SOME VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE.
Burton and his companion, Speke, remained for over three months at
Ujiji, a small province situated upon Lake Tanganyika. It has a
convenient situation as a mart, and was a central point for the
establishment of trading depots by the Arabs as early as 1840. It was
their custom to send decoy slaves with their agents, to navigate the
waters of the lake, for the purpose of collecting ivory and slaves upon
its shores.
The atmosphere of Ujiji has great humidity, and its soil, consequently,
great fertility. The large forest trees and the profusion of ferns give
abundant evidence that the province is one of the most productive in
this portion of Africa. Vegetables, which in other sections grow only
under cultivation, here have a spontaneous growth.
The Arabs found rice of an excellent quality could be raised upon the
shores of the lake. It grew very luxuriantly, sometimes to the height of
eight or nine feet. The natives, however, found that the ravages of the
monkey, the elephant, and the hippopotamus were such as to spoil their
rice fields, and turned their attention to the cultivation of sorghum,
for which they have a preference.
"The bazaar at Ujiji is well supplied. Fresh fish of various kinds is
always procurable, except during the violence of the rains; the people,
however, invariably cut it up and clean it before bringing it to market.
Good honey abounds after the wet monsoon. By the favor of the chief,
milk and butter may be purchased every day. Long-tailed sheep and
well-bred goats, poultry and eggs--the two latter are never eaten by the
people--are brought in from the adjoining countries. The Arabs breed a
few Manilla ducks, and the people rear, but will not sell, pigeons."
It will be interesting to know the meaning of the various prefixes to
native words used in speaking of the land and people of Africa. Captain
Burton uses these prefixes invariably in his journal and letters. They
are _U_, meaning the country; _Ki_, meaning the language; _Wa_, the
people in a body; and _M_, an individual. These prefixes are used in
connection with some special stem or root, as _jiji_, chosen by a native
tribe. Thus we find U-jiji, the _country_ of _jiji_; Ki-jiji, the
_language_ of _jiji_. Wa-jiji, the _people_ of _jiji_; M-jiji, an
_individual_ in jiji__. This little explanation will tend to help us in
our understanding of the various African words we shall meet in our
reading.
"The Wajiji are a burly race of barbarians, far stronger than the tribes
hitherto traversed, with dark skins, plain features, and straight,
sturdy limbs," we are told in Burton's account of his explorations in
the region along the shores of the lake. "They are larger and heavier
men than the Wanyamwezi, and the type, as it approaches Central Africa,
becomes rather negro than negroid.
"Their feet and hands are large and flat, their voices are harsh and
strident, and their looks as well as their manners are independent
almost to insolence. Many, of both sexes and all ages, are disfigured by
the smallpox. The Arabs have vainly taught them inoculation."
In continuation Burton writes: "The Wajiji are considered by the Arabs
to be the most troublesome race in these black regions. They are taught
by the example of their chiefs to be rude, insolent, and extortionate;
they demand beads even for pointing out the road; they will deride and
imitate a stranger's speech and manner before his face; they can do
nothing without a long preliminary of the fiercest scolding; they are as
ready with a blow as with a word; and they may often be seen playing at
'rough and tumble,' fighting, pushing, and tearing hair, in their boats.
"A Mjiji uses his dagger or his spear upon a guest with little
hesitation; he thinks twice, however, before drawing blood, if it will
cause a feud.
"When the sultan appears among his people, he stands in a circle and
claps his hands, to which all respond in the same way. Women curtsey to
one another, bending the right knee almost to the ground. When two men
meet, they clasp each other's arms with both hands, rubbing them up and
down, and ejaculating for some minutes, 'Nama, sanga? nama sanga?'--Art
thou well? They then pass the hands down to the forearm, exclaiming,
'Wahke? wahke?'--How art thou?--and finally they clap palms at each
other, a token of respect which appears common to these tribes of
Central Africa.
"The children have all the frowning and unprepossessing look of their
parents. They reject little civilities, and seem to spend life in
disputes, biting and clawing like wildcats. There seems to be little
family affection in this undemonstrative race."