British East Africa: Anthropological Studies in Kavirondo and Nandi Author(s): C. W. Hobley Source: The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 33 (Jul. - Dec., 1903), pp. 325-359 Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2842815 . Accessed: 14/06/2014 08:31

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BRITISH EAST AFRICA.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDIES IN KAVIRONDO AND NANDI.

BY C. W. HOBLEY, Assoc. M. Ilist. C.E., and AssistantDeputy Commissioner, E.A. Protectorate.

[WITH PLATES XXVIII-XXX.]

THIS paper contains the results of a more minute researchinto the habits and beliefsof the people already dealt with in a previouspublication of the Institute.' The termEastern Uganda, as applied to this area, is, however,no longercorrect, as since the date of that-publication, the Eastern Province of Uganda has been transferred,and is now known as the Kisumu Province of the East Africa Protectorate. When compilingmy formerwork, I had no idea that such an amount of material still remained to be recorded,and, consequently,I was equally surprised to findthat so much moreexisted; I venture,therefore, to hope that my researches may furnishstudents of the science,who have no opportunityof visiting these countries,with some informationworth their consideration. The disappointingfeature in researchesof this nature,to the observerin the field,is that no reasonis obtainable fromthe people themselvesfor the existence of muanyof their strange custoims,but I have no doubt that anthropologistsin Europe, with their advantages of a wide range of comparativestudy, will see daylightwhere the local observer,with his limited vision,flounders in darkness when he triesto workback and findthe originof some custom,now a mere relic of its formerself. In the collection of the informationemlbodied in this paper, I have been greatlyindebted to several intelligentnatives who are employedin traversingthe countryfrom end to end, superintendingthe collectionof the hut tax, and who,in pursuance of their duty, visit, during the course of the year, practically every village. These men,I found,took a great natural interestin eiiquiringinto any strange rite or ceremonythey incidentally met with in the course of their peregrinations. I have also encouragedchiefs and others whom I have met to talk of theirbeliefs, etc., and, in most cases, their usual reticence to discuss such matterswith a European can soon be overcome.

I OccasionnalPapers, No. 1, " EasternUganda," by C. W. Hobley. z 2

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I must also express my indebtednessto Mr. Mayes, Collectorof Naildi, for nuch informationregarding, that tribe,which is particularlyuncommunicative on these matters. I have no doubtthat, as yearsgo by, many of the mattersdealt with herein may become imuchclearer, but I have thoughtit best to publish the material withoutfurther delay, as it may help to stimulatefurther research, and I also fear that as civilizationidevelops, mianiyof the strange customnsand legends may become lost; in fact, there are already si(ns that the younger generation of nativesare losinginterest in the ol0(order of things.

LEGENDS OF THE ORIGIN OF THE JA-LUORACE. Many savage tribeshave legendsor mythsto account for their origiin,and I believe I am correctin statingthat, in Africa,it is generallyamong those of Baiitu originthat such mythsare foind. However, in the whole of the countryin the vicillityof the east side of the Nyanza, with which I am fairlywell acquainted, with onleexception, ino trace of a definiteleaend has been discoveredamong the Bantu tribes(the exceptionbeing the Kadimnubelief that their common ancestor was a huge python). Aimiongthe Ja-Luo, however,there is a very wide-spread belief in one Ap6dtho,who was the Adam of the comparativelylimiited area of which these people have any cognizance. I ventureto give threeversions of the same mythtakeni down fromthree chiefs living some fortymiles apart. Each of these authoritiesalso gave me a genlealogical tree of considerableinterest, inasmuch as theycontain what maybe a veryprobable solutionof the originof the names of the Ja-Luo tribesin Kavirondo. Of course there are discrepancies,but when one considers the way this story alid the genealogicaltables have been handed down verballyfrom generation to generation, one wondersthat the threeversions present so manyfeatures in common.

VersionIfrom ?rUgadct chiefof Usalkwa. Ap6dthowas the fatherof all the Kavirondopeople. He descendedfrom the heavens,and the day he reachedthe earth,the variouskinds of animals also caine down fromabove. Apodthodescended on Ramogi,or Lainogi,Hill, a long way north of Uganda, and he afterwardsdied at the same place. He descended with one woman,whose name is forgottenl,and by her he had two sons and four daughters. These sons were named Ramogi and Anyango,and each marriedtwo of his sisters. Rarnogimigrated southward, and came and settled on a hill in Kadimu country(near the mouthof the riverNzoia); this hill is called after him to this day. His offsprinigfounded the Ja-Luo race; most of the names of his sons being the names of the varioustribes which were foundedby them. Anyango,the otherson of Apodtho,stayed in the countryof his fatherand became the progenitorof the Baganda alnd Banyoro. On the day that Apodtho

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions in Kavirondoand Nandi. 327 reachedthe earth,among the otheranimals that accompaniedhim were a bull, a cow, and a calf; he also broughtmtaina and other food-bearingseeds and plants, and thereis especially mentionedbesides, a tree called " Were," and out of the wood of t-heWere tree he made two woodenbowls. He thenmilked the cow into one of the woodenbowls, and, fromignorance he caught the cow's urine into the otherbowl; this done,he pouredthe milk into a gourdand left the bowl of cow's urine in the sun, and then rested till the evening. At sundown he cllurned the milk that was in the gourd,collected the butter,and put it on one side; he then broughtill the bowl of urineand mixed it with the buttermilkthat remained in the gourd. Then,being hungry,he took the inixtureand made some gruel with mitamnameal, cooked and drankit; afterdrinking it, he passed urine for the first tiinesince he had reached the earth,and this is the originof the Ja-Luo customof mixingmilk withthe cow's urine which prevailsto this day.

GENEALOGY OF JA-LUO.

Version1 of UgadlaNddiek of Usakwa.

APODTHO. _ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~II RAMOGI. ANYANGO. Four daughters (names lost).

UYOMA. SEMI. ALEGO. GEMI. NYAKACH. UMIA OWIDI. MADOK.

iRACHONYO.

KANDAIA KANYALTUO KADUONG KABONDO (southside of (a tribesouth (southside of (southside of Kavirondo of gulf). gulf). Gulf). Kalachonyo).

CIHWANYA.

Kisumu. KanyamIwa. KarU1tIgLt. Kaldeimtribe Kaboch Kachieng on German (southof of frontier. Ka]achoinyo). Milambo.

Ver,sionII. Ugctdachief of Korando.

Ap6dthowas the ancestor of all men; he descendedto the earth fromabove, and broughtwith him two head of cattle,some fowls,and seeds of mtama,semn-sem, and wimbi. He foundthe tobaccoplant growingon earth; the elephant gav-ehim the sweet potato and beans. He also broughtthe knowledge of making fireby rubbingtwo pieces of wood together,and he taughtthe Ja-Luo to mix cow's urine with the milk.

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He reachedthe earthin the countryaway to the northof the lake, and died in that country; at his death,he turned into a rock. Ap6dtho had supernatural powersand possessedthe power to turninto a rock at will. When he was old, the Ja-Luo conspiredto kill hiin,but fora long time nothingcame of it, because they were afraid of him; but one day sickness overcamiehim; the conspirators sent a girl to see if he was really sick, as they thought it would be a good opportunityto kill him. She took a small horn,used for cupping blood,in her hand, and, while talking to him,she placed the cupping horn on his shadow; to her surpriseit drew blood fromthe shadow. She returnedand told her friends that,if theywanted to kill Ap6dtho,they must not touch his body,but spear his shadow; they did so, and he died and turned into a rock, which the Ja-Luo afterwardsconsidered to possess special virtuesfor sharpening spears on. Ramogi was the firstmember of the Ja-Luo race to come to Kavirondo, and he built in Kadimu country,near what is now the village of the chief Anam. The Ja-Mwa (or Bantu Kavirondo)are descendedfrom Anyango and came to Kavirondobefore the Ja-Luo. They also caine fromthe north,but belong to a differentstock, the Baganda and Ba-Soga. The Naiidi came from the Ja-Lango. The Ja-Luo on the south side of KavirondoGulf originallylived on the northside, and crossedover by canoes. The Koloa and various Ja-Luo clans on the Kitoto plain are the descendants of one Kanu, who is said to have come fromMasai land, and to have marriedthe sister of Rachonyo and settled down in the Kitoto plain; theyare to this day oftengrouped together under the name Ja-Kainu. Gemi,Lego, Sakwa, Kadimu, Ugenya,the foundersof the tribesof the same name,were not sons of Ramogi,but were collaterallydescended from Apodtho.

VersionIII. This versionwas obtained from Gori Kogalo, chiefof Kanyamwa (Ja-Luo) on the south side of Kavirondo Gulf. Apodthowas the fatherof all mankind; and he, the sun, the wind,and the moon appeared on earth together; the father of the sun was dead. Ap6dtho broughtwith him to the earth a spear, a shield,and fire. The buffaloand the cattle came out of the sea (probablymeaning the Nyanza), and were herded by mankind,but the buffalobroke away, and took to the woods,refusino to become tamyeas the cattle did; he also broughtrntarm grain, the wimbihe found growing on earthin the grass; he foundtobacco and the sweet potatogrowing in elephant dung. Shortlyafter their arrival, Ap6dtho ordered the moon to kill an ox, but the moonrefused; he then told the sun, and then the wind,they also refused,so he killed the ox himselfwith a blow fromhis fist,and then ate the meat,offering some to the sun, moon,and wind,but theyall refusedto eat, and he was veryangry, so theyfled back to the heavens and have stayed thereever since. Ap6dtho told his

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Version 2 of Ugada Koranda.

APODTHO (had one wife, name unknown).

CHINDU.

RAMOGI (name of first Luo settler LANGO (the Nandi said to be in Kavirondo, had five wives). descended fromLango). I I ~ ~ JI I I NYAMKAGO CHINGIRUEA. NYAKAL. KASILUAL. UWILO. (missing). (miSSillg). KANYADA KADEM KARUNGU I I (name of tribe (tribe south (tribes south (most southerly south side of side of gulf). side of gulf). tribe of Ja-Luo guilf). near German frontier). OWIDI. SEMI UMIA MADOK UYOMA KADUET. GEMi loka Q (name of (the Luio name (name of (loka, mieans oni tribe). forthe Wamia tribe). the other side, or i.e., the Gemi ? Elgumi F people). tribe on south I I people). side of Kavi- KIsuMu KALACHONYO rondo gulf). (name of (name of tribe on tribe). south side of Z Kavirondo gulf). NYAWEGI KORANDO. ATIPU. KOGONYA l l (name of clan of (probable hiatus). (name of clan of I tribe.) MENYA. DEDi1 KAPONJA Kisumu tribe). I (probable (name of clan of ABIRU.u. hiatus). Kisurautribe). I I ROMBO. Tipo. I OTIENDI.

