Chapter XII: Traditions and History

Probable origin of the Yaos. The Makalanga. Undi. Migrations of
the Angoni. The Tambuka.

The Yaos believe themselves to be descended from the same stock as the Anyanja, Anguru, and Awisa, while they count the Angoni as a different race, and do not profess to know whence they came. These four tribes, therefore, must have kept together till a much later period than that at which the Zulus separated from the main stock of the Bantu. The Yaos imagined the tribes with whom they acknowledged kinship to have started with them from Kapirimtiya, and gone in different directions.

The story of how Mtanga improved the Yao country in the beginning by moulding it into hills and valleys, seems to bear out the opinion that the mountainous region of Unangu was the early home of the race; but how long they lived there, before the raids of the Magwangwara sent them forth on their wanderings, is hard to say. Dr. M’Call Theal says: ‘There is not a single tribe in South Africa to-day that bears the same title, has the same relative power, and occupies the same ground as its ancestors three hundred years ago. The people we call Mashona are indeed descended from the Makalanga of the early Portuguese days, and they preserve their old name and part of their old country; but the contrast ... is striking.’

The more one studies the wars and migrations of the Bantu tribes, the more one is reminded of the state of things in our own island between (roughly speaking) 500 and 1000 A.D. We are apt to forget the length of time over which this process extended, and that though the Bantu, so far as we can tell, began it later, there seems no valid reason why it should not, in their case, have a similar termination. However, as we have to do with facts, not speculations, it seems futile to discuss a point which only posterity will have an opportunity of deciding.

The Makalanga speak much the same language as the various tribes comprehended under the general name of Anyanja, and may, at one time, have formed a homogeneous body with them. The kingdom of the Makalanga, as described by the Portuguese writers, would almost seem to have been something more than an ordinary African state; but their way of describing everything, so to speak, in terms of Europe, is somewhat misleading. Probably it was not unlike the ‘empire’ of Undi at a later date and fell to pieces much in the same way. These decentralised agricultural tribes either fell victims to internal quarrels, or to aggressive action on the part of some warlike neighbour—or, very possibly, to both together.

It is not known when the Zulus moved southward into the territory they now occupy, and where they must have been settled for some generations before the beginning of the nineteenth century, as the graves of at least four kings (some say eight), of earlier date than that epoch, are still to be seen at Mahlabatini, in the valley of the White Umfolozi. In 1687 they, and tribes allied to them, seem to have been in peaceful occupation of Natal and Zululand, living so close together that migration on a large scale was impossible. Yet, about the same time, the Amaxosa, or ‘Cape Kafirs,’ who are very closely related to them, seem to have been pressing on to the south; and they reached the Great Fish River soon after the beginning of the eighteenth century. However this may be, the Zulu king Senzagakona had, about 1800, risen to a position of some importance, though still subject to Dingiswayo, chief of the Umtetwas in Natal. His son, Tshaka, succeeded in 1810, and, after Dingiswayo’s death, assumed a paramount position, his career resembling that of Napoleon, or rather (since he may be said to have consolidated, if not erected, a nation), Theodoric or Charlemagne. But what chiefly concerns us here is the _northward_ migration of the Zulus which took place in his time. Umziligazi, one of his captains, quarrelled with him and fled, taking his clan with him. These are the people now known as the Matabele, having settled in the early thirties between the Limpopo and Zambezi.

Another chief, Manukosi, seceded about 1819, and invaded the country about Delagoa Bay, gradually subduing the Tonga tribes. This branch of the Zulus is called Gaza; their last king, Gungunyana (Manukosi’s grandson), was deposed by the Portuguese in 1896.

The Angoni (Abanguni) were originally the tribe of Zwide, the son of Yanga. He, too, rebelled against Tshaka (about 1820), and was defeated; his people fled north—the only direction open to them—under Zwangendaba, and, according to a native account, came first into the Tonga country, where they fought with the people, and took many captives, then into the Basuto country (meaning probably the Bapedi of the Eastern Transvaal), where they did the same, and thence to the Karanga (Makalanga) country. Here they were overtaken by Ngaba, one of Tshaka’s captains, with whom they fought two battles, and then fled, crossing the Zambezi in 1825. The date is fixed by the tradition of an eclipse, known to have occurred in that year; and in the terror of that mysterious darkness, so inexplicable to the native mind, Zwangendaba’s son, Mombera, was prematurely born. This is the Mombera whose funeral was described in an earlier chapter. He was a man of great shrewdness and force of character, and remained to the last, in spite of some passing misunderstandings, a staunch friend to Dr. Laws and the Livingstonia missionaries. He refused to be a party to sending his own or his people’s children to school on the ground that they would soon become wiser than their parents, and so learn to despise them. If the missionaries liked to try their hand at teaching the grown men, they were welcome to do so; and Mombera, not content with this negative permission, took reading lessons himself, with praiseworthy assiduity. Unfortunately, he began too late in life, and though he mastered the alphabet quickly enough, he failed, in spite of all his efforts, to grasp the principle of combining letters into syllables. He would not, however, allow the blackboard used by his instructor (the Rev. J. A. Smith, now of Mlanje) to remain at his kraal, for fear of magic.

A curious tradition about the crossing of the Zambezi was given by the Ntumbi head-men, who said that, when the Angoni reached the river and found no canoes to take them over, their chief, Chetusa, struck the water with his staff, and it divided to let them pass. Then he struck it again, and it returned to its place. It is only fair to add, that this account was written down by one of the Blantyre teachers, and, if not unconsciously coloured by him, may possibly contain an echo of his own narratives. On the other hand, he had been but a short time in contact with them, and these older and more responsible men, while well up in the traditions of their own people, were less likely to have been impressed by ‘the stories of the white men.’

This account then goes on to state that they went north, and came ‘to Magomero,’ and fought two days with the Atonga, ‘who dwell there to this day’; and the Atonga ‘clasped their feet,’ _i.e._ submitted, and acknowledged them as chiefs. The name of Magomero is given by the Blantyre people to the Konde country at the north end of the Lake, as well as to the place of that name, near to Lake Chilwa. As the word seems to mean ‘the slopes,’ it may be of frequent occurrence. They then passed round the north end of the Lake, and turned south again. Harry Kambwiri’s written account says nothing of this, but it is evidently to be understood, as the next fact mentioned is that they crossed the Rovuma. Crossing the Lichilingo, and another stream called the Luli, they came to Mwalija’s, where there were cattle, and intended to push on thence to the Lujenda, but ‘found a desert without water,’—so they returned, lifted Mwalija’s cattle, and struck off south-westward, wishing to return whence they came. They reached the Shiré at Matope (the regular crossing-place, a few miles north of the Cataracts), and wished to settle there; but one Sosola cheated them into going on by showing them a basket of cow-dung, and saying that cattle had passed by, but were now in the Chipeta country. The raiders’ instinct at once rose to the bait, and they crossed to Mponda’s, and went on north-westward to Mount Chirobwe. Finally, they settled near Domwe Mountain, somewhat to the north of it, and while there fought with Mpezeni, son of Zwangendaba, and defeated him. ‘Mpezeni’s people ran away,’ and this must have been when they settled in the old Undi country (near the present Fort Jameson), where Mpezeni died a few years ago.

