clubs or small battle-axes in their hands, and each
roaring at the loudest pitch of his voice, while they simultaneously
lift one leg, stamping twice with it, then lift the other and give one
stamp with it; this is the only movement in common. The arms and head
are thrown about also in every direction, and all this time the roaring
is kept up with the utmost possible vigor. The continued stamping makes
a cloud of dust ascend, and they leave a deep ring in the ground where
they have stood.
“If the scene were witnessed in a lunatic asylum, it would be nothing
out of the way, and quite appropriate as a means of letting off the
excessive excitement of the brain. But here, gray-headed men joined
in the performance with as much zest as others whose youth might be
an excuse for making the perspiration start off their bodies with
the exertion. Motebe asked what I thought of the Makololo dance. I
replied, ‘It is very hard work, and brings but small profit.’ ‘It is,’
he replied; ‘but it is very nice, and Sekeletu will give us an ox for
dancing for him.’ He usually does slaughter an ox for the dancers
when the work is over. The women stand by, clapping their hands, and
occasionally one advances within the circle, composed of a hundred men,
makes a few movements, and then retires. As I never tried it, and am
unable to enter into the spirit of the thing, I cannot recommend the
Makololo polka to the dancing world, but I have the authority of no
less a person than Motebe, Sekeletu’s father-in-law, for saying that
it is very nice.”
Many of the Makololo are inveterate smokers, preferring hemp even to
tobacco, because it is more intoxicating. They delight in smoking
themselves into a positive frenzy, “which passes away in a rapid stream
of unmeaning words, or short sentences, as, ‘The green grass grows,’
‘The fat cattle thrive,’ ‘The fishes swim.’ No one in the group pays
the slightest attention to the vehement eloquence, or the sage or silly
utterances of the oracle, who stops abruptly, and, the instant common
sense returns, looks foolish.” They smoke the hemp through water, using
a koodoo horn for their pipe, much in the way that the Damaras and
other tribes use it.
Over-indulgence in this luxury has a very prejudicial effect on the
health, producing an eruption over the whole body that is quite
unmistakable. In consequence of this effect, the men prohibit their
wives from using the hemp, but the result of the prohibition seems
only to be that the women smoke secretly instead of openly, and are
afterward discovered by the appearance of the skin. It is the more
fascinating, because its use imparts a spurious strength to the
body, while it enervates the mind to such a degree that the user is
incapable of perceiving the state in which he is gradually sinking, or
of exercising sufficient self-control to abandon or even to modify the
destructive habit. Sekeletu was a complete victim of the hemp-pipe,
and there is no doubt that the illness, something like the dreaded
“craw-craw” of Western Africa, was aggravated, if not caused, by
over-indulgence in smoking hemp.
The Makololo have an unbounded faith in medicines, and believe that
there is no ill to which humanity is subject which cannot be removed by
white man’s medicine. One woman who thought herself too thin to suit
the African ideas of beauty, asked for the medicine of fatness, and
a chief, whose six wives had only produced one boy among a number of
girls, was equally importunate for some medicine that would change the
sex of the future offspring.
The burial-places of the Makololo are seldom conspicuous, but in some
cases the relics of a deceased chief are preserved, and regarded with
veneration, so that the guardians cannot be induced to sell them even
for the most tempting prices.