NYUTO UMWA. (name of small UGADA OBIERO. OWUNDA. clan of Kisuniu (iiame of present tribe). OKEC:E. chief of Korando ______clan, age over 70).

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VersionI' of Gon-Kogalo.

APODTHO. t

RAJOKI. JIMBO. One namelost.

all ohrpeople IYUA. AMUGIRKANGO. Waganda,and Kisii, on earth. I 1descended fromthis RAMOGI. Bantu stock. Kavironido.CO

'ALANGU.

MEBUNGA. UYOMA. SEMI. CHWANYA. NYAMKAGO. UJOA Naiudiand LLrnibwa KANU (of Kitotoplain). descenided froni thisbranch.II GEMI. ALEGO. K~,OLAA. KUBURA.

IJCHIENG T?ANYUTA. KALACHONYO. KIAsuMu. AB0ONYIG. AKNYA.NGU.

NYALE0. G-ADERo. NYAMASUTA. various lost KABONDO. various UGANGA. BDEG. Kr-ADEM. UCHIENG. OWITI. names clanisof lost Kisumu. K*ABoOH.

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions in kIavirondoand Nctndi. 331 childrenthat he had lefta beautifulcountry in the heavens wherethe people were all brightlike fire,and that whenthey were dead,they would all go and meet these people. Ramogi, the great grandson of Apodtho,taught the Ja-Luo the custom of mixingcow's urine with the milk. Mbunga, the eldest son of iRamnogi,was the firstmember of the Ja-Luo to migrate southward into Kavirondo,and his brothersfollowed him; upon their arrival,they found the Bantiu Kavirondo in possessionof the land, but gradually drove themback. The Bantu Kavirondoare descendedfrom one Mugirauigo. The Masai are descendedfrom a Ja-Luo youthwho, when out one day herding cattle,absconded into the woods,driving off the cattle; a womanwho was lazy,and would not cultivate,crept away and joined him,and theybecame the progenitorsof the Masai; theylive by eating herbsand drinkingmilk to this day. The Nandi and Lumbwa are descendedfrom Alangu, a son of Ramogi. Rajoki, a son of Ap6dtho,is the anicestorof all the other people on earth, Europeans,etc. This accountwas given me by an old chief living away in the hills to the south of KavirondoGulf, a man who has probablynot seen half a dozen Europeans in the whole of his life. He told me that,in his youth,the old chiefs had many morelegends, but the young men of to-daytook but little interestin such things, and theywere all rapidlybeing forgotten. He confidedto me that his neighbours imputedto him the power of being able to transformhimself at will into the shape of an ox and otheranimals, but he gravelyassured me that these slainderswere quite unifounded,and were a sourceof great embarrassmentto hin. The version of the legend, given above, differsconsiderably from those previouslyrecounted, and manynew namesappear. Most ofthe new names, however, are the names of tribesliving in South JKavirondo,or Ugaya as it is oftencalled, e.g., Nyamkago,Kalachonyo, Kabondo, Kaboch, Kadem, Uchieng. As these were near neighboursof his ancestors,their names would be morelikely to be remembered. There is, I think,enough internal evidence to show that this is really a very ancient genealogy,brought down fromthe Nile valley by the people when they migratedto the south. An examinationof thethree versions of the genealogyof the Ja-Luo just given will lay bare many discrepancies,the presenceof which,to my mind,gives an air of greatgenuineness to the information,and is, in a way, proof of the age of the myth. Like the genealogyof the Uganda kingsgiven in Mr. Roscoe's paper,' and, for the matterof that,like many othergenealogies of world-widefame in the ancient historyof morecivilized countries, we have in the Ja-Luo genealogya successioln of mythicalpersonages and demigodsat one end of the line, and at the other end,

1 Joutrn.Anthrop. Inst., vol. xxxii,p. 25, " FurtherNotes olnthe Manners and Custoiisof the Baganda,"Plates I and II.

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 332 C. W. HOBLEY.-BritishBast Africa: AnthropologicalSt'dies workino back for a certain distance of time, a genealogy of the heads of the family tribe or gens, which is linked,quite in good faith,on to the nmythical beginningsof the tree. Where the transitionfrom family or tribal historyto mythoccurs in the presentexainple, it is impossibleto state accurately,bult after listening carefullyto the narrative,I ventureto point out where I considera hiatus occurs. In the Uganda genealogy,it will be rememberedthat the commllonancestor of the Baganda was one lKintu; it is rather remarkablethat, in one of the present examples,the name of the son of Ap6dtho is given as Chindu, especiallyas, in Africanlanguages, a prefixialK- oftenbecomes changed to Ch-. If, however,the genealogiesnow given possess no other interest,they at least afford,it is considered,fairly good evideiice as to the way in which the various Nilotic tribesand sub-tribesor clans in Kavirondoderived their names; for there is no doubt that in olden timesthe chiefswere far morepowerful than now,and a vigorouschief with a large number of wives could have descendants enough to formthe beginningof quite a considerableclan. I have no doubt that in the moreoutlying parts there is an untold wealth of legend and mythof anthropologicalinterest awaiting record, and when the Acholi (Shuli) and Lur countriesbecome more opened up, storiesof the causes which led to the great Ja-Luo migrationsouthwards will probablybe unearthed,and it may even be that the rock,into whichApodtho is said to have become metainorphosed at his death, will be found to be looked upon as a kind of fetish stone to this day. I do not considerthat we shall get much furtherwith regard to unravelling the mysteryof the variousgreat migrations by researchanywhere south of Mount Elgon. As an instance of this: for a long time past, I have, at intervals,made endeavoursto findout fromthe Nandi people,some trace of a legend about their arrivalin the country,without success; but a few monthsago, when travellingin the vicinityof Elgoni,I was talkingto some membersof the Lako tribe (a branch of the Nandi groupwho live on the mountain),and I was verymiruch interested to findthat theyhad a legend,relative to their migration,to the effectthat they had originallylived on a imiountaincalled Kainalinga, some forty-fivemiles to the north-westof Elgon, and that the Nandi lived on the east side of that mountain, and the Lako on the west,and fromthere theymigrated south- east, the Lako anid theirclose relatives the Savei people sett]ing on Elgon, and the Nandi pushing onward throughto the Guasangishn plateau. Of course they really came from much furtherniorth, but this seems to be a link in the chain,and probablyif the Kamalinga regionwere visited,Jfurtherevidence would be obtailied. The Lako too had a curiouslegend to the effectthat, in past times,a stream of fireran down the mountain(Elgon) and burnt up the forestsit encounteredon its way, whichlooks as if the mountainhad been active in historictimes, for the natives could not possiblyknow that Elgon is an extinctvolcano.

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GENEALOGYOF THE A WA-WANGA. An enquiryinto the past historyof the Awa-Wanga,the leading Bantu tribe in Kavirondo,of whose originI gave a provisionalsketch in EEasternUgaqada, p. 43, failed to reveal any trace of a beliefin a common ancestor who descended from heaven among these people,but in the course of my investigationls,I was able to comipile,from various sources, an abstract of their history for, say, the last 300 y-earsor so. The Awa-Wanga originallycame fromwhat is now Tsoso country,and the chiefWanga, fromwhom the tribetakes its name,was descended fromone Kuau. Wanga and anotherchief named Wakabiakala, a Tiriki chief,were neighbours,and lived near where Wombunya's village now is, close to the source of the River Viratsi. The head wifeof Wakabiakala stole bananas fromWanga's plantations, WhO,finding his bananas disappearing,lay in wait for the thief,and was very surprisedwhen he discoveredwho it was; her clhagrinat being found out was so great that she hanged herself. This made trouble between Wanga and Wakabiakala and the latter used very insultinglanguage to Wanga and accused him of beilngthe cause of his wife'sdeatli. Wanga, who appears to lhavepossessed a vely sensitivedisposition, took all this to heart,and decided to go away secretly. He did so, and came to the village of Manga (a hill about fourimiiles south of Mumias Station),where Muima, the chiefof the Awa-Manga, lived; he posed as a poor wandererwith a maimedarm, which he carefullykept underhis skiii cloak; he did thisbecause on his rightarm he worea massivebrass bracelet,his insigniaof chieftainship. He was receivedin a friendlynmanner, and he set hiinselfto work to sweep out the cattle kraal with one hand,and theygave him his food and a hut to sleep in. But Muima's wife was veryanxious to know what was the matter with his maimedhand, so she boreda hole throughthe wall of his hut; peering throughthis, she espied him washing both hands and nioticedthe brass armlet. She at once ran offto her husband,and told him that the visitormust be a chief. He pooh-poohedthe idea, but she promisedto prove her statement,and early next morningtook some porridgeand water to Wanga's hut, anld then broughther husband to the back of the hut,and made him peep throughthe hole she had bored,wheil he saw Wanga eating,using both hands,and also saw the armlet. When Wanga came out,Muima taxed him withhis curiousbehaviour, and inisisted on knowingwho he was. Wanga told his story,and Muima agreedto allow himl to remain,and sacrificinga goat,put a strip of the skin on each of their wrists, whichis a sign of friendship. About a week after,a numberof Wanga's people, who had been searchingfor theirchief, arrived at the village and besoughthim to return,but he refused,and Muima gave Wanga an ox to make a feast for his people. Many of Wanga's people followed their chief,and he built a big, village, called Shikulu, near the River Lusimo,where he died. This is how the Awa-Wanga became establishedin the vicinityof Mumias. The countryaround Mumias was all wooded in those