It is interesting to note that, in 1903, Madzimavi, a son of Mpezeni’s, but not the one chosen as his successor, applied to the Native Commissioner for permission to take the name of Zwangendaba (Sungandawa, as spelt in the official document), on the ground that his grandfather’s spirit had appeared to him in a dream, and ordered him to do so. His request was refused, after discussion with the principal chiefs, a majority of whom seemed to be of the opinion that such a step on Madzimavi’s part was only preliminary to declaring himself independent, if not ousting his brother altogether.

Champiti, the Ntumbi head-man, who seemed to be between forty and fifty years of age, a tall, thin man, of a type common both among the Mashona of the south and the Wahima of Uganda, said that his father came from the south and crossed the Zambezi, with many of his people. They passed by the district where he was then living, ‘but none of them died by the way,’ and went on to the north, and round the top of the Lake. This might very well be, even if Champiti’s father had been grown up in 1825—and he need not have been, as it seems to have been a wholesale migration of families. Or he might have been impressed as a mat-carrier for the army; every Zulu warrior was attended by several of these boys, usually under ten years old. Champiti himself was born somewhere on the northward march. He mentioned passing through a country called Bena, up in the north, where the people ‘had no clothes and howled like dogs’; they had cattle there with long horns—the length of the walking-stick he carried (about four feet). The Wabena, at the present day, live in German East Africa, some sixty or seventy miles to the north of Lake Nyasa, though in accordance with Dr. Theal’s principle, stated above, they may have been anywhere in the middle of last century. But the absence of clothes, and the possession of long-horned cattle—if not the howling like dogs—would equally well fit the Wankonde.

Coming south again, Champiti’s people lived at Matengo, wherever that may have been, till he was the age of a small boy whom he pointed out to me—say, at a rough guess, eleven or twelve. Pembereka and Kaboa, whom I have had occasion to mention more than once, accompanied the party when they left Matengo, after which they passed Zomba, Lake Chilwa, and Blantyre, and ‘crossed a big river with a great deal of sand in it’—evidently the Shiré at, or above, Lake Malombe. After this they seem to have settled pretty much where we found them.

The above is sufficient to show that the ‘Angoni’ are a very mixed multitude; there were probably no Zulus in this particular band; and we find in another account that Chiwere, one of the leading chiefs, was a Senga, who detached himself from the main body because his people, being regarded as a subject race, had been ‘treated badly’ by the Zulus. And, while those who crossed the Shiré from the east brought some new elements back with them, they left some of their own forces behind in the shape of those ‘Magwangwara,’ who have been thorns in the sides of Yaos and Anyanja ever since.

Other bands, under different names, penetrated still farther north, some of them even reaching Lake Victoria.

The date of the crossing referred to is fixed at 1867, or soon after, by the late Mr. E. D. Young, who, reaching Chibisa’s with the Livingstone Search Expedition, in August of that year, found that the ‘Mazitu’ were encamped on the hills at Magomero. They had taken the place formerly occupied by the Yaos in the estimation of the Anyanja, and the former foes united to oppose them. The Makololo, too, began to regard them as a serious danger, and expelled their old adversary, Mankokwe, from his position near Tyolo, lest he should make common cause with the Angoni. The latter were at this time occupying the left, or eastern, bank of the Shiré, and negotiating with the Anyanja to be ferried across, while the Machinga Yaos were in possession of the right bank, from the Cataracts to the Lake.

The Angoni are variously known as Mazitu, Mavitu (Maviti), and, in more northern regions, as Magwangwara, Wamachonde, and Ruga-Ruga.

From this time forward, Chekusi’s Angoni raided Yaos and Anyanja impartially for some years. The former fled to the hill-tops, the latter to islands in the Shiré. When the invaders retired, they came from their hiding-places and cultivated their gardens in the plains, but only to have their crops swept off by fresh raids, as soon as they were ripe, and (as we have previously mentioned) their women and children carried off as slaves beyond the river. These raids occurred with unfailing regularity, till the settlement of the Mission party at Blantyre in 1876. There was an alarm in July 1877, but the invasion did not take place, probably owing to the presence of the Europeans.

The last of these raids took place in 1884, but was brought to a peaceable conclusion. The Rev. D. C. Scott, accompanied by Mrs. Scott and Dr. Peden, visited Chekusi’s kraal and succeeded in coming to a friendly understanding with that chief; and thenceforth the only Angoni hosts to cross the river were gangs of porters, or of men seeking work on the plantations. Chekusi died subsequent to the proclamation of the British Protectorate in 1891; his son was executed by the British administration after the ‘rising’ of 1896; and Mandala, whose village, after the delimitation of 1901 was found to be in Portuguese territory, was taken prisoner and died on the march to Tete. Mpezeni’s son and successor is a minor, and Mombera has been succeeded by a chief who has but little real authority, so that the prestige of these Zulu clans is now a thing of the past.

We have already seen how the Makololo came to be settled on the Shiré.

The Tambuka, or Tumbuka, according to their own account, ‘came from the north,’ where they were one tribe, ruled over by one chief, named Chikulamayembe. This was in some indefinite time long ago, before the Angoni had come. When they separated, they were living on the Rukuru river, where it flows through a natural arch of rock. Here ‘they worshipped a hill called Chikangombe; there is there a hot spring which they worshipped also.’ They split up and went in different directions, living much as the Mang’anja of the Shiré Highlands did before they were displaced by invaders. ‘They lived separately. One said, “I am chief,” and another said so also. They did not build big villages, but small ones of a few huts, containing their slaves, wives, and others.’ When they elected a chief, they anointed him with lion’s fat. ‘Chikulamayembe’ seems to mean ‘giver of hoes,’ and this chief was so called ‘because they saw his kindness and bounty to the poor. When a person had no hoe, he came to the chief and asked one, and he got it.’ Hoes are used as money by some tribes—as by those of the Upper Congo, and formerly by the Baronga of Delagoa Bay.

