SOME OBSERVATIONS OF INTEREST IN THE FOLK LORE OF THE KAFFIR.
Before proceeding to enumerate and describe the diseases, as recognised
by the natives, their cures and what the Kaffir believes to be their
causes, there are several subjects that are of interest in the study of
Kaffir Folk Lore which I propose shortly to notice.
The Kaffirs, would be a healthy, long lived people were it not for the
excesses of riot they run, in the practice of adultery, drinking,
dancing, etc. Their mode of living on simple mixed diet, and
practically entirely in the open air, in a fine climate is exceeding
favourable to robust health and longevity and perhaps no nation enjoys,
on the whole, better health.
When disease does occur in man or animal it is almost invariably
ascribed by the Kaffir to the agency of human beings, either a living
person or as often as not some departed relation who has used
witchcraft or “Umtagati.”
Even the vast majority of Mission or school natives who are more or
less educated, retain this belief, so deep is it rooted in the native
mind, in spite of the fact that Missionaries have preached against it
for years.
Throughout South Africa the practice of witchcraft is a criminal
offence and severely punished; nevertheless the belief remains, and
witchcraft, and “Smelling out” are carried out in secrecy. Many hut
burnings and solitary murders being undoubtedly traceable to this
practice.
It is a well recognised fact amongst those living in the Native
Territories that of all the deaths amongst cattle that have taken place
there in the recent epidemic of Rinderpest probably nineteen out of
twenty have been ascribed to witchcraft.
From the foregoing it will be seen that it is, to the Kaffir, possible
that anyone may attain power over disease and inflict a fellow being,
usually by calling in the assistance of the Ghosts of the departed, or
of natural spirits or demons. It will be observed when studying the
methods of curing disease that many of the cures are for the purpose of
driving out the bewitching spirit. Just as in the ancient folklore of
England offensive drugs were administered etc. for this purpose so it
is at the present day in native practice.
The Natives believe that several agencies are often the chief cause of
disease and have much power over the sick person.
The chief of these are. 1. Icanti. Uhili or Tikoloshe and Im-pundulu.
2. Im-paka. 3. U-buti (poison).
1. Icanti. U-hili or Tikoloshe and Im-pundulu. These three bodies are
combined in their action and any person possessed of any one of them
must needs be possessed of all three. They are however three distinct
bodies.
They are often used by women and in many instances in order to secure
the affection of someone of the opposite sex or of their families.
(a). Incanti in its natural state is a rare water snake which is
believed to have the power of changing its colour or assuming various
forms resembling different objects and has great powers of fascination.
Any one who comes upon an Icanti suddenly remains motionless and
speechless.
This snake can be preserved in various ways, and is secretly kept by
some woman who hands it down to her daughters and they to their female
descendants so that disease occuring in a tribe and to which certain
families are liable (hereditary disease) is ascribed to the influence
of the Icanti, always be it understood with the assistance of his
co-workers, the Tikoloshe and Im-pundulu.
(b). U-hili or Tikoloshe. A short stumpy creature living in water, half
man, half animal. The Kaffir has a special belief, attached to this
U-hili; thus if a woman be fond of her husband and children, she is
credited with having been tempted by the Tikoloshe and having resisted
his importunities.
(c). Im-pundulu, is supposed to be a bird which can assume the
appearance of a man. This bird has besides the power of bringing
disease, that of bringing down lighting.
It will thus be seen that the Native recognises hereditary disease, and
he believes that the triple association of these three I’canti,
Tikoloshe and Im-pundulu is the chief cause of this hereditary disease
in a family, being handed down from mother to daughter. Of course it is
understood that these agencies are engaged or induced to act by some
enemy or some outraged spirit of a departed ancestor.
2. Im-paka. This is a creature resembling a cat, which has the power of
getting inside any hut and by scratching the body of a person of
inoculating him with poison. The Im-paka is bred by wizards and set on
by them to spread or give disease.
This is a superstition that exists mostly amongst the Fingoes.
3. Ubuti. (Poison). The usual methods of putting poison in food or
drink is here considered the cause. This Ubuti may be used by living
people or by the usual and ever present “spirits.”
Other things which are believed to cause disease are:—
4. In-Qumbabane. This is a wand like snake which is believed to be the
chief cause of fevers. By getting inside a person it eats up the inside
of the man and so causes his death. Speaking generally as in old
English lore the methods adopted to get rid of this In-Qumbabane are
aimed at making the host an unpleasant abode for it and thus evil
smelling herb are rubbed on the orifices of the body and bitter
nauseating drugs swallowed.
5. Mamlambo. This is another snake chiefly known by Zulus and used by
them as a charm. If not properly used it causes sickness or death, and
has come to be looked on as a possible cause of sickness in many cases.
6. Omitting to observe certain ceremonies or rites is supposed to cause
umbrage to the spirits and thus, bring about illness. Thus if the
finger of a new born infant is not cut, the infant will be sickly and
die young.