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 334 C. W. HOBLEY,-BritishEoast Africa: AnthropologicalStudies days, and aboulndedwith game which the people used to hunlt,and, I suppose, graduallyexterminated. AfterWanga, came several chiefsof whombut little is known,and then came a big chiefnamed Netia. Netia's principalbrother was named Kiteji, and the two brothershad a seriousquarrel, being jealous of one another,and Netia drove his brotherout of the Wanga settlement; Kiteji crossed the River Lusimo, and commencedto build at Rekho,a village in a banainagrove, about half a mile west of Murnias Station. Netia heard of this,followed him,and warned himnnot to build so near; bLit, unfortunately,that very day theWa-Kwavi (Masai) came in from the east on a raid,and slew nearlyall of Kiteji's warriors,surprising them as they were scatteredabout in the woods,cutting poles wherewithto build their new village. Now mostof the Kiteji's men being killed,Netia at once saw that there was no longerany need to be afraidof his brotherand look upon him as a rival, so he seized this opportunityto make friendswith him,and give him a site forhis village near Rekho, he himselfsettling on that site, and after this they lived peacefullyas neighbours. Later on, Netia made peace with the Wa-Kwavi, and theyused to come to his village to drink beer; but he could not tolerate their filthyhabits, and complainedof theirulicturating in his hut during a beer drinking. One day he was so annoyedthat he took out twenty,and strangled them all. This incident greatly incensed the Wa-Kwavi, and they promptly declared war. An impi arrivedto attack his village,and when he saw theimall drawn up forthe attack, he took ten picked men,charged down upon the enemy,and he and his men were soon all speared. Netia being dead, the Wa-Kwavi then agreed that his son Sundwa should reignin his stead, and hostilitiesceased. Sundwa was a verygood chief,and kept peace with all the surroundingtribes; he obtainedgreat influenceover them,evenl over the Wa-Kwavi, and theylistened to his judgments. He had one hundred sons,but he would not see any of them,and issued a decree that theywere all to keep out of his sight. It is said that the reason of this was that he was afraid that one of themwould make a conspiracywith one of his wives to kill him. (It is possible that this may be a recrudescenceof the common belief in the many mythsrelating to the murderof parentsby theirchildren.) Sundwa was an immenseman, and late in life he was so stout that he was unable to walk,and had to be carried in and out of his house. His appearance was veryfierce, and his eyes were as red as blood. His eldest son was Kwehu, and they had a quarrel because Kwehu had looted about one hundred head of cattle from a neighbour named Vitonja, and refused to return them. Sundwa sent for Vitonja, and told him to bring cattle ropes equivalent to the number of cattle he had lost. Vitonja did so, and Sundwa out of his own herds gave him cattle equivalent to those raided. Kwehu leftthe family-settlement,and built the village of Lurniinoabout three-quartersof a mile south of Mumias Station,which was lately used by us as a transportdepot. After

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions in,Kaviiroindo anNct andi. 33a this incident,Sundwa would niothave any dealings with Kwehu, and appointed anotherson nanied Mkoya to succeed hiim,and evenituallydied. When his fatherwas dead, Kwehu made an attemptto crush Mkoya,but he was defeated and went to live at the village called Kimuri,about one and a half miles east of MurniasStation, on the road to Kabras. Aftersome years of desultoryfighting, Kwehu made overturesto Mkoya and invitedhim to his village to make peace; Mkoya went,anid Kwehu mradea big feast. It is said that he put poisoiiin Mkoya's food,for he returnedhomne and died fivedays after,aild his son Sundu reignedin his stead. Kwehu then sent word to Sundu and said:-" Your fatheris dead and I am his eldest brother. Collect his cattle and riches,and bringthem to me,"but Sundu replied," If I came, I should expect to share the fate of mnyfather and die at yourhands. ThereforeI will not come,but declare myselfchief of the Wanga."' Many people left Kwehu to followSundu, and he became a great chief; and thus it was that the Wanga tribebecame dividedinto two halves. At one time the Kabras, Ketosh, and Kusia tribesmade a great coalitionto break the power of Kwehu, because theyfeared his ambitious nature and were afraid that he would eventually crush them one by one. A great war party assembledto attack his principalvillage Kimuri,and wheii Kwehu saw the army approaching,he went into one of his huts and brought out sheaf upon sheaf of arrows,more than could be counted,which he had been quietlycollecting and havingmade foryears past in anticipationof a big fight. The eilemyattempted to stormthe village, but the arrowsof Kwehu's men rained so thicklythat they could not withstandthem, and broke. Sundu hearing,of the greatfight, collected his men,sallied forthto help Kwehu, and completedthe defeat; for he argued that if Kwehu was defeated,the enemywould then march on to attack him. A chiefnamed Wakholo of Kagenyi,a tribedown the river Nzoia, west of Mumias, came to assist Kwehu, and they slew many of the Kabras-Ketosh allies. The fightingweint on, at intervals,for some years,and there can be seen at Kimuri to this day a rock witha hollow in it which was inade by the beating of his fist; it was his customto sit and beat this stone with his fist to give emphasis to his judgmentsor orders. He had a tremendousvoice, and couldcmake himselfheard fromKimuri to Rekho (Sundu's village; a distanceof over two miles). There was a terriblefamine in Kwehlu's time; but he had laid in enormous stores of grain,havinlg sent round far and wide beforethe famineto say that he wishedto buy grain,to pay forwhich he frequentlywould slaughteras manyas one, hundredoxen in one day and buy grain with the meat. When the famine came, he would not allow his people to kill theircattle forfood, but invitedthem in turn to his village,and fed theintill the time of scarcitywas past. He ate alone in his house,and it was the dutyof one of his wives to keep watch at the door; he fed with both hands,and any that fell he let lie, and after the meal, the fragments I By local law and custom,if a man dies,the eldestbrother is heirto the wivesand mostof the propertyof the deceased.

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would be as much as two boys could carryaway. If the woman who was on guard allowed anyoneto enterand see him eat,he would kill her with a club. He was an enormousman, much biggerthan any other man in the country. He and his fatherSundwa were of a size. He died of extremeold age. Sundu was chief when JosephThomson visited Kavirondo in 1884.

GENEALOGYOF THE CHIEFS OF THE AWA-WANGA. KUAU(ancestor who lived in directionof TIRIKI). WANGA. KISESI orWAWALA. Mzui or CHEWI. MSINDALO. I NETIA. KI TEJI. SUNDWA. I~~ MKOYA. KJ_WU. l I SUNDU (diedabout 1886). SAKWA(died in 1895).

MUMIA. I TOMIA. WOMBANI. We have here a matterof factaccount of the historyof one of the sections of the Bantu race which stretchesback probablyto between200 and 300 years; this account,which we may reasonablybelieve to be fairlyaccurate, does not contain any allusion to the southerninvasion of the Nilotic race, so we may perhaps venture to assume that that incursionoccurred previous to the date at whichthis recordcominences. There is one curious point worthyof notice,namely, that in Waiuga'stime the brass br'aceletwas evidentlythe recognlizedanid wide-spread symbol of chieftainship,and thus may be taken as dating back some distance beforeWanga's time; one is at once prompted to inquire whence these brass braceletscan have come,especially as the metals formingthe alloy are not knlown to occur anywherein this region,and as the Arab traders only reachedthe lake regionsome sixty years ago. In Uganda too,it is said that brass and copper ornamentsand weapons were in ancienttimes a monopolyof royalty,and, even up to quiiterecently, copper spears were consideredpart of the royal insignia. Where this brass and copper was originallyderived from is unfortunatelya mystery. Communicationwith the east coast only commencedcomparatively recently, so that eliminates one source. It is possible that these metals may have been broughtup the Nile valley from Egypt,or into Uganda by the ancient Hamitic invaders,and, in course of time,found their way across the lake; or theymay have workednorthwards from Katanga, where considerabledeposits of copper are to be found.

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FOLKLORE AMONG THE AMA-WANGA.

Their love of animal folkloreis a well-knowncharacteristic of the Bantu race throughoutAfrica from Zululand to Uganda, but the followingexamples, collected fromthe Awa-Wanga of Mumias, are, I believe,the firstones recorded fromiKavirondo. They are simpler and shorterthan similarstories from Uganda. The general type of story is usually the meeting of a savage animal with a harmless one, and the eventual triumphof the harmlessaniimal by some simple trick. These -storiesare told in the evening,when the miembersof the village congregateand gossip after their meal is finished;one will startand tell a story, and then anotherwill tell one, and so one; they try to outvie one another by strivingto see who can recountthe greatestnumber; the childrensit round,and, as the same stories are heard over and over again on differentoccasions, they become firnmlyimprinted on their memories,and are thus perpetuated from generationto generation. As far as I can discover,iieither the Nilotic Ja-Luo nlorthe Nandi people possess any such lore.

The Fable of theLeopaard and Hycena. The leopard and the hyamamet over a kill belonginigto the leopard,and the leopard reviledthe hyeenaand said, "I kill meat and you come and tryto eat it"; and the leopard gave the hycena a kick. This made the hyama angryand he snapped at the leopard's leg and bit it off,and the leopard died fromthe effects of the bite. But beforehe died,he gatheredhis childrentogether and said unto them," Beware of the hyama,and when you kill an animal,take the meat up into a tree wherethe hyeenacannot get it."' This is the customof the leopard to this day. The young leopards rememberedthe words of their father,and some time afterone of themwas eating some meat up in a tree and the hyelea caine by and waited at the foot of the tree. The young leopard was much afraid; so he bit off a small bone and droppedit to the hyaena,who snapped it up, and he said, "You killed my father,and now you come here and want to take my meat and kill mie,btut I will give you onilybones"; and he thereupontlhrew down a big bone,the hyamnasnatched at it and rani offa short distance,aind as the hyTna was worryingthe bone,the leopard quickly slipped down the tree,gave a big jump, and made offinto the bush.

The Storyof theRat and theCat. A cat founda rat in a river,and it was like to drown,and the rat called-out, "Pick me out of the wateror I shall die," and the cat said, " Very well, what will you give me ? " and the rat replied," I have nothingto give you,but when I am out of the water,you can eat me as your recompense." The cat agreed, and

The leopardhas a habit of placingits kill high up in thefork of a tree.

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helped hiimout of the water,and then said, " Well, now what about the bargain?" and the rat looked round,and espyinga little hole betweentwo rocks,he replied, "Wait a little till I am dry; I do not want to be eaten while I am still wet." And the unsuspectingcat agreed,and gave him tiine forhis coat to dry. Then, waiting his opportunity,the rat made for the hole and slipped into it. The cat was exceeding wroth,and shouted down the hole,"You have cheated me this time,but if I imeetyou again, I will catch you and eat you." And this is the reason why the cat is the great enemy of the rat to this day, and is always huintingit. The Storyof the Mlan and theFoolish Woman. The man said, " Go and cut the wimbi(eleusine graini)which is in a certain field,"and the woman refused,and said, " It is not worthwhile cuttingit, it is so shortand bad," and went offto anotherfield where the wimbiwas good,and came back and stored it in the village. Nevertheless,while she was away, the mran went secretlyand cut the inferiorwimtbi and storedit in a hidden granary. After a time a faniinecame into the land, and all the woman's store of good grain was finished,and she became veryhungry, and cried out to the man forfood. He took her away with him to the place where his hidden granarywas, and told her she must do as he ordered; he thereuponfastened a big stone to each of her legs with strips of goat-skin,and then said, " Climb uip into that granary,the stones are ' medicine' "; and the womanclimbed up into the granarywith great trouble,for the weight of the stones and the hide ropes hurt her legs verygreatly, but she eveiltuallyaccomplished the task and got the wimtbi. When she had got the grainishe was very angrywith the man, and said, " What foolishnessis this plan of yoursto make me hurt myselflike this ? " And he said, " When I told you to cut the poor grain,you refused,and laughed ine to scorn,but now yoii are hungry, and have had much trouble to reach it, you are glad of it, and will in futture remembermy words,and will not again despise the graini,even if it is not of the best." The Storyof theBuffctlo and the Lion. A lion,out huntingone day, chancedto finda buffalo,which he pursued,and sprung on to its back and seized it. The buffalothen said to the lion, " You have caught me, but wait a moment,I will not struggle,but lie dowvnand die quietly." At the same time as he said this,he had his eye on a tree close by,which had fallen over and left a space underits trunk. The lion was still hanging on to his back, and he moved on quietlyuntil he and the lion wereunder the tree-truLnk,and then he raisedhimself with all his might,and crushedthe lion to death betweenhis back and the tree. Thus was the lion outwittedby the buffalo.