Chikulamayembe’s people moved on from the Rukuru to the hill Zabula, which appears to have been regarded with superstitious awe. ‘The old people of the tribe thought this hill could give rain.’ Here another separation took place, and, soon after, they were attacked by the Angoni. ‘The Tambuka had many cattle and goats,’ says the native account, ‘but the Ngoni hearing that they had cattle came and fought with them. The Ngoni killed the Tambuka, took their cattle, and sent them to their chief Zwangendaba. Thus the Tambuka failed to withstand the Ngoni, through their living apart and being scattered.’ For a time the invaders carried all before them; then they met with a temporary check, being defeated by three Tambuka chiefs in succession. The last of these, Chigamuka, inflicted such a crushing blow on them that, ‘to-day, if a Tambuka reminds a Ngoni of Chigamuka, the latter will strike him, because the Ngoni died and were beaten there.’

They recovered, however, after a time, and resumed their career of conquest. ‘To-day,’ said Dr. Steele’s informant, in 1893, ‘they are the masters of the Tambuka, Tonga, Chewa, Bisa, and Senga. There is no chief of the Tambuka, but the Ngoni alone. The records of these wars and migrations are necessarily very imperfect. They serve, however, to explain the great mixture of types which attentive observation shows us in most tribes of the Bantu race. Probably, if we may judge by analogy from similar processes in the past, the ultimate result will be the building up of several distinct nationalities, each with a well-marked type of its own, and institutions modified by so much of European culture as they can receive and assimilate. But such speculation belongs to the future. Our business here is only with the present, and our attempt has been to give some notion of these people as they now are, or (in cases where they have been influenced by contact with Europeans) as they were until lately.

NOTE.—It appears that there were really two Zulu migrations,
the second one led by Ngola, Chekusi’s predecessor. It was the
latter who fought with Mpezeni’s people, as stated on page
281, and Champiti’s account must probably be taken to refer to
them. It seems that at one time they even reached the sea at
Mozambique.

FOOTNOTES

[1] Sir H. H. Johnston, _British Central Africa_, p. 355.

[2] Sir H. H. Johnston.

[3] Livingstone, _The Zambezi and its Tributaries_, p. 198.

[4] _Du Zambèze au Congo Français_, p. 106.

[5] See Moffat’s _Missionary Labours and Scenes in Southern Africa_.

[6] Sir H. H. Johnston includes the Anyika among the Batumbuka, but Dr. Elmslie says that the latter ‘have their teeth pointed.’

[7] Sir H. H. Johnston.

[8] This idea was suggested to me some years ago by Miss J. E. Harrison.

[9] Yao form of the name Anyanja.

[10] It has been derived from a word meaning ‘to nourish,’ but the above seems more probable.

[11] This is the principal tree used for making bark-cloth. Livingstone says, ‘It is a sacred tree all over Africa and India’; and I learn from M. Auguste Chevalier that it is found in every village of Senegal and French Guinea, and looked on as ‘a fetich tree.’

[12] Like the Zulu _isanusi_, who is a person of nervous, hysterical temperament to begin with, and goes through a course of training calculated to develop any ‘psychic’ gifts he or she may possess.

[13] ‘They have the firmest belief possible in ghosts, and will tell long circumstantial stories about the “spooks” they have seen—prosaic stories usually connected with daylight, as where a woman declares that while winnowing or pounding corn in the noontide, she looked out in the courtyard and saw the spirit of So-and-So passing along, looking exactly as though he were alive.’—Sir H. H. Johnston, _British Central Africa_, p. 449.

[14] ‘Among the tribes in the neighbourhood of Tanganyika ... a carved image of a human being ... is set up in or near the village, and thus becomes the village idol to which all prayers and sacrifices are directed.’—_Life and Work in British Central Africa_, June-July 1900.

[15] See note at end of chapter.

[16] MS. communication.

[17] Popularly current as the feminine of _mzungu_ (‘white man’); it has spread up the Shiré from the Portuguese settlements. People not acquainted with the word address you as _mai_ (‘mother’), or _mfumu_ (‘chief’—common gender).

[18] The Wahima or Wahuma, the nomadic pastoral race believed to be akin to the Abyssinians, whose blood predominates in the royal houses of Uganda and Unyoro.

[19] See Chapter IV.

[20] I am not sure that these are usual, except where they are likely to be needed for shooting.

[21] This is the same as the Nyanja word _adzukulu_.

[22] _Baba_ = ‘father.’

[23] This is not usually done except on ceremonial occasions, or in case of great need, when fire can be procured in no other way. A fire is kept up through the night, and there are sure to be at least some embers in the morning, which can be blown into flame; or, if it should have gone out in one hut, they can nearly always fetch fire from another.

[24] The ‘undertakers,’ or _adzukulu_.

[25] The _mapondera_ is paid for his services after the conclusion of the trial, and those who recover, and so turn out to have been falsely accused, are entitled to liberal compensation. This has to be paid by the heir.

[26] Literally ‘playing’—the word is used both for games and dances.

[27] _Dictionary_, _s.v._ Masewera.

[28] I have never been able to discover any other meaning but this for _chinguli_, which, moreover, I have never heard in any other connection. The usual word for this kind of top is _nguli_, or _nanguli_; _chi_ being the augmentative prefix. Another version says rather vaguely that ‘he cut out a tree,’ and made his sister go into it. Evidently the function of the _chinguli_ is the same as that of the magic carpet in the _Arabian Nights_. In the Fiote story of ‘Ngomba’s Balloon,’ given by Mr. Dennett, a basket of some sort seems to be endowed with magical powers. The song should be read phonetically (giving the vowels their German or Italian value), with the accents as marked: the _e_ in _nde, nde, nde_ (a meaningless refrain) is like that in our word ‘end.’

[29] _Chants et Contes des Baronga_, pp. 70-71.

[30] Each of these clans appears to have a _mwiko_ with regard to some animal, but the subject has not yet been sufficiently investigated.

[31] According to one authority, the unit is the _mzinda_, which comprises all the villages having the same _unyago_ or _nkole_. Others merely translate _mzinda_, ‘head village,’ or ‘capital’; but it seems to be the capital not of the _Rundo_ but of the sub-chief.

[32] Livingstone, _Zambezi_, p. 198.

[33] ‘The chief may often have less influence than powerful head-men, and we have known cases where he contented himself with grumbling when his head-men acted contrary to his desire; and in many criminal trials he is eclipsed by the sorcerers and pounders of poison’ (_Africana_, i. 155).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

OF THE PRINCIPAL WORKS MADE USE OF IN THE FOREGOING PAGES

LIVINGSTONE, DAVID, _Narrative of an Expedition to the Zambezi
and its Tributaries, and of the Discovery of Lakes Shirwa
and Nyassa_, 1858-1864. London, John Murray, 1865. (Original
unabridged edition.)

