CURIOUS MODES.
Livingstone says that among many tribes the mode of salutation was by
clapping the hands; and whenever the white man appeared, parties of
women came from the several villages, betraying much fear, and clapping
the hands with renewed vigor whenever they were addressed.
Near the Zambesi River tribes were met, the women of which were in the
habit of piercing the upper lip, and gradually enlarging the orifice
until a shell could be inserted. The lip then appeared drawn out beyond
the extremity of the nose and gave the face a most ungainly appearance.
The chief of another tribe remarked, "These women want to make their
mouths like those of ducks." Indeed, it did seem as if their idea of
beautiful mouths had been derived from the duck's bill.
In the vicinity of the Falls of the Zambesi, tribes were found where the
women had merely a small puncture in the upper lip in which a tin
button was inserted. The perforation had been made by degrees; first a
ring with an opening in it had been attached to the lip, and then the
ends had been gradually squeezed together. The pressure on the flesh
between the ends of the ring had caused it to be absorbed, and a hole
had resulted from the treatment. Children were frequently seen with the
ring attached to the lip which had not yet been punctured.
It was in the vicinity of Zambesi that many of the gardens were built
upon stagings, while some of the huts were built in trees, in case any
of the natives should become benighted in the forest. This was for
protection from the lions and hyenas, which were very abundant, since no
attempt was ever made to exterminate them, owing to the belief that the
souls of departed chiefs had entered into them. So superstitious were
these natives that they even believed a chief could change himself into
a lion, kill any one he chose, and then return to his human form.
Whenever a lion was met he was greeted with a tremendous clapping of the
hands by way of salutation.
Among the Banyai tribes a fair complexion was considered as much a mark
of beauty as among civilized races. Many of these natives were of a
light coffee-colored complexion and were considered very handsome
throughout the country.
These tribes had a peculiar mode of drawing the hair out into small
cords a foot in length and entwining the inner bark of a special tree
round each separate cord. The substance for binding the cords was dyed a
reddish color, and the whole arrangement of the hair reminded
Livingstone very strongly of one of the ancient Egyptian fashions.
This great mass of dressed hair reached to the shoulders usually; when,
however, the natives were about to travel over the country, the mass was
drawn up into a bunch and tied on the top of the head.
The people of this section along the shores of Lake Nyassa were found to
be very industrious; they combined agriculture and hunting with nets,
with various other pursuits; of these blacksmithing was the chief
industry.
The sound of the hammer was heard constantly in the villages. This
instrument was most primitive in its construction. It was simply a large
stone bound around with the strong inner bark of a tree, with loops left
to form handles. Two pieces of bark formed the tongs, while the anvil
was merely a large stone sunk in the ground. Two goat skins furnished
with sticks at the open ends, which opened and shut them at every blast,
comprised the bellows.
Primitive as these tools were, yet two native workmen could make several
hoes a day, and turn out other work of a wonderful degree of excellence.
The people had quite a Grecian cast of features, and their limbs and
feet were delicately moulded. Small hands and feet were the rule. Many
of the men were disfigured by having large slits in the lobe of the ear,
while each tribe had its own distinctive tattoo. The head man of each
village was distinguished from the others by a large ivory bracelet.
[Illustration: DR. LIVINGSTONE NEAR THE CLOSE OF HIS LAST JOURNEY.]
The women were more elaborate in their manner of tattooing than the men,
probably because they had so very few ornaments. The following of such a
fashion among them must have been a most painful luxury, when we
consider how slow and tedious the process of tattooing must be.
Another curious custom was the hollowing of the two front teeth on the
cutting edge.
Much politeness was shown in their relations with one another. Clapping
of the hands in various ways was employed as the means of expressing
such polite sentiments as, "Allow me," "I beg pardon," "Permit me to
pass," "Thank you." This clapping of the hands was also used in making
introductions and in leave-taking, and was also resorted to in
assemblies when it was desirable to attract attention in debates, as in
calling out, "Hear, hear!"
The chiefs were mostly friendly and provided Livingstone and his party
with food, when necessary, in exchange for "a cloth," which meant two
yards of unbleached cotton.
In various villages Livingstone noticed miniature huts about two feet
high. These were neatly thatched and plastered. In accordance with a
custom, which seemed to belong to this special section, these huts had
been built on the death of a child or relative. When any special food
was cooked, it was the custom to place a portion in the tiny hut, in the
strong belief that it would be enjoyed by the spirit of the departed.
[Illustration: STANLEY ON THE MARCH.]
The people of the Mopane Forest are described as having round bulletlike
heads, high cheek bones, and an upward slant to the eyes. These
features, together with their snub noses, might well enable them to pass
for Bushmen or Hottentots.
They file their teeth to points, but wear no lip ring. In dressing the
hair they part it so as to let it lie in a net at the nape of the neck.
Their mode of salutation is as absurd as it is inelegant, for the men
throw themselves in a half-recumbent position upon the ground, clapping
the hands and making a disagreeable half-smacking sound with the lips by
way of salute.
It would be interesting to follow out the story of Livingstone's life;
his rescue by Stanley when nearly the whole world believed him to have
perished from want and privation in some African forest; of his
subsequent explorations, his death, and the transportation of his body
to England and interment in Westminster Abbey.
No less interesting should we find it to follow Stanley through jungle
and thicket, and in hairbreadth encounters with fierce cannibals who
cried greedily, "Meat, meat! Give us meat! Ah! now we shall have meat!"
whenever they caught sight of the white man. It would be a matter of
interest, too, to try to solve the problem of the commercial standing of
Africa in the near future.
In imagination we can picture the sad details of strife and conflict and
feel our hearts throb with pity for the poor savage, as he makes his
piteous appeal to the white man, "What great harm have I done? I have
but sought to protect my people and the land of my fathers. I sue only
for peace and protection in this, the land of my birth."
[Illustration: SPHINX AND PYRAMID.]
We have only to look at the map of Africa to realize with what rapidity
the leading nations of Europe are taking possession of the choicest
portions of the continent. Let us trust that the opening of the country
to commercial interests will mean peace, prosperity, and the blessings
of civilization for the original owners of the soil; then shall we
indeed have reason to rejoice over the future of Africa.