The Storyof theKite and the Mfole. The kite was poised in the air over some youngmoles who were playingabout, and was on the point of swoopino,down to seize one,butt their mother, happening to

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come out,saw the dangel,and cried out, " Stay, I will give you olneof mnyyounig olnes,but let imiepick the one I am least fondof." The kite paused, and just at that moment,the mole picked up some earthand threwit into the kite's eyes,and beforehe had cleared the earthout of his eyes,the moles had all burrowedunder groundand disappeared.

The Storyof theGuinea Fowl and theDomestic Chicken. The chickenand the guinea fowl were related to one another,and both were domesticatedanimls, but the guinea fowl preferredthe bush. One day theymet and the fowlsaid, " Come back with me and live in the village. It is better than livilngin the bush"; but the guinea fowl said, "No, I will not go and live in the village,for I have oftenseen men catch and kill fowls; it is a bad place, and I will nevergo near a village again, but live in the woods,and if you are wise,you will come withme," but the fowlcould not make up her mindto leave, so made excuses and wentback to the village.

The Ant-bear(Aard Vaark) and theHIywna. The alit-bearwas digginga hole one night,when the hymnlacalmle along. lIe had neverseen an alit-bearbefore, and he triedto seize it; but the ant-bearturned over veryq iicklyon to its back, and scratchedthe hyaenaso severelywith its.long claws that the hyvenadied there fromhis wounLds. And even to this claya hymna neverattacks aniant-bear. l.he Fight of theHippopotamus and theElephant. Many yearsago, in the time of the chief Kwehu, aii elephant chanced to find a hippopotamusat a salt lick close to the River Nzoia, some little distancebelow wlhereMuinias Station now stands. The two animals fell out, and the elephant slapped the hippopotamuswith his trunk. Tlhereuponthe hippopotamusgot angry and bit the elephantin the leg and the two beasts then fought; but the elephanit eventuallydrove its tusksthrouigh the hippopotamus. Both the animalswere found dead lnextmorningy, and the place is called Chikonesito this day.

GHOSTS.

The Bantu Ithako people in IKavirondohave a curiousbelief in ghosts. It occasioinallyhappens that a man or womanwlho dies troublesthe survivingrelations afterdeath. A near relationof the deceased,the wife or husband or sister,as the case may be, dreamsof the departednihlit after night, for some weeks afterdeath, wakes up in terror,goes and looks out of the hut,and findsthe ghostof the deceased sittingnear the door of the hut; or it oftenlhappenls that the ghostis seen sittinlg on the children'splayilng-grounid close to the village where the deceased was wont to play when a child. The ghostsare always much biggerthan life-size. It i? 'thennecessary to take measiures-atoince to put a stop to these sleep- disturbingvisits, and thegrave is openedby one of the near relationsof the deceased, VOL. XXXIII. 2 A

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generallya brother,and the corpse in such a case is invariablyfound to be quite undecomposedand white. It is then taken up and burnt,and the ashes carefully reinterred. This procedurelays the-ghost. The person,however, who has crematedthe corpselhas, after this, an' inevitable maligninfluence over the childrenof the deceased,and if one of the children,out of ignoranceor by mischance,eats with the personwho carriedout the cremation, -it will die beforenightfall, unless a medicineman is at hand to quickly administer a potionto counteractthe malignantinfluence. Certainmedicine men can, however, rendera child inimuneto this risk,but it is said to be a matterof great difficulty. Part of the formulaconsists in kcillinga sheep and rubbingthe child all over the body with the freshfat. Among the Awa-wanga,if a man comes to steal cattle at niightand is killed during the attempt,next day they build a pile of firewvoodand crematethe corpse. Otherwise,his ghost or spiritwill troublethe village and brilngsickness to it. These two customsindicate quite a highlydeveloped belief in spirits,in soile aspects almost Europeani. The cremationof the corpseand the conlsequentextinc- tion of the spirit,appeared to me as quite a staltlinigrevelation of their ideas of psychology. Again, among the Balntu Kavirondo round Mumias,if a child dies and the milotherdoes not bear again, the bones of the infantare dug up, wrappedin banana leaves, and throwninto the bush; it would appear that the spirit of the child is believed to be exercisinga banefulinfluence on the mnotlherand the diggingup of the bonesis thoughtto extinguishthe spirit. Probablyit is consideredthat, in the case of a child,such a drasticmeasure as cremationis not necessary. Another example of the somewhathigh developmentof the beliefin spirits among thleBantui Kavirondo occursat Nyala, which is on the lake shorenear the mouthof the RiverNzoia. Risingfrom the lake, a few milesfrom the Nyala shore, is a small precipitousgranite island called Sumba, and if a European suggestsa visit,excuses of variouskinds immediatelycrop up: the canoes are founidto be out of repair,the canoe men are afraidto go, and so on; the reason forthis being that it is believed that this island is the strongholdof a race of dwarfishelves, which theyhold in greatawe, and which,if beheld,kill the beholder. They are afraid that if they took a travellerthere he mightdo something-perhapsfire a gun-to irritatethese powerfullittle beings,and cause them to vent their wrath on the unfortunatecanoe-muen who had conveyedhim thither. These elvesare called " sumba,"and are invisibleto the ordinarymortal, unless they choose otherwiseand reveal therm-selves;for, occasionally, a Nyala nativehas been known,with great temerity,to boast that he disbelieves theirexistence, and declare that he will go to the island anidinvoke them to appear. He does so, and it sometimeshappens that they do reveal themselve5to him,and he is.privileged to eat and drinkwith thern; but beforereturning, he is solemnlywarned that his life will only be spared upon the conditionthat he observesabsolute secrecywith regardto the occurrence; he of course promises,but aftera few years he will one

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions in Kavir-ondoantd Niandi. 341 day, probablywhile drinkinigbeer withhis fellows,forget his oath,and brag about his visit. From that momenthe is doomed,and the morningfinds him a corpse. The sumba are evidentlylooked upon as rather maliciousin theirinfluenice, forthe natives are very careful to propitiatethem by offerings,if any untoward circumstanceshappenzs; for instance,when the fishingfails, the chiefs send a presentof cattle to the island. And fromtime to time, the people take cookinig pots and tobacco pipes, and leave them fortheir use. If a muanhas ill luck with his children anid several die, he takes a present of goats to the island anld some native beer. Not less than a couple of goats should be takenl; olle is sacrificed uiponarriving, anid oineis left there. There are said to be about fifteenpeople livingon the island. It is perhaps assuming too much to call thernthe priests of the sumba, but,in a measure,they mnay be considered as such,for althoughthey deny that theyhave ever seen the elves, yet they are supposed to have an intimate knowledgeof the cult,alnd it is theirduty to herd the goats,etc., which are brought as offerings.The island being quite small,any cattle which have been broughtas offertoriesto the sumbcaare transferredto the inainlaindand herdedwith the cattle of the tribesmen;btt they are all known,and never sold or killed. Even if a neighbouringtribe -made war, these cattle would never be carriedoff as booty,but would be regardedas sacred. Althoughthere are scores of islands up and down the east coast of timelake, no other instance of this fairy worshiphas been met with; but the people of LusinigaIsland have rather a curiouslegend, whiclhis worthyof record. To the north-westof Lusinga there is a curious rock whichwas discoveredin 1877 by Stanley,and called Bridge Islarnd. It consistsof two granitemonoliths, joined at the top,with a space underneaththrough which a canoe could pass, but for the presenceof a rockybar which blocks the passage. In Lusinga thereare two clans, the JIcV-Nyamaand the Wa- Ware and the storygoes that once a upon a time,a bull fromthe herd of each clan met,and had battleroyal; they foughtand foughtuntil they were both driven into the lake, wherethey were suddenlytransformed iInto two rocks,which are the txAohlialves of Bridge Island, anid the island is to this day called Wa-NVyamakwa Wa- Ware, Once a year,the representativesof the two clans put forthin canoes on a certain day, and each partykills an ox on their own half of the island,eats tlheml1eat, and drinksbeer there,and then returnshome.

OMENS.' Among the Awa-Wanga sneezingis supposed to be a bad omen,and if a man sneezes when about to starton a journey,he puts it offfor that day. If a personplans to visit a friendwho is said to be sick unto death,and if a snieezingfit comes on beforehe starts,then he knows that his friendwill certainly recoverfrom his illness.

For a numberof exataplesof omensamong the two Kaviroridoand thaeNandi races,see " EasternUganda," pp. 22, 33, and 41. 2A2

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The prejudice against sneezing also appears to crop up among the Kwavi or Guasangishupeople, and it is said that in the old days,if when theywere out on a forayfor cattle, an elmooran(warrior) who sneezed en routewas not speared,he was looked upon as a kind of Jonah,who would bringill luck to the raid. Althoughthe Nandi love theircattle morethan anythingon earth,yet there are cases wheuitheir dread of the malignantsupernatural overpowers this affection; forilnstance, if one of theircattle is noticedto protrudeits tongueto an excessive distance,or if a cow, as it is driven along, gets its tail twisted rounda saplingby the road side,they are killed,for both of these incidentsare believed to be portents of greatimiipendinig evil whichcan olnlybe avertedby the death of the animal.