ROWLEY, Rev. HENRY, _Story of the Universities’ Mission to
Central Africa_. London, 1866.

MACDONALD, Rev. DUFF, _Africana_, 2 vols. London, Simpkin,
Marshall and Co., 1882.

JOHNSTON, Sir H. H., K.C.B., _British Central Africa_. London,
Methuen, 1897.

SCOTT, Rev. D. C., _Cyclopædic Dictionary of the Mang’anja
Language_. Edinburgh, Blackwood, 1892.

BARNES, Rev. H. B. (U.M.C.A.), _Nyanja-English Vocabulary_.
London, S.P.C.K., 1902.

_Occasional Papers for Nyasaland_ (Likoma, 1893), afterwards
_The Nyasa News_ (Likoma, 1893-95). This periodical contains a
large amount of exceedingly valuable information. Some use has
also been made of two other magazines—_Life and Work in Central
Africa_ (Blantyre), and _The Aurora_ (Livingstonia Mission,
Bandawe).

ADDENDA

I. P. 74-5.—The Spider absent from Bantu folk-lore. This statement requires some modification. Since writing the above, I have examined a number of Duala animal-stories collected by Herr Wilhelm Lederbogen, formerly of the Government School at Kamerun. The Duala are the most north-westerly Bantu tribe, and have probably borrowed some of their folk-lore from their Efik neighbours. As in most of the West Coast stories, moreover, the place of the Hare is taken by a small species of antelope, to which the English-speaking natives of Sierra Leone have, for some occult reason, given the name of Cunnie Rabbit. (It is curious that a Duala native, when telling a story in German, also called the creature a hare, but explained that ‘it is not like [the hares] here, but has little horns.’—See Elli Meinhof, _Märchen aus Kamerun_.) Mr. Dennett also gives a Lower Congo story of ‘How the Spider won and lost Nzambi’s Daughter.’—(See _Folk-lore of the Fjort_.)

II. P. 155-6.—This mode of burying those who have died of smallpox is not invariable, or else the practice has been modified of late years. A more recent native account says: ‘In this case a small reed is stuck into the side of the grave. Along this reed the disease will creep and so escape from the body into the open air. For they say that if they do not thus allow the disease to escape, “they will only plant the disease in the ground, and epidemics will be frequent.”’

The same authority states that a difference is made in case of violent death: ‘One who has died from the effects of a gunshot wound or the thrust of a spear is buried at once without the ordinary delay of a day or two waiting for the relations to arrive. The body is not allowed to be at the village even for one night, but is buried at once. Nor do the _awilo_ in this case dig the grave to any depth. They say that if they dig deeply they will be stabbed. One killed by a wild beast is treated in similar fashion.’—(_Life and Work in British Central Africa_, Dec. 1905, p. 4.)

The writer of the above is apparently a Yao. He does not specify whether these remarks apply to Yao or Anyanja; but as, in other passages, he is careful to point out where the practice of the two tribes differs, we may no doubt understand him as referring to both.

III. P. 279.—Mombera. Dr. Elmslie (_Among the Wild Ngoni_, Edinburgh, 1901) gives an interesting picture of this chief. ‘Mombera had a dual character. He was at his best in the early part of the day, before he became intoxicated, and so by sunrise people with cases to be judged went to see him. Then his affability and generous behaviour were pleasant to see, but toward afternoon, when the beer he continually sipped began to act, his civility was at an end for the day.’... Many natives, in later life, when they find their digestive powers weakening, come to depend on the nourishing _moa_ for their principal sustenance, with results (when, like Mombera, they can command unlimited quantities) as above.

‘When sober, he delighted to play with his children, and manifested a very pleasing interest in them and their mothers.... He had a great interest in old people, of whom he had always a great number living in huts within the seraglio. He treated them with respect, and provided for them from his own table. If he was shown anything new and strange, he would generally have it shown to the old people, and while they knelt before him in due respect, one could notice with pleasure their trustful attitude and how he would heartily respond to any observation of wonder they might express.... He said they would have to report to the ancestral spirits how many new and wonderful things had now become known to the people....

‘... He was neither cruel nor bloodthirsty. He discountenanced the poison ordeal which was adopted from the Tonga slaves, believing rather in their own trial by boiling water, which at most only maimed the person and did not destroy life as the _mwavi_ did. He was considered to be “too soft” by the more degraded and fiery dispositions, and had no delight in condemning to death. Only two instances of the death-penalty being inflicted by Mombera came under my own observation during all the years I lived under him. In one case he caused a man to be put to death for cattle-stealing, after having pardoned him for the same offence.... The other case was where a member of the royal family killed a slave who had run away from him and put himself under the protection of another master....’ (Pp. 115-117.)

GLOSSARY

OF NYANJA AND OTHER TERMS USED IN THIS BOOK

(_Unless otherwise stated, the language is Nyanja_)

_Abusa_, plural of _mbusa_, a herd-boy.

_Adzukulu_, grandchildren, also spelt _ajukulu_ and _azukuru_. But
it usually means the relatives or friends who make all the
arrangements for burying a deceased person.

_Afiti_, plural of _mfiti_, a wizard.

_Amabele_ (Zulu), ‘Kafir corn’—_Holcus sorghum_.

_Amadhlozi_ (Zulu), plural of _idhlozi_, ancestral spirits, when they
appear in the form of snakes.

_Amatongo_ (Zulu), ancestral spirits manifesting themselves in dreams.

_Antu_, plural of _muntu_, a person.

_Awilo_ (Yao). See _Adzukulu_.

_Bango_, a very common kind of reed—_Phragmites communis_.

_Bwalo_, the village place of assembly or ‘forum’; it is also used
(see p. 122) for the unmarried men’s house.

_Bwazi_, a shrub (_Securidaca longipedunculata_) and the fibre
procured from its bark.

_Bwebweta_, v., to rave or talk nonsense, as if possessed by spirits.

_Chagwa_, lit. ‘it has fallen’; name of a game. See p. 113.

_Chamba_, Indian hemp; also name of a dance.

_Chifukwa_, lit. ‘a fault,’ but used as a conjunction—‘because.’

_Chikolongwe_, a barbed fish-spear, or gaff.

_Chikonyo_, a cob of maize.

_Chimanga_, maize.

_Chinamwali_, the initiation ceremonies for girls.

_Chinangwa_ (Yao), cassava.

_Chipini_, a metal ornament, like a stud, worn by women in the nose.

_Chipongwe_, impudence.

_Chire_, the bush.

_Chiri_, a steep bank.