If “circumcision” in man or “Intonjane” in woman is omitted the
Imishologu (spirits of the dead) are dissatisfied and disease or
barren-results.
7. Etc. Certain superstitions are attached by the Kaffir to a number of
things or practices; for example.—Heaps of stones, which they call
“Isivivane,” a stone lifted from the path and placed on the branch of a
tree; a heap of small dry sticks placed by the road-side; tying the
long grass by the wayside into knots; chewing certain leaves, roots, or
barks, of certain plants; or wearing these last; crossing certain
streams, especially in the case of women or children; washing in or
drinking of certain pools or streams; dogs howling at night; owls
hooting as if from the top of cattle or hut etc.
They also have superstitions about the bird “Broomvogel” or “Intsikizi”
e.g.: it is terribly unlucky to kill one; about a cow or ox entering a
hut or a calf lying down when its mother is being milked; about the
killing of the Umntanizulu or mantis, the insect called the
“Hottentots God” by the Boers. And many other things or acts of like
nature into the description of which it would be foreign to the present
subject to enter.
The following superstition and practice with reference to the dead
existed in the early times, though it is seldom heard of now. When the
head of a family died without saying where he was going e.g. suddenly;
immediately after his expiring the sons or daughters were compelled to
place a piece of old leather or some similar thing between his teeth or
into his mouth to show that he had died unhappily, in consequence of
being bewitched. This had the effect of bringing all his acquaintances
under suspicion of having bewitched him and the general public were in
great danger of being accused by the “Isanusi” of witchcraft. The death
of such an one is at once reported at the “great place” and the chief
despatches a number of men to the kraal to seize and confiscate all his
property and cattle.
The belief is that a person dying under these circumstances had gone to
a place of punishment; but the Amaxosa have no name for it. They, have,
however a name for a happy place although they cannot describe it.
The superstitious idea attached to the death above referred to, is that
the soul of the dead man, being dissatisfied is likely to inspire his
children or near relatives with a spirit of witchcraft and that they
are likely to become a public danger in consequence.
These relatives are therefore forever looked upon with suspicion, and
are frequently “smelled out” as the cause of bewitching in subsequent
events. They are often severely tortured, sometimes fatally, in order
to get them to confess their sins. One of the chief methods of torture
is to tie them inside the hut while it is kept filled with dense
pungent smoke.
Superstition pervades the whole of the Bantu family. They all believe
in the spirit world and the resurrection from the dead even of the
lower animals.
They believe that a new state of things is going to be, only in a
different way from that generally understood by certain christian
nations. It will be remembered that at the great “Cattle Killing Craze”
of the Kaffirs, they believed, as told by their seer, that their
ancestors would all come back on a certain day and help them to drive
the white people into the sea. So that they would again come to inherit
the land.
Sacrifices. “Idini” are offered by the “Medicine man” to appease the
wrath of the offended spirits of ancestors, who are supposed to have
caused the sickness of a patient or some such calamity. It being
thought that they can by thus appealing to the pleasure of the
“imi-Nyanga” (ghosts), buy them off or secure future immunity.
The following circumstances are instances of cases demanding
sacrifices: e.g.
1. Should anyone dream about his ancestors who are dead; that was taken
as an indication, that they were displeased at some neglect and
demanded an “Idini.”
2. Should there be illness either of man or beast, and a doctor
(Isanuse) be called in and declare, “I see your ancestors. They are
angry because you have not rendered them their due”; it was understood
that an “Idini” was required.
3. Should there be a scarcity of rain, the people would go to the chief
and say, “Why do you allow this drought to go on? Why do you not
approach your ancestors”; when a great sacrifice would be offered.
The most common method of offering a sacrifice is the following:—
Fuel is first prepared, consisting of chips of “Sneezewood,” a very
hard, slow burning wood.
An ox is slaughtered in the centre of the cattlefold in the afternoon,
and the blood carried over to the hut of the person, who requires the
sacrifice. Who, for instance, has dreamt about his ancestors or whose
relative is ill, etc., and deposited in a Kaffir basket (these baskets
are watertight) at the back of the hut. In carrying it, drops are
purposely allowed to fall on the way, as a guide to the spirits from
the hut to the Kaffir kraal, where on the morrow the ceremony is to be
performed. The rest of the carcase is carried in sections to the hut,
and piled up in the centre on sneezewood and laurel twigs.
Next day a fire is made of sneezewood on the spot of slaughter i.e. the
centre of the cattle fold and, with the exception of the women’s
portion, (the inferior pieces) the meat is brought to the fire where it
is roasted or boiled and around which it is eaten; the internal fat
around kidneys, etc., “in-thukuhla” being given to the “imi-Nyanga”
(ghosts) before the general cooking commences.