ANCESTORWORSEIIP. In Southeln Ketosh, about twelve miles north-eastof Mumias Station,there is a remarkablyshaped hill called Sangaro,which stands out severalhundred feet above the surroundingcountry; its generaloutline is conical,but it is surmounted by two enormous inaturalmonoliths of granite, of rectagonal shape, standing parallel to each other,with a space of a few feetbetween tlle two. This hill is a sacred place with tlle Ketoslh people, and theyresort there from time to timle and sacrificefowls, goats, &c. They will tell you it is the place of the iJfctsamibwa or Muzimo. Now in everyKetosh village,it will be noticed that on a spot in frontof the hut of the owner of the village there are four stones planltedin tlle formof a square (the square is about three feet across, and the stones do not usually protrudefrom the grouniadmore than eight or nine inches),and in the Centreof the square is planted a small tree of the wild fig familyknown to the Swahilis as mlendegeor (in Kavirondo) Mrulimba,because the birds devourthe fruitwith great avidity. This conistitutesa kind of village altar,and if any aniimalis slaughtered in the village,a little of the blood is sprinkled on the stones. The stonesare all supposed to have been brought originallyby alncestorsof the presentowners fromSangaro Hill. When a village is moved,the head of the village moves his altar stones to the new site, and plants a freshtree amongst them; and in the mianydeserted villages the positionof the chief'shouse can generallybe identified by the wild figtree. Among the Awa-wanga,the same custom holds,but three stonesconlstitute the altar and the tree is always what is called an Mtarawctndaor Siaala,a fine tree,probably one of the Bignonia family,witlh a large yellow flower,the foliage ot which closelyresembles the ash. These stones have been handed down from fatherto son forso many generatioilsthat no legend is extant as to theirorigin. As an example of the importancewhich they attach to their possession,it is said that it sometimeshappens that a Mui-Wangahas stolen a cow fromia native of M/laramaor Kisa, anld if the owner could niotinduce the chief of the Awa-wanga to make the thief retuirnthe tow, he would go by nighltand carry offone of the MPzimo stones fromthe chief's village-and hiideit away; great

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions in Kavirondoand Nandi. 343 excitemelntwould then ensue and stupendousefforts would be made to recoverthe cow, which rarelyfailed to be returnedto the owlnerbefore nightfall in orderto redeemthe sacred stone. The Ja-Luo do not erect altars to the spiritsof theirancestors like the Bantu Kavirondo,but for all that they believe in the influence of the spirits of the departed. If a nmanis strickenby illness,he will make a feast at the door of his hut,and he will take small pieces of meat and throwone to each of the four quarters of the compass; he will then fill his mouthwith native beer and squirt a mouthfulout on the ground in differentdirections and finallyin a siillilar way toss out spoonfulsof mntamnaporridge in various directionsas propitiatory offerings,at the same time imploringthe spirits to take the food and not to worryhim. CHARMS. Charms are leg,ionamong all the Kavironclo,and like othernative races (and European,too, for the matterof that), they make no attemptto explain why such and such a charmshould producea certaineffect. The Awa-Tsoso tie a featherfrom a white chickenon the end of a stick as a charm to keep offhail; the sticks,which are about four feet long,are planted at intervals in the fields of beans and sem-sem; some seem to pin theirfaith to a wisp of grass which is tied to the stick and placed amongthe growingcrops in the same way. This was olnlynoticed among the Eastern Tsoso people of the iKowericlan, but is probablywide spread. The Tiriki people suspend a ball of clay by a stringwhich is fastenedto a stick,and plant one of these in a fieldof sweet potatoes or groundnuts to prevent thieving; the ball of clay has one of the yellow fruitof the commonwild Solanurnt stuck into it. The use of this combinationof the fruitof the Solanum and clay, as a charm for good,seems to be ratherwidespread, for at the close of the Nandi cainpaign of 1900 when the chiefswere making overturesfor peace, they broughtto tlle Governmentstation a native stool on whichwas a conical mass of inoistred clay whichrather remindedone of a child's niud pie; this was studdedall over with the yellow Solanum fruit,and was said to be great peace medicine. In some parts of Bantu Kavirondo,an old earthenwarecookinig pot will often be seen fixed as a finialon the point of one of the natives conical huts. This is a charmto prevent the childrelnbecoming cross eyed,for it is said clhildren,when quite babies,are often strickenwith a disease of the eyes whichleaves a chronic squint; the charm does not render them iminune to the disease but avertsthe aftereffects; this belief occurs amongmany tribesinl Bantu Africa,and the same charmis used. Amona clharmswe may perhaps inention that CurioLis tree the Ek-irikitior, as it is called in Kavirondo, the Jifurembetree (Erythrina toinentosa)wlhich is remarkableboth for its brilliant red flowvers,and fromthe fact that it bears its leaves anidflowers at differentseasons.

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The word furembein Lu-Wanga means peace, and when peace is made between two tribes,the ceremony,if possible,always takes place at the foot of one of these trees, as the tree is a great peace charm, and the dog, which is slaughteredas part of the ceremony,is generallytied by its neck to the tree. Amongthe Awa-wanga,if a man kills a python,it is believed that the snake will return,or possibly that its spirit will returnand afflicthis clhildrenwith- blindness. Prompt measures must,therefore, be taken to avert this disaster,and he accordinglymeasures the length of the reptile,and not later than the day following,hoes a path throughthe grass near his village equal in lengthto that of the snake,kills a white fowl,then sprinklesits blood in the clearingand also pours a little mrttamnaor wimbi gruel theretoo; this acts as a charmto renderthe python'silialigniancy futile. Even if a python is seen only,it is consideredsafe to go through this ceremony. The next child that is borne to the man after killing a python is called waneawakaif it is a boy and newakcaif it is a girl; (waka is the Lui-Wangaword forpython). A most extraordinarycustom, which holds among,the Awa-wangaand may be imlentionedunder the present heading,is that if a young girl, a virgin,dies, her female relatives,whose dutyit is to buryher, artificially deflower the body beforeburial; this is always done by the forcibleinsertion of the poinitedbulb of spathes which cover the immatureflowers at the lower end of a growingbunch of bananas. If this is omitted,it is believed that the sistersof the deceased will not be foundto be virgins on their marriage; this would be consideredsomewhat of a disgrace. It will be rememberedthat in Mr. Roscoe's account of the Baganda customs,' the flowerof the plantaillor banana plays a certainpart in the ritualwhich is gone throughupon the birthof twins,and is there,I believe,used as a symbolof fruit- fulnessor plenty; possiblya similaridea may,in the past,have had someconnection with its employmentin the instancenow described. There are two curious customs,in whichthe thornof the acacia plays a part, which may, perhaps, be mentionedunder the heading of charms. Among the Ja-Luo when a persondies, fordays, perhaps mouths after, the whole village wails with greatfervour, and at statedintervals according to the conventionslaid down forthe case. If, however,a barrenwoman dies, the people of the village at once commenceto wail in the usual way, and the brothersanld sistersof the deceased proceedas quickly as possible to the village where the death occurred. The first blood-relationof the deceased who arriveson the scene takes a sharp acacia thorn, sticks it into the sole of the footof the corpseand breaks it off; immediatelythis is done all wailinlgceases at once,nor is it renewed as in the case of an ordinary death. The origin and the object of this strangecustom appears to have been entirelylost. Among the Nandi, when a raiding party is being arranged, the elmnoran (warriors) proceed to a laibon, or medicine man, an ox is killed and the laibon,

IJu rM. Anthrop. Inst., vol. xxxii, p. 25, et seq.

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions inbKavir ondtoand NandZi. 345 froman examinationiof the entrails,delivers an auguryon the success or otherwise of the expedition. Amiionghis uitteranceshe may reniark that some will be woundedwith airows,and, upon hearing this,each moranproceeds to the nearest acacia tree and plucks a green thorn,and if he is possessor of a shield,he sticks the thornin the wooden midribof his shield and breaksit off,leaving the point of the thornin the shield,and carriesit into action withhim; if he has no shield, he breaks offthe thorn in the hair on his forehead; this is believed to be a most potentcharm against arrowwounids. Among the Nandi too,there is a curious custom which is performedby a marrieclwoman, when she discoversshe is firstpregnant. She collectsfrom the unmarriedgirls, who are her near neighbours,pieces of theirdress, strings them together and sews them on to the lower edge of her own robe,which is a semi-tannedox-hide. The unmarriedgirls in Nandi wear a small skin apron fromwhich depends a numberof leather strips or tassels; fromone, the woman will borriowa single tassel, fromanother, a tassel, and perhaps from anothergirl, who has morethan one dress,she will borrowthe aproncomplete. She wears these until afterthe child is bornas a charmto ensureher pregnancytaking its normalcourse, and then returnsthe borrowedarticles, at the same timeinviting all the lendersto a feast. A sprigof a certainherb is oftenworn by the Nandi in a hole piercedin the upper lobe of the ear as a charmlito avertevil. The Ja-Luo, in fact all the Kavirondo people,wear numeroussnmall charms suspendedby stringround the neck. I had oftenwondered what all these odds and ends represented,so I induced one of the prirncipalchiefs, named Ugada, in a confidentialmoment to enumeratethem and tell me theirorigin. They were: 1. Iron arrowpoints, which were given him the day he was named. 2. A small stripof thinironi sheet with threeholes punchedin it (fig. 1). This signifiesthe name of his grandmother Thako, who bequeathedit to her daughter, with instructions,should she have a son, to

call himnThako. (Thako is Ugada's second // 0 '' i name.) This maypoint to someold survival A,//o // of a time when men traced theirancestry F 1/. throughthe female line. This, however, FIG. 1. would hardly seem to be borne out by an examinationof Ugada's genealogical tree which only takes accountof the male line of descent. 3. A transparentcrystal of rock crystalor quartz,said to have been picked up in the lake, as the rock around Kisumu is blackishbasalt. If the story is true, it was probablydropped by some ancientresident in, or soinevisitor to, the locality. It is securedin a neatlittle leathercup shrunkon to thebase ofthe crystal(Fig. 2). FIG. 2.

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4. An irregularpiece of veryhard yellowish stone which was worlnby his fatherOtiendi; it has a lholebored throulghit, and an ironring inserted (Fig. 3). 5. About half-a-dozenof the Nya-Luo ancient beads, the yellowvariety. 6. A piece of goat-horn,worn as medicineto preventchest complaints. 7. The dried beak of a chicken, which is also worn as FIG. 3. medicine for sickness; a medicine man told him to wear it. 8. The upper portion of a large marineshell of the type shownin Fig. 4. The lowerportion is cut away, and nothingbut the helix at the top of the shell remains (Fig,. 5). This ornament is very coummonamong FiG. 4. the Wanyamwezi,and probably worked its way fromthe south. It belonge(dto Ugada's father Otiendi, and is said to have come originally from Ogalo, chief of Kanyamwa on the south side of the bay. 9. Aroundthe leftwrist was a stout cord through the strandsof which were insertedfour small pieces of stick (Fig. 6). The sticks are called FIG. 5. omeni and are worn to prevent the wearer takiingharm if one of his children touches him; why,was not stated. L 10. A heavy brass bracelet worn on the right FIG. 6. wrist; this was said to be very old, and to come fromAiyimbo, in the directionof Uganda. It belongedfirst to his brotherObiero. 11. A tinysquare bag of skin,contents unknown, said to containmedicine forrheumatism, from which the old man suffers.