_Chirombo_, a wild beast, a monster; also an insect or a weed.

_Chirope_, madness caused by shedding blood. See p. 67.

_Chitalaka_, red porcelain beads, white inside.

_Chitowe_, sesamum, the seed of which is used for making oil.

_Dambo_, a plain, or open grass-land in the Bush.

_Dimba_, a patch of alluvial soil beside a stream.

_Dzombe_, a locust.

_Fumba_, a sleeping-bag made of matting.

_Garanzi_, a small drum, beaten quickly.

_Gome_ (_nyumba ya_), a square house.

_Gowero_, boys’ house in a village.

_Gwape_ (_gwapi_), the klipspringer—_Oreotragus saltator_.

_Imfe_ (Zulu), a kind of sorghum with sweet juice (_S. sacharinum_);
Nyanja _msale_.

_Inswa_, ‘white ants,’ or termites.

_Isigcogco_ or _isicoco_ (Zulu), head-ring worn by men when of an age
and standing to be called to the chief’s council.

_Kokalupsya_, the early rains which sweep away the ashes of the burnt
grass and scrub (_lupsya_).

_Kombe_, the strophanthus creeper; the arrow-poison made from it.

_Konde_, keloids, or scars made by cutting, as tribal marks or for
ornament.

_Lisoka_ (Yao), the spiritual part of man; a ghost.

_Lobola_, v. (Zulu), properly, to arrange a marriage ‘by agreeing to
deliver a certain number of cattle’ to the girl’s father or
guardian.

_Lululuta_, v., or _luluta_, ‘to utter the cry called _ntungululu_ on
the return of men from war or hunting, or any other exciting
occasion. The sound is produced by vibrations of the tongue
intermitting the cry or whistle by the lips.’

_Lundu_ (_Rundo_), paramount chief.

_Lupsya_, burnt grass, etc. See _Kokalupsya_.

_Mabisalila_, the witch-finder woman. See p. 89.

_Maere_, a small kind of millet—_Eleusine_.

_Makani_, a debate or discussion.

_Malimwe_, the winter.

_Mankwala_, medicine.

_Mapira_, _Sorghum vulgare_.

_Mapondera_, the man who pounds the poison for the _mwavi_ ordeal.

_Maseche_ (plural of _tseche_), rattles made from the hard-shelled
fruits of a certain tree.

_Masuku_, the fruit of the _msuku_ tree—_Napaca kirkii_.

_Matekenya_, plural of _tekenya_, the jigger—_Sarcopsyllus penetrans_.

_Matondo_, fruit of the _mtondo_ tree.

_Mbawa_, the mahogany-tree—_Khaya senegalensis_.

_Mbidzi_, a zebra.

_Mbulu_, the wild dog—_Lycaon pictus_.

_Mchombwa_, the game of _msuo_ or _mankala_.

_Mdzi_, a village. Also _mudzi_. Zulu _umuzi_.

_Mdzodzo_, a kind of black ant emitting an offensive smell.

_Mfiti_, a wizard.

_Miiko_, plural of _mwiko_, which see.

_Mlandu_, a ‘case,’ discussion or trial.

_Mlungusi_, a kind of thorn-tree.

_Moa_, native beer.

_Momba_, a straight fish-spear.

_Mono_, a basket-trap for fish.

_Moto_, fire.

_Mpakasa_, autumn; the beginning of the dry season.

_Mpeza_, a kind of caterpillar.

_Mphiyu_ (Tonga), a kind of medicine for effecting the transformation
of people into animals.

_Mpingo_, the ebony-tree—_Diospyrus_.

_Mpini._ See _Konde_.

_Mpira_, india-rubber, or a ball made of it.

_Msale._ See _Imfe_.

_Msampa_, a kind of trap.

_Msuku_, the tree _Napaca kirkii_.

_Msuo._ See _Mchombwa_.

_Mtanga_, a kind of basket.

_Mtumbamtumba_, a large kind of black and white, strong-smelling ants.

_Mvula_, rain. Yao _ula_.

_Mvunguti_, a tree (_Kigelia_) with large cucumber-shaped fruits, 1
to 2 feet long.

_Mwavi_, the poison prepared from the bark of _Erythrophleum
guineense_; the ordeal in which it is used.

_Mwiko_, a prohibition of some particular food to an individual or
family.

_Myombo_, a tree like an ash—_Brachystegia longifolia_.

_Mzinda_, the head village of a district.

_Namwali_, a girl who has been initiated.

_Nchito_, work. _Nchito ya amuna_, ‘work of men (males).’

_Ndiwo_, anything eaten as relish with porridge.

_Ng’ama_, red oxide of iron.

_Nguluwe_, a bush-pig.

_Njinga_, a reel or spindle.

_Nkaka_, the scaly ant-eater, Pangolin.

_Nkalango_, a thicket; a clump of trees left standing to shelter the
graves.

_Nkata_, a grass ring or pad used in carrying loads on the head.

_Nkokwe_, a corn-bin or granary made of basket-work.

_Nkole_, the initiation ceremonies (the word used at Likoma). See
_Unyago_.

_Nsanja_, the shelf or stage above the fireplace in a Nyanja hut.

_Nsengwa_, a small round basket.

_Nsima_, porridge made of maize or _mapira_ meal.

_Ntengu_, a small blackbird.

_Nyanja_, a lake or river.

_Nyasa_ (Yao), a lake or river.

_Nzama_, a kind of bean, resembling a ground-nut.

_Peka_, v., to make fire by drilling.

_Pelele_, a lip-ring worn by women.

_Rundo._ See _Lundu_.

_Sonkwe_, a kind of hibiscus, from which fibre is obtained.

_Tengo_, the bush.

_Tsanchima_, a masked performer in the _zinyao_ dance.

_Ufa_, flour.

_Ulendo_, a journey; also a party making the journey, a caravan.

_Unyago_ (Yao), the initiation ceremonies for young people. See
_Nkole_.

_Wodiera_, an eater, literally ‘(one) of eating,’ contracted from _wa
ku diera_.

_Zikonyo_, plural of _chikonyo_, which see.

_Zinyao_, the dance at the mysteries, in which the performers dress
up with masks, etc., as animals.

INDEX

Abanda (Yao clan), 160, 253.

Abstinence from certain foods, 94-6.

Achikunda (Chikundas), 24, 61, 95.

Achipeta, 25;
their tobacco, 178;
their country, 281.

Adultery, 152, 265-6.

Agnatic descent (_chilawa_), 253.

Ajawa. _See_ Yaos.

Alolo (Anguru), 24, 32, 33.
their tribe marks, 39.

Alunda, 25.

