MORE VIEWS FROM LIVINGSTONE.
Situated a few miles from the edge of a steep descent, Livingstone found
a West African village provided with travelers' houses, on the principle
of the inns of the East. These were built of twigs and plaster and had
benches made of rods, on which the wayfarer could make his bed; a few
chairs, a table, and a large jar of water completed the furnishings.
A little farther on lay a village of the Basongo, a tribe subject to the
Portuguese, and as the route of Livingstone's expedition lay through a
fine, fertile, well-peopled country, luxuriant fields of wheat were seen
growing without irrigation. Gradually the country became more open, but
remained still abundantly fertile, with a heavy crop of grass growing to
a height of two or three feet. The whole section was well wooded and
watered.
The landscape was dotted with Basongo villages, while frequently a
square house built of twigs and plaster, belonging to some native
Portuguese, stood beside them and was used for purposes of trade.
The different sleeping places on the pathway were from eight to ten
miles apart, and were marked by a cluster of sheds made of sticks and
grass.
There was a constant stream of people going and returning to and from
the coast. Goods were carried upon the head, or upon one shoulder, in a
kind of basket fastened to the ends of two poles between five and six
feet long.
When the basket was placed upon the head, the poles projected forward
horizontally; and if the carrier wished to rest himself, he planted
these poles on the ground, and rested his burden against a tree. In this
way he was not obliged to lift it from the ground to the level of his
head, when he wished to take up his load again. Frequently with the
poles planted in the ground a carrier could be seen holding his burden
until he had recovered his breath, thus avoiding the exertion of
lowering and lifting his load.
Upon the arrival of strangers at any of the sleeping stations, women
were seen emerging from the villages bearing baskets filled with manioc
meal, roots, groundnuts, yams, bird's eye pepper, and garlic, which they
offered for sale. Calico was usually taken in exchange for these goods.
In Angola the markets, or sleeping places, were well supplied with
provisions by the native women. These women congregated in great
numbers, each spinning cotton with a spindle and distaff, which were
precisely like those in use among the ancient Egyptians.
It was not uncommon to see one of them passing through the fields with a
jar on her head, a child on her back, and a hoe over her shoulder, while
her fingers were busily employed in spinning. The cotton was brought to
market and commanded a penny a pound.
Frequently the cotton seeds, dropped accidentally around the market
places, sprouted, and grew luxuriantly in various spots.
Along the roads natives were seen passing with spindles full of cotton
thread. These they were carrying to other parts to have woven into
cloth. The women did the spinning and the men the weaving.
The loom was of very simple construction. It consisted of two beams
placed one over the other, on which the web stood perpendicularly. The
threads of the web were separated by means of a thin wooden lath, while
the woof passed through by means of the same spindle on which it had
been wound in spinning. Each web was about five feet long, and fifteen
or eighteen inches wide.
This mode of spinning and weaving in Angola and throughout South Central
Africa was very similar to the same pursuits as practiced by the ancient
Egyptians.
At the sleeping stations the native smiths carried on their trade, and
various articles, as good table knives, and the like, made of country
iron, were offered for sale.
Livingstone found the banks of the Lucalla very pretty, and well planted
with orange trees, bananas, and the oil palm, and wrote: "Large
plantations of maize, manioc, and tobacco are seen along both banks,
which are enlivened by the frequent appearance of native houses
imbosomed in dense shady groves, with little boys and girls playing
about them.
"The banks are steep, the water having cut its bed in dark red,
alluvial soil. Before every cottage a small stage is erected to which
the inhabitants may descend to draw water without danger from the
alligators. Some have a little palisade made in the water for safety
from these reptiles, and others use the shell of the fruit of the baobab
tree attached to a pole about ten feet long, with which, standing on the
high bank, they may draw water without fear of accident."
The whole of the colored population of Angola was sunk in superstition.
When a death occurred, the people busied themselves in beating drums and
firing guns. The funeral rites were half festive, half mourning. Nothing
could have been more heartrending than the death wails.
When these natives turned their eyes to the future world, they had the
most cheerless view of their own utter helplessness. They fancied
themselves completely in the power of disembodied spirits, and the
prospect of following them was looked upon as the worst of misfortunes.
Hence, they were found constantly deprecating the wrath of departed
spirits, in the belief that if they could appease them, only one cause
of death, witchcraft, could remain, and that they could avert by charms.
The pleasures of a mere animal existence were ever present in their
minds as the highest good, and but for these innumerable invisible
agents, they believed they might enjoy to the fullest extent the
bounties of their luxuriant climate as much as would be possible for man
to do.
Another curious custom prevailed among some of the tribes encountered
by Livingstone. This ceremony was for the purpose of cementing
friendship. The hands of the parties were joined, and incisions were
made on the clasped hands, and on the right cheeks and foreheads. A
small quantity of blood was taken from these points in both parties, put
into pots of beer, and each then drank the other's blood; and they were
supposed thus to become perpetual friends or relations.
During the drinking, some of the party beat the ground with clubs, and
uttered sentences to ratify the treaty. The men belonging to each tribe
then finished the beer. The principals in the performance were
henceforth considered blood relations, and were bound to disclose to
each other any impending evil.
Among the Batoka tribes the ancient custom of knocking out the upper
front teeth of the young men and women prevailed. In the absence of the
upper teeth the lower ones grew long and somewhat bent out, which caused
the under lip to protrude in a most unsightly fashion. When asked as to
the origin of this custom, the Batoka replied that their object was to
look like oxen and that those who retained their incisors were thought
to resemble zebras.
A person who possessed his front teeth was considered ugly; and when any
of the Batoka borrowed Livingstone's mirror, the disparaging remark
would be made of boys and girls who still retained their incisors, "Look
at the great teeth!"
The manner of dressing the hair is a peculiar feature among the
different African tribes. Livingstone describes one of the modes as
follows:--"A circle of hair at the top of the head, eight inches or
more in diameter, is woven into a cone eight or ten inches high, with an
obtuse apex, bent, in some cases, a little forward, giving it somewhat
the appearance of a helmet.
"Some have only a cone, four or five inches in diameter at the base. It
is said that the hair of animals is added; but the sides of the cone are
woven somewhat like basket work. The head man of this village, instead
of having his brought to a point, had it prolonged into a wand, which
extended a full yard from the crown of the head.
"The hair on the forehead, above the ears, and behind, is all shaven
off, so the people appear somewhat as if a cap of liberty were perched
upon the top of the head. After this weaving is performed, it is said to
be painful, as the scalp is drawn tightly up; but they become used to
it."
Many other curious customs prevail among the native tribes. Among the
different Bechuana tribes it is the custom to select the name of some
animal to distinguish one tribe from another. This would seem to
indicate that in former times they were addicted to the worship of
animals, like the old Egyptians. We find one tribe bearing a name
signifying "they of the monkey;" another, "they of the alligator;" or,
"they of the fish."
Each tribe holds the animal from which it derived its name in
superstitious fear; nor will a man eat the animal for which his tribe
was named, and frequently uses a term signifying hate or dread in
referring to it.
Each tribe has its favorite and characteristic dance, and many tribes
adopt the custom of naming themselves from the national dance. Hence,
it is no uncommon thing to hear the question, "What do you dance?" when
the wish is to ascertain to what tribe a man belongs. This custom would
seem to indicate that the national dance was a part of the ancient
worship in certain sections of Africa.