TOTEAMS.

Someefforts have beenmade to elucidatesome facts witlh regard to thepresence of a belief in totemismamong the people, whosemanners and customnsare now under investigation.Researches upon this point however are attendedwith great difficulty, as it is not considereda suitable subject of conversation,and one and all are very reticentupon the point. The nativesof the BantuLKavirondo, Nilotic Kav,irondo and Nandi groupsall have a beliefin the totenisor muiziro,but, apparently,no such thingas totemworship exists, nor do the Bantu and Nilotic Kavirondo believe in theirdescent from the muziroor totem,but a Nandi informedme that manyof his tribedid believe in theiroriainal descentfrom a totem.

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Amnongthe Banttipeople each clan appears to have its own particulartotem, anid this may have given rise to their custom of exoaramy,but in Nandi each individualis said to have his own totem irrespectiveof the clan. Practicallythe whole of the Nilotic group appear to have the same totems,but, in some parts, thereare certainvariatiolns from what may be called the standardlist of forbidden foods. Thus, although the exoaamy which exists amona the Nilotic Kavirondo may have originallyarisen fromtotemism, the present survivalof the belief has lost its orig,inal'clharacter. In all the groupsthe totems appear to be animals,no example of a vegetable totemhas been discovered. The Bantu groupuse the word "ufziro " to denotethe totemand, contraryto the usual belief,the eatingrof a totem animal is not thoughtto be followedby death,but only by a severe skin eruption; and if, by any mischance,the meat of the totemis eaten,the evil consequences referredto can be averted by makinga medicine" daca" extractedfrom certain herbs, and this extract is miiixedwith the fat of a black ox and rubbedall over the body of the patient. Amona the Nilotic Ja-Luo the totemsare called "Kwero,"ancl thereis a lonc list of "Kwero" aniimalswvhich are forbiddenas food to both men anidwomen thereis, however,an additionallist of foodthat womeiimust not touch. Upon no occasionis the rule of the Kwverorelaxed, btit,curiously, the aniimals on this "index exputrgatorits"' are consideredmalignaiit in theirinfluelnce, and it is tlhouglhtpraiseworthy to kill them. Thus aiiy "Kwer,'o"animal can be huntpd, withtbe exceptionof the crestedcrane (Belearica gibbei,iceps),which is, generally speaking,strictly preserved by all the Kavirondo. The Gemi tribe hlowever,do not considerit wrong,to kill and also eat this beautifuilbird. The Geini,Lego, anid Sakwa tribes can also eat the wild cat, called by them "Ogvang." The Ja-Luo oftenwear the teeth of the leopard and crocodileas ornaments,and the skin of the leopard and wild cat; this is not consideredan infringementof the "Kvwero" law. Examplesof theTlote)ns of theBantu Family. Clan or Tribe. Special Totems. IKisesiclan of Awa Wanga ...... Lmbongo,bushbuck. Mlaramaand part of Tsoso and Isukha... Knr'a, waterbuckor ulndu. Awa-Genya and Awa-Mrashi ...... Liusi,pigeon. Awa Slhekwiof Nyole ...... Njofm,elephant. In Ketosh thereare several,according to ikfackayi,a large black and white stork to the clan,but over a large portionthe which appears in large flocksabout special totemis November,it eats locusts. Tasoni tribe(Ngaki section) ...... Isunu,reed buck. Ithako, E. Tsoso, S. Kabras .. ... Imbongoor Ngawe. Probably the totem most commonlin Jlfbiakalo,white ants in the flyingstage Kabras is (but cooked). They can be eaten raw, but not when cookedd.

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The Tloterns(Kwero) of theNilotic Grotp.

Name in Tho-Loo. Name in Tho-Loo. Crocodile...... Nyang. Nile monitor(lizard) Ngnech. Hyaena ...... Ndiek. Python ...... Nyelo. Leopard ...... Okwach. Mongoose ...... Gorigori, Baboon .. ... Brm. Rock hyrax...... Kumner. Monkey ...... Ongner(Cercopi- Tortoise ...... Upiktkt. thecussp.). Wild cat ...... Ogwang. Colobus mionkey ... Kuru. Jackal ...... Buwem. Wart hog ... Imbirri. Vultuire ...... Achut-th. Frog...... Ogwan. Crow ...... Agako. Crestedcrane ... Iwang. Kite ...... Otenga. Grourndhornbill ... Arnmtich.

The followingare ill addition "Kwero" or " tabu" to the women:-Fowls, eggs,elephant, hippopotamus, sheep (latter only amongKisumu and Gemi). The women's"Kwero" are not serious ones, i.e.,a breachof the law is not followedby death.

The Totemsof theNandi Group. Nandi Name. Nandi Name. Hyaena ...... Magetiet. Water tortoise ... Chebkukmchet. Jackal ...... Leluot. Chameleon...... Nyeretiat. Kite ...... Chebineret. Crested crane ... Kutngonyot. Buzzard ...... Chebkukusiot. Elephant ...... Beliot.

The elephant,although looked upon as a totem,can be eaten without evil effects. I omitted to mention above that the Kadimu people,who live on the Lake near the nmouthof the River Nzoia, believe that they are descended fromthe python; these reptilesare looked upon as sacred and annual sacrificesare illade upon a hill in Kadimu to the commonancestor. The Kadimu people are a Bantu tribewhich has adopted the languageof the Nilotic Ja-Luo,and it is thus the only Bantu tribein the countrywhich looks upon its totemas its ancestor. Certainsnakes, however, are looked upoil as sacred animalsamong some of the Unyamnweziclans and it is highlyprobable that, as amonigthe Kadimu, this is due to the belief that the sniakewas their common ancestor. Many Wanyamwezi considerit a deadly sin to kill a snake, and one occasionallymeets aii individual belongingto one of these clans who is said to be immunefrom the effectsof snake poison. The totemsof the Koromojopeople who live northof Mount Elgon,are snakes, frog,s,the monitorlizard, the hyaena,and the cheetah; theybelieve theywill die

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions in IKavirondoand Nanctdi. 349 if theyeat any of these. If, however,by any mischance,the nmeatof a " Muziro" animal be eaten,a medicinecalled Eyarri,if taken in time,will save the life of the person. It is made froma tree withvery dark leaves called Emnuthi,the patientis violentlypurged and, eventtually,recovers.

THE KAVIRONDO. The Rain-maker. In a previous])ublication,1 I have referredto this individual,whose name is Mgahanya,and who is chiefof the Shekwi clan of the Nyole tribe,and I have for a long time triedto discoverthe details of the rites he is said to performin con- nectionwith the art; his magical practices are said to be performedin a patch of dense forest,where he keeps a supply of large earthen pots,and also a numberof semi-tamesnakes, but I amnunable to say whetherthese storiesare true. There is, however,a curiouslegend extant as to the way in whichhe acquired his supposedmagic powers. On the souithside of Kavirondo Gulf,in Kalachonyo counltry,there occurs a curiousnatron lake called Simbi abutr(ab?2r means a hole or pit) nearlya mile in diameter,and situate about two miles fromiithe shore of the Nyanza. The lake is apparentlyin the crater of a small extinctvolcano, and the storygoes that,in formertimes, a large village stood on what is now the site of the lake. One eveninga strangewoman caine to the village,called at a house, and begged forfood, but her aspect was so forbiddingthat she was drivenaway; the same thinghappened at the next house slhe called at. She then went on to a thirdhouse, where she spoke to a woman and asked her where her husband was. She was informnedthat he had gone to drink " teqnbo" (beer) at anotherhouse in the village,and the womnangave her some foodand water. The strangeguest then said she had a message to communicateto the husband; the wife showed her the hut wherethe men were drinking,and she wentto the door of the hut,and called out to the husband of the woman who had befriendedher, and he left his friends and caine outside. She then told the man and his wife to followher out of the village. They did so, wonderinggreatly, and, when theywere a little way from the villag,e,she threw somethingback towards it, and there was a tremendous report,the heavens dischargedtorrents of rain, and, when day broke,the village was foundto be submerged,and the lake coveredthe site. The witch then crossed over mysteriouslyto the north side of Kavirondo Guilf,and was foundsitting at the roadside by a man named Kayenga, who lived in the Maragolia Hills. Taking pity on her,he invited her to his village,where she stayed some time. Kayenga thought he would marryher, although he already had one wife. But the witch had an unfortunatepeculiarity; if she raised her eyebrows,her eyes emitted sparks of fire. The uncanniness of this scared Kayenga's wife, alnd she set to work to make life unpleasant for the visitor,constantly reviling her for a witch, and eventually she annoyed her so I Loc. cit., p. 30.

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 350 C. W. HOBLEY.-British,East Africa: AnthropologicalStuudies that she leftand went on to the Shekwi people in Nyole,where the greatgrand- fatherof Mgahanyamarried her, and she taughthim all the secrets of the art of rain-making. The following is the genealogy of the family of rain-making chiefs:- Agine or Ashue (marriedthe witch).

Luchiri.

Namonwa.

Mgalhanya.

The Cult Of the " MKIA."