Alungu, 25.

Ancestral spirits, 48 _et seq._, 54, 62-66.

Angoni, 24, 29, 34, 35.
their prayers and sacrifices, 53.
harems of chiefs, 132.
chiefs order wholesale _mwavi_-drinkings, 170.
war-dance, 228.
migrations, 278-285.
raids, 283-4.

Animals as witches’ messengers, 84, 169.
in folk-lore, 231 _et seq._
reserved for chiefs’ eating, 272.

Ants, white (termites), 22, 191;
used as food, 137, 192.
omens drawn from, 94.

Ant-eater, 17, 272.

Anyanja, 24 _et seq._, 277.
subject to Angoni, 29, 35, 272.
conquered by Makololo, 37, 268-9.
their worship, 63.
their chiefs, ‘old gods of the land,’ 51, 58.
villages, 99 _et seq._
betrothal and marriage customs, 130 _et seq._
burial, 156, and Ch. VII. _passim_.
tales, 231, 233, 238 _et seq._
system of kinship, 253.
tribal organisation, 255-6.
raided by Angoni, 283-4.

Apodzo, hippo-hunters, 190-1.

Arrows, 187.

Astræa, myth of, 75.

Atonga, 33.
their beliefs, 56, 58.
burial customs, 157 _et seq._
conquered by Angoni, 280.

Awankonde, 22, 34.
their beliefs, 62.
prayers, 63.
marriage ceremonies, 131.

Awemba (Babemba), 25, 71.
human sacrifices, 160.
corpses of chiefs mummified, 163.

Babemba. _See_ Awemba.

Babies, 102 _et seq._

Baboons, 17, 121, 183.

Bachelors’ house, 122.

Ball-game, 113.

Bantu race, 3, 27;
kingdoms founded by, 256, 259.
language-family, 27, 208 _et seq._
folk-tales, 230 _et seq._

Bark-cloth, 200.

Barnes, Rev. H. B., quoted, 92, 207.

Baskets, 197-9.
used in salt-making, 206.

Batonga (Batoka), 25, 42, 175.

Batumbuka, 24, 33;
their history, 285-6.

Beads, 44, 108, 153.

Beer (_moa_), mode of making, 138.
offered to spirits, 47, 52.
used for divination, 53.
brewed after funerals, 166.
supplied by chief during hoeing, 184.
to canoe-makers, 194.

Bees, wild, 23, 191.

Bemba. _See_ Awemba.

Birds, 19, 20.

Blacksmiths, 145, 201.

Blood-guiltiness, curse of (_chirope_), 67-8, 265.

Boys, 119 _et seq._;
sent to herd for Angoni chiefs, 35, 128;
their initiation ceremonies, 124-6.

Bows, 186.

Bread (native), 140.

Buffalo, 16-17.

Burial, 156 _et seq._

Bush, character of, 8-9.

_Bwalo_ (‘forum’ or village green), 139, 145-6.
(young men’s dormitory), 122.

_Bwebweta_ (raving), 63, 65.

Calabar tale of tortoise, 239.

Calico worn by natives, 48, 107.
offered to spirits, 52.
sewn by men, 135, 153, 197.
draped over dead man’s house, 165.

Cannibalism, 85, 169.

Canoes, 194.

Canoe-songs, 217, 218.

Cassava, 177.

Chameleon, 72-4.

Champiti, head-man of Ntumbi, his narrative of the Angoni migrations,
282.

Charms, 79 _et seq._

Chekusi, the Angoni chief, 35, 170, 284.

Chekusi II. (Chatantumba or Gomani), 35, 172, 219.

Chesinka, his dream, 46.

Chevalier, M. Aug., quoted, 63 (note).

Chibisa, Nyanja chief, 82, 258.

Chief, paramount, 255;
his powers, 261.
performs religious ceremonies, 56, 271.
owns land, but cannot alienate, 271.
installation of, 260.

Chiefs, women, 256.
of Batumbuka, anointed with lions’ fat, 285.
of Awemba, mummified after death, 163.
of Atonga buried above ground, 160.

Chieftainship, succession to, 258-9.

Chigamuka, Tumbuka chief, defeated Angoni, 286.

Chigunda, Nyanja chief, takes part in prayers for rain, 56, 76.

Chikulamayembe, Tumbuka chief, 285.

Chikumbu, Yao chief, supposed invulnerable, 82.

Children, care and treatment of, 104 _et seq._

Chilwa, Lake (Shirwa), 5, 283;
salt-pits, 207.

_Chimbwi_, chief undertaker among Atonga, 162.

Chinsunzi, Nyanja chief, 255.

Chiperone, Mount, 7.

Chipetas. _See_ Achipeta.

Chipoka, Nyanja chief at Mlanje, 47, 66.

Chiradzulo, Mount, 7.

Chirobwe, Mount, 7, 281.

Chiromo, 2, 5.

_Chirope._ _See_ Blood-guiltiness.

Chiruwi (or Chitowe), 59, 60, 245.

Chiuta = Mulungu, 56-8, 72.

Chiuta, Lake, 5.

Clans among Yaos, 252.
Anyanja, 253.

Colenso, Bishop, quoted, 222.

Cooking, 136-7.

Copper, 8.

‘Coronation’ of chiefs, 260-1.

Corpses suspended on trees, 155-6, 159.

Creation myths, 70 _et seq._

Criminal charges, 263.

Crocodiles, 20, 206, 244.

Crops, 176 _et seq._

Cross, Dr. Kerr, quoted, 38.

Dances, 96-8, 116, 226 _et seq._

Dancing-man, 221, 226.

Darning, 196.

Dead ‘go to Mulungu,’ 55-6.

Debtors, 267.

Dennett, Mr. R. E., quoted, 242, 249.

Digging-stick, 181.

Divination by flour or beer, 53, 64-5.
by moving sticks, 90, 92.
by lot, 93.
by knife, or three sticks, 94.

Division of labour between men and women, 134-5.

Divorce, 152-3.

Dogs, used for hunting by Angoni, 188.
wild (_Lycaon pictus_), 18.

Dolls, 69, 113.

Dreams, 46, 64, 187.

Dress of children, 105-7.

Drums, 224-6.

Duff, Mr. H.L., quoted, 115.

Dzonze, Mount, 7.

Ear Ornaments, 41.

Earthquakes, theory of, 56.

Eland, 17.

Elephants, 16, 186, 188.
in folk-lore, 233 _et seq._

Elton, the late F. J., 16.

‘Empires,’ Bantu, 259.

Evil spirits, 61-2.

Family Affection, 146-8.

Fauna, 16-23.

Feast at end of mourning, 166-7.