The whole of the animal is consumed that day. It is simply astonishing
what an enormous quantity of meat can be consumed by a Kaffir on these
occasions.
Frequently there is a great deal of Kaffir beer, (an intoxicating
beverage brewed by the natives from Kaffir corn), consumed at these
functions, and as a consequence much debauchery, often ending in
bloodshed occurs.
At these sacrifices the women have their own little demonstration with
the children at the calves’-fold.
In the case of sacrifices by chiefs on great occasions, carcases are
sometimes wholly burned.
Amulets and Charms are often worn by the natives, such as:—
1. Necklace of the long hairs of a cow’s tail plaited together. The cow
furnishing the hairs is held sacred and never killed or sold.
2. Seeds of the rhiza to keep away convulsions, worn by infants.
3. Pieces of “mooti,” medicinal wood, to keep away disease generally.
4. Leopard’s tooth to make him brave, &c., &c., and such things as love
philtres are not unknown to the Kaffir beaux, in spite of the lobolo,
or purchase system of getting a wife.
The Drugs that comprise the Native Pharmacopœia are very numerous and
varied, and are dealt with and used as described in subsequent pages.
Speaking generally, they are derived mostly from natural products. The
vegetable kingdom supplies the greatest part in the form of roots,
bark, wood, leaves, juice, flowers and fruit prepared in various ways
and used as powders, infusions, extracts, and applications. Medicated
baths are much used by some Kaffir specialists.
Those for internal use are most commonly purgatives or emetics, and for
external use vesicants or irritants according to the degree of dilution
or mode of application.
The animal kingdom also supplies some remedies, e.g., The skin of a
python, powdered, used for soothing; Hide of Alligator; Ox Gall; Snake
venom with gall. Cantharides beetle (Mylabris), a severe irritant which
has caused death in several known instances when administered too
freely internally.
Minerals are little used by the natives (although now-a-days Paraffine
is a great favourite).
The more valuable remedies have been used by the Herb doctors for ages,
and a knowledge of their properties transmitted from one to another, so
that there is a considerable heritage of experience to justify their
use.
We often find the same herb, perhaps under a different name used by the
Gaikas, Gcalekas, Fingoes, Tembus, &c., for the same malady; conclusive
proof of the efficacy and ancient origin of its use.
As the maxim of “No cure, no pay” is accepted by both doctor and
patient, worthless remedies are sifted out, and the high fee often paid
for a cure tends in the same direction.
The Materia Medica of the Kaffir is apparently collected at any time,
and they observe no ceremonies in collecting it, nor do they take note
of the seasons, moon phases, &c., in so doing.
In contrast to what one finds in the Folk Lore of other savage races,
the Kaffir tribes appear to take very little heed to the phases of the
elements. They have no astronomical knowledge and except in some few
authentic cases of eclipse of sun or moon, carry out their daily life
uninfluenced by sun, star, or moon.
Perhaps the only seasonal practice known is the habit of the Fingoes in
early spring, of taking an emetic, often very strong and lowering the
system.
The King is the chief Doctor, but with this exception anyone may become
a medicine man or woman.
Domestic remedies are much used amongst the commonality, but such
things as appeals to saints or deities do not take place, for the
Kaffir has no saint or deity.
Few Surgical Instruments are used. Knives and needles for scarifying: a
cupping glass of cowshorn about 6 or 8 inches long are about the only
instruments used.
The cupping glass is used thus. The skin is scarified by needles and
the larger end of the horn placed over the wounds. Suction by the mouth
is then exerted at the smaller end through which a small hole has been
bored.
It is the practice of the natives to attend their sick at home and
except in known infectious cases e.g. Small pox, amaas, &c., they are
certainly not avoided in any way: quite the contrary, many visits are
paid by sympathising friends and much assistance offered by them.
Incurables are usually looked on as pensioners of the kraal and
charitably treated.
Deformed infants, that is, those born deformed, are generally got rid
of by order of the chief: usually by leaving them in the open at night
when carnivora make short shrift of them. In addition, there are
several minor abnormalities that are looked upon as evidence of the
child being a witch child, and rendering it likely to be got rid of in
a similar way or even openly destroyed. Such conditions for instance,
as hare lip, obvious squints, born with teeth, arrival of the upper
incisors before the lower, are looked upon with grave suspicion.
In case of a death taking place, the hut is burned down, and the spot
whereon it stood obliterated as much as possible: it being considered
bewitched and avoided in consequence.
At the graveside, for the Bantus bury their dead, much ceremony is
observed, and the relations leave offerings for the dead saying, “Look
on us favourably where you are going.” They believe in a vague sort of
way in a future existence, and that the spirits of the departed have
some sort of continuous existence and power over the lives of the
living usually exercised for ill. For this reason many ceremonies are
observed, which it is foreign to the intention of this essay to
describe in detail, in order to secure that the departed spirit will
rest in peace and not give future trouble.