As is well known, the dress of the female sex in Kavirondo is probably the most scantyin the world. Such as it is, perhaps its most distinctivefeature is the tail, or "mkia," as it is termedby the Swahilis. This is comiimonto both the Nilotic and Bantu races; among,the formerits nameis "c7hieno,"and amon(gthe latter " livoya." The tail is made of fibre,usually obtained froman aloe called "tuoro." Amongthe Nilotic tribesit is stiff,and fairlyshort, rather like a bottle- brush,from six to eightinches in length. It is usually ornainenitedat the top by a few small white beads, or half-a-dozencowries, and is of the natural colourof the fibre. Among the Bantu Kavirondo it is much tlhinner,and is, moreover, about twelve inches in length,dyed black, and verypliant. Finding this peculiar attire amongtwo suclhdifferent races, one cannothelp thinkingthat it was inventedby one and copied by the other,and, if anythinig,I incline to the view that it was introducedby the Ja-Luo, and copied by the Bantu tribes. The Lur people to the west of Lake Albert,who are veryclosely allied, both in speech and name, to the Ja-Luo, wear it. The Wamia people on the west side of Elgon, who are also of Nilotic extraction,wear a more elaborate and highly developed form,while maniyof the women belongina to tribesin the Nile Valley wear a kilt of numerousnarrow strips of leather,which, one would imagine,might be fineddown to the tail behind,and to the littlefringe, oftenworn in fronlt. There is an interestingceremonial connected with this articleof dress. The " qmikia" is the special mark of the marriedwoman; if,however, a young girl is going on a visit to another village,she can wear one on her journey,but must talkeit offdirectly she reaches her destination,anid not doniit again till she leaves. This is done as a sort of artificialprotective mimicry; by wearinlgthe tail she is taken fora marriedwomani, anld is not likely to be molested by anyone she nay meet on the way. If a woman who has borile a child runs out of her house in a hurry- say, because she has been beaten-and goes into another house withoutthe tail, the house she entersis considereduncleani, and the husband has to give a goat,which

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions inzJKaviromdo antd N7ancdi. 351 is killed on the doorstepof that house,before it is consideredlto be purified; the meat is divided betweenthe aggressoranid the ownerof the house. A womaniis niotentitled to don tlhetail iimmediatelyafter nmarriage,but has to wait a molnthor two,the lhusbandthen presents her witlha goat wherewithto purchasethis imnportantpart of her trousseau. Amongfthe Bailtu tribes,married womeni generally wear a small black fringe of fibre in front,but the Ja-Luo married women very rarely wear aniything in front,the requirementsof decencyare, ill their opinion,quite fulfilledif they have the tail. Ja-Luo gYirls)in theirvillages, are quite nude,but when theygo to market,or to a dance, theywear, for ornamenit, a small fringeof variotuscoloured beads strungon fibre. The Bailtu women consider that the Ja-Luo tail is not at all a decentcovering, alnd often jeer at them on this accouint. The chiefMuniia thoughtthat the tail mlliglhthave originallybeen imitativeof tlie tail of a cow. The Baiitu Kavirondohave a superstitioiltllat, if a woinanwears cloth rouild her loins shlewill not bear children.

THE "MIKA" OPERATION UPON GiImLS AMONG TLit GUASANGISILU AND NAN J)T.

Ceremoniesattending the Operation on "Nlditos" or yoang UnmarriedGig-Is. The ceremonyamong the Guasangishu always take place about the timiieof the full moon,and is generallyperformed at sunrise. The proceedingscommence the night beforeby a dance, and the youlngwomlan's head is shaved and oiled. At dawn, the old women decorate the youngwomen with their iron necklaces, beads, and otherornaments. The youngocimoran (" figlhtingmen ") of tlle neigh- bourhoodcome along, and the young wonmankneels down, while each elmnoran inakes her a speech,and hands her his club and leg bells. The speech is to the effectthat she has been broughtup among them,fed and protectedby them, aiid lhasslept withthem, and that she is to bear the operationwithout a sound; if slhe cries out she will be disgracedamong women, and must leave the settlemelnt,blit in or(ler tbat she may not leave themempty-handecl, she can take tlle cltubs,etc., given by the elmnoran,as a symibolthat she will not startlife emlpty-handed. The people then proceedin a cltusterto the scene of the operation,wllile the motherof the girl wails. The girl is then laid out on a skin,and the people stand round in a circle. An old womnansprinkles the pmdendct with powderedwood ashes, qnd taking a smliallcurved knifewith a blade about 11 incheslong (Fig. 7) excises the labia and clitogris.Milk is then poured over the wvound,and the old women run round, all F crying out; this is donie to drown any groan or cry slhe miay uniavoidablymake. The girl stands up, and shakes a bunichof iron leg bells,and she is then wrappedin a skin,iandtaken away to her hut. FIG. 7. During theoperation, the girl is held in a recliniiigposition, lier head aiid shoilders restingin the lap of olneold wonman,while twoother women hold each knee. Young and old ofboth sexes are allowed to be presentat the ceremony.

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Aolnig the Nandi the ceremonyis very similar. They dance all night,and shave the head of the girl;, in the early morning,the father and brotheranoint her head with butter,and the girl,and the womenpresenlt, are adornedwith grass necklaceshanging down to the waist. Onlymarried women are allowed to witness the operation, the males retire after the anointiiig operation. The actual proceedingscommence by the elmoranspresenting knobkerries to her, as ailiong the Guasangishu. The women then crowd round in a circle to preventanyone seeing the operation; the girl reclines on the ground in the same position as amongthe Guasangishu,but nloton a skin. No medicineis sprinkledon the part beforethe operation,the same shaped knife is used, only the clitorisis excised, nothingis put oniafter the operation. The girl stands up, and shakesbells afterit is over. The girl's bead-spangledkilt is then taken away, and the skin worn by an old woman is given to her. She is then taken away and is niotallowed to look at a man until quite well again. She is supposedto coverher face up, and everyday she plastersher face and breast with red earth; withina day or two followingthe operation,the medicinewomen build twoor threeminiature huts ofgrass, plastered with cow-dung,about threefeet in height,shaped like steeples,with a little door closed by a lattice-workof sticks; they are filled with the yellow fruit of the wild solanumnand no one is allowed to touch or destroytheni. One of these huts is supposed to representthe man's hut-the futurehusband and one the womnan's;the woman'shut is an inch or two less in heightthan the maain's.Every evening,the younggirl has to go and stand close to these hutswhile she and her friendssing. At the close of the song, the girls who have been operatedupon, spit in theirhands, and go away. The girl is not allowed eitherto cook foodor to handle it, but it is broughtto her,and the native porridgeis eaten with a woodenstick.- During the time she is convalescent,she is supposedto have as much foodas she can eat. The recoveryis generallycomplete in a month,when the old woman takes the girl to the water,and shaves and anointher head and washes her; she is thenentitled to wear the largebrass earrings of the olderwomen, and is eligiblefor marriage. The old skin cloak she has worndurina convalescence is taken away and replaced by a new one, and she is ornamentedwith beads and wire,etc. If she becomesa widow,she no longerwears the beads and wire of a mlarriedwoman. If a womanbecomes enceinte beforethis operationis performed, the child is killed.

NAMING OF CHILDREN.

Awa- Wanga.-About a monthafter a child is born,it will be taken ill, and becomevery fretful; this is a signthat the time has come to name it, and the father goes to consulta medicineman who dictatesthe child's name. Th-e father.then takes a live quail, breaks its wings and legs, bores a hole throughits beak.,and fastensthe bird to the neck of the child by a string; he also ties one cowrieand oie- bead (the kind knaownas " kiketi") roundthe right wrist

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions in Kavirondoatncl Nandi. 353 of the baby,if a boy, and roundits leftwrist, if a girl. Next morning,the body and head of the quail are cut off,leaving the lower half of the beak of the bird suspendedby the stringround the child's neck; everyonethen knows that it has been named. Nanies are oftensuggested by somieevent happeningat the timiie. Mumniawas born on the day of an attack by the Wamia or Elgumi people, and was thus named Mumia. Formerly,again, when Europeans were great raritiesin the county,if a child was born on the day a caravan camipedat the village, it would oftenbe named after the leader of it, if he chanced to be well known,thus " Jaksinis,"" Martinis,"and " Obilos "I are very cominon.

TATTOOINGAND TRIBAL MARKS. These rarelyappear to have any special significance,but, amsongthe Ja-Luo people,it is thoughtthat a womanwill not bear childreniunless she is tattooed. All Kisumu girlsare tattooedjust below the navel (Fig. 8). When,however, a woman firstbecomes pregnant,more elaborate tat- tooingsare added in frontas far up as the FIG. 8.I breasts,and a belt of markings is carried rightround the waist. All the men are not marked,it is quite a matter of choice with them. For instance,the head chief of theKisumu people is not tattooed. The varioustribes of the Ja-Luo have slightlydiffering tattoo marks. Amongthe Ketosh,if a warriorkills anl enemyin warfare,on his returnhe has two rows of roundmarks tattooed on his right chest and continuedupwards over his right shoulder; mnoreover,upon reaching home,it is consideredessential that he should have connectioniwith his wifeas soon as convenient;this is believed to prevent the spirit of his dead enemyfrom haunlting and bewitchinghim. The Turkana alndSuk tattoorows of spots fromthe chest over the shoulder, but whetherthis is significantof the warriorhaving killed an eniemyor lnot,is not known. Ani examriniationiof the Ketosh language affordsreasons for believing that thereis a strain of Koromojo or Turkana blood among them,and this peculiar tattooingcustomi may be additionalevidence of the affinity. The Ketosh womenhave a numberof raised dots tattooedon theirstomachs and abdomenarranged regularly in chess boardfashion. An irritantis rubbedinto the cuts to produceweals.

NUMERICALPROPORTION OF SEXES. In a previous publication2I venturedthe opinion that the femalesex greatly outnumberedthe male. My observation was based upon the prevalence of

I The nativeversioni of he iianaesJackson, Martin anid Hobley. 2 Loc. cit.,p. 18

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 304 C. W. HOBLEY.-British-East Africa: AnthropologicalStudies polygamiiy,andl the deceptive fact that the village headmenland elders genierally have large niumbersof wives. Though still of opinion that the female sex predonminate,their nimerical superiorityis probablynot so greatas I thoulgohtat first,and havingyhad my attenitioncalled fromtime to tiimeto the large nuinber of unmarriedadults in many of the villages,I have collected statisticson the sub)ject. The summaryof these statisticsis as follows:- *n-Kvr { male births ... 57' per cenlt. Banltu Kavirondo_female ... 421 rJa-Luo ... male ,, ... 42 I feiiiale , . 58 Nilotic stock- f Nancli finale ,, ... 4834 L W'Lfemale,, ... 51 ,

It thus appears that among the Balntutribes the numberof male birthsis in excess,and amongthose of Nilotic origin,particularly amlong the NiloticKavirondo, the femalebirths are in excess. The statistics also show the average number of childrenin a fainilyamong the variousraces. AverageNumber of Children. Bantu Kavirondo ...... 7.75 Niloticstock Ja-Luo ...... 10 6 *Nandi ...... 2 6

Of course in times past the wastage of mlalelife was extremnelyhleavy, anld in spite of the morepeaceful times now prevailing,still is so. In connectionwith this subject I may mlientionthat as the counitrysettles, and the mnalesex obtainsa betterchance of survival,I am hopingthat the custom of marriage by purchase,which entirely prevails in this area, will prove an incenitiveto the youngermale population to tuirntheir attentionmore to the habit of workingsteadily for hire, in order to obtain the wherewithalto buy their wives,and I hope I am not too sanguiniein makingthe statementthat I fancy signlsof this movemeentare becomingapparent.

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NILOTIc GROUP. Gemi Tribe,Ja-Luo.-Statisties.

Total SurvivilngChildren. Childrenwho have Died. Names of Women. Childreno Born. Male. Female. Male. Female.