Fences leading to game-pits, 189.

Ferns, 14.

Fire made by rubbing two sticks, 74, 167.
‘forbidden,’ 166.
due to witches, 88, 169.

First-fruits, 271.

Fish-spears, 192.
traps, 192.

Fishing-hooks, 193.
nets, 193

Flowers, 15.
worn as ornaments, 41, 108, 121.

Flute, 120, 222-3.

Food of infants, 105.
of older children, 108.
in general, 136 _et seq._
how stored, 141.

Forge, 145, 202.

Fowls, 101;
eaten at wedding, 131.

Fruits, wild, 15.

Game-pits, 189.
fences leading to, 189.

Games, 111 _et seq._

Gardens, 137, 177 _et seq._
new marked out, 179.

Ghosts, 66.

Girls, their games, 113, 121.
their work, 119.
initiation, 126.
betrothed in infancy, 129-30.

Goats, 101, 119.

Gold, 8.

_Gori_ (slave-stick), 267.

Government, 255.

Grain-store (_nkokwe_), 181, 182.

Graphite, 7.

Grass, 6, 7, 9.
bands of plaited, used in mourning, 157.
fired near lake, a criminal act, 267.

Grass-fires, 9-11.

Graves not visited, 154.

Groves used for burial, 99, 154.

Gun-medicine, 81-2.

Guns, 187.
fired at funerals, 158.

Hæmatite, 7.

Hairdressing, 43, 105, 107.

Hare in African folk-lore, 231 _et seq._

Harems of Makololo and Angoni chiefs, 132, 269.

Harvest, 183.

Head-band (_lisanda_) worn by Yao chiefs, 260.

Henry, Dr., treats Chekusi’s mother for rheumatism, 170.

Herd-boys, 119.

Hetherwick, Rev. A., quoted, 55, 69, 175.

Hippopotamus, 16, 183, 190-1.

Hoes, 180.

Honey, 191.

Horns buried by witches, 82.
by witch-detective, 89.

Hot springs, 6.

House of deceased abandoned or destroyed, 165.

Houses, square, 100, 144.

Hunters, customs observed by, 187.

Hunting, 185 _et seq._
parties, 186.

Husbands, native, 149.

Huts described, 100.
construction of, 141-2.
interior arrangement, 143.

Hyena, 18.
witches turn into, 84-5, 87.
in folk-lore, 236, 240, 244.

Hynde, Mr. R. S., quoted, 252.

Idols, 68.

Infants, burial of, 160.

Initiation—boys, 124;
girls, 126.

Insects, 21-23.

Interior of huts, 143-4.

Iron ore, 7.

Iron, workers in, 201.

Johnson, Ven. W. B. (Archdeacon of Likoma), quoted, 257.

Johnston, Sir Harry, quoted, 3, 16, 19, 20, 24, 28, 33, 34, 42, 66,
79, 86, 196, 223.

Junod, M. Henri A., quoted, 66, 78, 201, 223.

Kaboa, one of Ntumbi elders, 173.

Kambwiri, H., teacher of Blantyre Mission, 234, 280.

Kangomba, 48, 51.

Kankomba (Kangomba), Nyanja chief, 255.

Kapeni, Yao chief, 253, 258.

Kapirimtiya, starting-point of human race, 70.

Katunga’s, 5.

Keloids, 38-9.

Kidnapping, 275.

Kintu, Baganda myth of, 75.

Kirk Mountains, 7.

Klipspringer (_gwapi_), 17.

Knives, 201, 203.

Kumtaja, Yao chief, calls in Angoni, 260.

Land inalienable, 271.

Leopard, 18.

Levirate, 133, 167.

Leza = Mulungu, also = lightning, 58.

Lezi. _See_ Leza.

Lightning personified, 57.

Lindsay, Mr. J., quoted, 97, 125.

Lions, 18, 62, 64, 86-7.

Lipepete Mountain, 7.

Livingstone quoted, 4, 6, 25, 36, 37, 56, 64, 174, 201-2, 256, 267.

Local head-men, 255, 270.

Locusts, 23, 46.

Lomwe, 32. _See_ Alolo.

Loom, 155-6.

Luangwa River, 4, 25, 26, 42.

Luasi hills, 33.

Luchereng’anga = Mulungu, 71.

Lujenda valley, old home of Yaos, 257.

Lustration, after funeral, 162.

Lycanthropy, 86-7.

Lyke-wake, 157-8.

Mabisalila, witch-detective, 89 _et seq._, 263.

MacAlpine, Rev. A. G., quoted, 68, 85, 161, 166.

Macdonald, Rev. Duff, quoted, 48 _et seq._, 60, 65, 133, 227, 236,
240, 245, 247, 254, 266, 268.

Machinga (Yaos), 95, 258, 275, 284.

Madzimavi, son of Mpezeni, 281.

Magic defined, 76.

Magomero, 280.

Magwangwara (Zulus), 283.

Maize, 177;
how sown, 188.

Makalanga, 25, 277.

Makololo, 24, 36, 37.
chiefs, their harems, 132.
wholesale _mwavi_-drinkings, 170.
their despotism, 268-9.

Makua, 24, 39.
teeth filed, 42.

Malabvi Mountain, witch living on, 61.

Malemya, Yao chief at Zomba, 259-60.

Mandala, brother of Chekusi, 35, 172, 219.

Mang’anja. _See_ Anyanja.

Mangoche Mountain, old home of Yaos, 58;
tribe, 258.

Manis. _See_ Ant-eater.

Mankala game, 113, 146.

Mankokwe, Rundo of the Upper Shiré, 255.

Mapira (_Sorghum vulgare_), 182, 183.

Maples, Bishop, quoted, 253.

Mapondera, pounder of the _mwavi_, 171, 175.

Maravi, 25. _See_ Anyanja.

Marriage, 128 _et seq._
ceremony, 131, 134.

Masea, Makololo chief, 37.

Mashona, 25.

Masked dancers at mysteries, 98.

Matope, Yao chief, 53, 165.

Mats, 199.

Mausoleum, 164.

Mazitu. _See_ Angoni.

Mbasi, spirit of evil believed in by Wankonde, 62.

Mbona, 60, 61.

Mbudzi, Chigunda’s sister, leads prayers for rain, 56.

_Mchombwa._ _See_ Mankala.

Meals, 139.

Medicines (herbs and charms), 80 _et seq._
shown to people by Chiruwi, 59.

Men’s work, 134-5, 197.

Metamorphosis, 84, 85-7, 240.

Migrations of Angoni, 278 _et seq._

Minerals, 7-8.

_Mlandu_, 262.

Mlanje Mountain, 6.