1. Ubei ...... 9 1 5 1 2 2. Uwur ...... 8 1 1 3 3 3. Unyango .... 10 3 0 4 3 4. Wabai ...... 11 3 5 2 1 5. Ogurna ...... 14 3 6 2 3 6. Ubai ...... 9 2 5 1 1 7. Uyeri ...... 11 4 5 1 1 8. Unjeri ...... 9 3 3 1 2 9. Okango 9 2 4 2 1 10. Othiambo ...... 10 1 3 2 4 11. Okech ...... 16 3 3 4 6 12. Ocholi ...... 10 2 2 2 4

Total ...... 126 28 42 25 31

Statisticsof theNandi.

ChildrenBorn. SurvivingChildren. Nandi. Number-Wives. of _ Male. Female. Male. Female. 4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kerombas,about 65 FIstwife .. 3 2 2 1 yearsold 2nd ,, 3 3 2 3 yearsold .... ~~~~~3rd,0 0 0 0 L4th,, .... 1 1 1 1 Arab Kibei, about 30 f 2 years of age ...... Ist wife 0 1 0 1 L2nd ,.... diedtin child birth......

I st wife 2 0 2 0 Arabtalum, about 50 J2nd , 2 2 2 2 years ...... 1 3rd, 3 3 3 3 I 4th , 0 1 0 1 15th ,, 2 1 2 1

Arab about 50 2 Katum, wife .. 3 3 1 1 yearsyear ...... lst1....t2nd ,. died in ch ild birth. {2 Jenjoria, about 60 years 1st wife .... 0 1 0 0 t2nd ,70 2 0 2

Total ...... 19 20 15 16

VOL. XXXIII, 2 B

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BANTU.

Awa- Warc?eof Lusinga.-Statistics.

Num-iber Children. of Children. Male. Female.

Woman No. 1 ... 10 8 2 2 ... 9 6 3 3 ... 4 1 3 ,, 4 ... 9 4 5 5 ... 10 4 6 6 ... 8 3 5 7 ... 11 6 5 8 ... 5 3 2 9 ... 6 5 1 10 ... 9 6 3 11IS ... 7 5 2 12 ... 7 4 3 13 ... 8 6 2 14 ... 6 2 4 15 ... 1 ... 1

Total ...... 110 63 47

_~~~~~~~ Statisticsof theAwa- Wanga.

Numiiber Children. of Children. Male. Female.

WomanNo. 1 ...... 10 3 7 2... 8 5 3 ,..3 ... 6 4 2 4 ...... 9 2 7 , 5 ... 9 6 3 ,, 6.. ... 7 4 3 ,, 7...... 9 5 4 ,, 8.. ... (6 5 1 ,, 9...... 12 10 2

TotaL ...... 76 44 32

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THE ISIRA CUSTOM.

In Sir Harry Johnston'srecent work on the Uganda Protectorate,reference has been made to the presence of a vendetta custom among the Kavirondo, in which,if a man is killed,the sons of the deceased endeavourto hunt down the murderer,and if they fail,the sons again carryon the feud. This custom doubtless accounted for much petty bloodshed in times past. I am glad to say, however,that it is dying out now to a great extent,and one murderno longerleads to a successionof crimes. The old blood feuds are, however,still recognised,and a man nmaynot eat with a person with whom his branch of the familyhas a blood feud,or, it is believed,he will surelydie within24 hours. To make it clear how this curse operates,I append an example in which a man kills his brotherby a differentmother.

Head of Family.

No. 1 wife. No. 2 wife.

son A. son C. son B. son D.

CII. C12. B i. B12. Dl1. D 2.

The feud commencesby A killing B. Afterthis D will not,nor dare,eat with A or C. In the niextgeneration B 1, B 2 and D 1, D 2 cannot eat with A or C, neither can they eat with C 1 and C 2, although theyare only nephews of the murderer,but they belong to that branlchof the familythrough their common mother. Curiouslyenough, although this cuistomis hingedon the femalelinie, it onily applies to the males of the family; the females can eat with the descendantsof the taintedline withoutevil effects. The men are desperatelyafraid of unconsciouslyinfringing the tabu; if a memberof a murdererbranch has cooked his food in a certainpot, that pot is defiledfor any representativeof the other branch; thus when a numberof men are travelling,together and the cookingpots are few,the situationbecomes rather difficultat timnesand numerousdisputes arise. Everythingconnected with this customis called " Isira " by the Bantu Kavirondo. The customhas been adoptedin a half-heartedmanner by the Nilotic Ja-Luo, but it is not carried out in such a persistentmanner, and rarelygoes so faras the defilementof the cookingutensils above described. Among the Bantu people of the Kakumega Tiriki,this Isira customis often indirectlytaken advantage of in rather a cunniingway as a means of obtaininig revenae for their private grievances. Suppose a memberof a certainiclan has 2 B 2

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 358 C. W. HOBLEY.-BritishEast Africa: AnthropologicalStudies sufferedan injuryat the hanidsof certain othermembers of his clan, e.g.,has had his wifeenticed away or had a cow stolen,he will often proceed to the territory of a neighbouringtribe and lie in ambush,attack and spear the firstpasser by, likely to fall an easy prey,and will then returnhome. In a few days it will leak out that one of the " Wa-so and so " has done this, and the clan of the murderedman will up and wage war with the clan of the murderer,who hopes to obtain his revengevicariously in this manner; latterly, it is said, it has been done in the hopes that the administrationwill be -inducedto punish the clan, and, incidentally,the man who has wrongedhim. As a variant of the same line of conduct during the last few years,several cases of suicide have been broughtto my notice.' For examlple,in Nyole districta young man one day had a violentquarrel with his own inotherwhile cultivating,and eventually beat her with a stick. She ran crying to a village nlearby, and one of the elders came out and gave the young fellow a thrashing; to every one's astonishmentthe young man hanged himselfthat afternooln,and the people of the vicinitytold my agent,who went to enquire into it, that he had commlittedsuicide so that his blood relationsmight lay his death at the door of the elder,and thus starta blood feud againsthim. Word was,naturally, promlptly sent forththat such a procedurewould be strongly discouraged,and the incidentapparently closed.

MISCELLANEOUSCUSTOMS AND BELIEFS.

The Ja-Luo believe that the sun goes back to the east overhead during the night,hidden behind the heavens. They use the word Chtiengindifferently for sun and the Deity. They do not associate the daylightsky with the lightof the sun, but look upon it as somethingquite distinct,and asked what became of it at night. It is knownby the termPolo. They professedthe belief that Europeans were the childrenof the sun. They believe that menstruationis caused by the new moon, and also that a woman can only become pregnantat the time of the new mioon,and generally that the moonhas a great deal to do with the occurrence. Duiringmeinstruation a woman does not cook food forothers, but merelyher own food. She performsall otherwork as usual. The people have no ceremoniesconnected with fire,such as the.extinguishing of all the firesat a certaintime, and the relightingwith certainrites. Amongthe Awa-Wanga,many believe thatwithin five or six days of the birth' of a child the parentsmust cohabit,or the child will die. Afterthe birthof twins, the parentsare secluded for fromtwenty days to a month; at the end of the ordainedperiod the brotherof the man then formallyopens the door of the hut and the couple can go about as usual. This seclusion of the male parent is probablyan attenuatedrelic of the " co&vade" custom.

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Journalof theAnthropological Institute, Vol. XXXIII, 1903, Plate XXVIII.

,~~~~~~~I ~ ~ ~ ~ M

A -

Arabchebki,Luimbwa Chief. Onduu: KisumuChief (Ja-Luo).

F: #Wi 1 za__ 5-l-S-X f i ;... . < . es>>- . i _ ; z .

.M..L. ss "Fr -. ,@s .

:;:;X>:::->> : - Hz-iSi ls:: .l^B:: k i X

GuasangishuWarrior (Moran).

ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDIES IN KAVIRONDO AND NANDI.

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Journal of the AntkropologicalInstitute, 7ol. XXXIII, 1003, Plate XXIX.

Ln -

Jaluo Girl; Kajulu Tribe. Lumbwa Womnanand Young Girl.

Ketosh Woman (N. Bantu). Kisumu Girls.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDIES IN KAVIRONDO AND NANDI.

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Journalof theAnthropological Institute, Vol. XXXElI, 1,903,Plate XXX.

1'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.4

KoromojoWarriors.

Fisherwomen,Kisumu. Karungu Warriors(Ja-Luo).

ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDIES IN KAVIRONDO AND NANDI.

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.101 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:31:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions in Kavi,rondoand, Nandiz. 359

About 30 miles east of Kisumu in Nandi country,there is a forest-cladextinct volcano named Tinderet,and the Kamililo Nandi, who inhabit its southernand westernflanks, tell a legend that high up on the mountainthere is a cave,in which Ilet, the spiritof the lightning,who descendedthere in the formof a man,took up his abode. Afterhis descentit rainedincessantly for many days,and the Oggiek or Wandorobbo hunters who lived in the forest were nearly all killed by the terribledownpour. Some of them,while searchingfor the cause of the rain,found Ilet in the cave and woundedhim with theirpoisoned arrows. T'hereuponhe fled, and died iin Arab' Kibosone'scountry; directlyhe was dead the rain ceased.

LAWS OF SUCCESSION AMONG THE JA-LUO. In the Gemi tribes,and several othersof Nilotic origin,the followingrule holds with regard to the chieftainship. The chief is always the eldest son of the wifewhom his fathermarried first. To give an example:- Umoli(head of family).

Agola (1st wife). Kakwari (2nd wife).

Odera Ulalo. Sejenyi. Agina. Others.

Ao,olawas miarriedto Urnoli beforeKakwari, thereforethe chiefs are hence- forthchosen fronmthe offspringof Agola, and uponithe death of Odera Ulalo, his son beingquite small,the second son of Agola, Sejenyi by name,was elected chief. This rule was observed,although Agina is an older man than either Odera or Sejenyi. It is possiblethat this may point to the existence in past times of uterine filiationamong this race.

ORIGIN OF NAME OF DISTRICT OF KAVIRONDO. I have oftenmade enquiriesinto the originof the nam-eof Kavirondo,and the Kisunruelders iniform me that it is the name which the people of the south side of KavirondoGulf apply to the people of the north side; it is, however,a term only used when theymieet at a dance and smoke bhang and sing about old times. They call the people of the northside Kavirondo,because theywere vanquished by the latterand drivenacross to the south side of the bay; it was thus,originally, more or less aniepithet of reproach.

1 In the Nandi laiiguageArab in frontof a prefixiiamie means " son of,"thus Arab Kibosone means" son of Kibosolne."

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