Mlauri, Makololo chief, 37.

Moa. _See_ Beer.

Modelling, 117, 120.

Moffat, Rev. Robert, quoted, 36.

Moir, Mr. John, interrupts _mwavi_ trial, 174.

Monkeys, 17.

Mombera, Zulu (Ngoni) chief, 33, 279, 290.
his funeral, 163.

Morality, connection between religion and, 67-8.

Morambala Mountain, 1, 6.
Alolo living there, 32.
witch living there, 61.

Mourning, 156 _et seq._

Mpambe = Mulungu, 55, 56, 57, 185.

Mpende, Nyanja chief, 26, 255.

Mpezeni, Angoni chief, 281.

_Mphiyu_, medicine eaten in order to turn into an animal, 85-6.

Mtanga, Yao spirit, 58, 70.

Mulungu, 48, 53 _et seq._
name applied to spirits of dead when worshipped, 54, 62.
impersonal conception, 55.
as creator, 70-74.
driven from earth, 74.
sought by woman in Yao tale, 245-6.

Mummification of corpse among Awemba, 163.

Murchison Cataracts, 5.

Murder, 264.
of relation or dependent, how avenged, 67.

Music, 216-17.

Musical instruments, 221 _et seq._

Mvai Mountain, 7.

_Mwavi_ poison, 168, 171, 263, 265.

Mweru, Lake, salt swamps, 207.

_Mwiko_, prohibition, 94-6.

Mysteries, 123-8.
dances at, 97-8, 127-8.

Names, 103-4.
changed at mysteries, 126.
witches call dead person by his childish name, 88, 169.

Namzuruwa, Nyanja chief, 66.

Nchomokela, sacred hill of Batonga, 175.

Ndirande Mountain, near Blantyre, 8.
villagers of, 32.
tree with offerings on, 51.
haunted by spirit, 48, 51.

Neck-rests (pillows), 204.

Needles, 196.

Net-fishing, 193.

Nose-scrapers, 203.

Ntumbi, village of Upper Shiré district, 99, 133, 172.
forge at, 202.
head-men relate traditions, 280.

Nyambadwe Mountain, 7, 88.

Nyanja, language, 25, 210 _et seq._

Nyasa, Lake, 2, 3, 5.
changes in level, 5-6.
origin of, 75.
Angoni pass round north end, 281.

Offerings to spirits, 52.
at graves, 159, 164.
eaten by undertakers, 159.

Omens, 94, 187.

Oracle of _ufa_-cone, 53, 187.
of sticks, 90, 92.
of lot (_ula_), 93.

Ordeal by _mwavi_ poison, 90, 168, 175, 263.
people who die by it not buried, 160.
other ordeals, 264.

Owl, wizards’ messenger, 84, 169.

Palms, 14.

Pangolin. _See_ Ant-eater.

Parents and children, 108-110.

Peden, Dr., 284.

_Pelele_ (lip-ring), 26, 32, 40.

Pembereka, elder at Ntumbi, 101, 173.
died of _mwavi_, 173.

Pepper (Chile), 80, 140.

Periplus of Hanno, 10-11.

Piano (native), 223.

Pigeons, 101.

Pillows. _See_ Neck-rests.

Pirie, Mr. George, quoted, 160.

Plaiting wicker-work, 197.

Poison used in fishing, 15, 194.
(_mwavi_). See _Mwavi_ and Ordeal.

Polyandry, traces of, 257.

Polygamy, 132-3, 149.

Porcupine, 17.

Porridge, 136.

Potatoes (sweet), 177.

Pot broken at grave, 165.

Pottery, 204-6.

Pounding corn, 135-6.

Praises of the dead, 158.

Prayer, 49, 53, 62-3.

Prayer-tree, 62, 63.

Priestly functions exercised by chiefs, 271.

Priests (sacrificers), 270.

Property of deceased, how disposed of, 167-8.
in land, 271.

Prophets, 65.

Protectorate of British Central Africa, boundaries of, 1-3;
area, 4.

Pumpkins, 181.

Python, 21;
Yao tale of, 243.

Raids of Angoni, 284.

Rain, 10, 11, 179-80, 185.
prayers for, 51.
sent by Mpambe, 56-7.
people shouting for, 57.

Rainbow, 57.

Rain-charms, 77-80.

Rain-doctor, 79.

Ramakukane, Makololo chief, 37, 268.

Rats forbidden to some, 96.
in folk-lore, 243.

Rattles, 226.

Razors, 107.

Reid, Mr. J., quoted, 39.

Relationship, terms of, 254.

Reptiles, 20, 21.

Riddles, 121, 212-213.

Rod and line fishing, 193-4.

Ronga women’s ceremony for bringing rain, 78.

Roofs, 142.

Rowley, Rev. H., quoted, 29, 30, 31, 51, 55, 56, 60, 259.

Rundo (Lundu), Paramount Chief of Anyanja, 60, 255.

Ruo River, 2, 255.

Sacrifices, 47, and _see_ Offerings.

Sacrilege, 165, 267.

Salt, 139-40.
making, 206-7.

Sandia, Nyanja chief, 26, 255.

_Sansi_, musical instrument, 222.

Saurian, extinct, model of, constructed at mysteries, 97.

Scott, Rev. D. C., quoted, 66, 95, 229, 272.
visited Chekusi, 254.

Seasons. _See_ Rain.

Sebituane, Makololo chief, 36, 268.

Senzagakona, Zulu king, 278.

Sewing, 196.

Sharpe, Sir A., quoted, 207.

Shaving, 105, 107.
of hair in mourning, 166.

Shiré Highlands, 6-7.
River, 1-2;
name unknown to natives, 2;
flows out of Nyasa, 5.

Sipopo, Barotse chief, 36.

Slavery, 147, 272-5.

Slaves, murder of, 67, 265. See _Chirope_.
have a voice in appointment of chief, 259.
sacrificed at master’s death, 160.

Slave-stick. See _Gori_.

Smallpox, people dying of, not buried, 155. (See also note in
_Addenda_.)

Smith, Rev. J. A., quoted, 53.
Mombera takes lessons from, 279.

Smithy (_see_ Forge), 202.

Snakes, 21;
dead show themselves as, 64.

Sochi Mountain, 6, 46;
haunted, 51.

Songs, 216, 224.

Sosola cheats Angoni, 281.

Spider in African folk-lore, 74, 239-40.

Spirit-huts, 47, 48, 50.

Spirits propitiated, 46-49, etc.
kept in hut on Morambala, 61.
prayed to, 62.
possess and inspire the living, 63.
heard drumming and singing in Bush, 66.

Spoons (ladles), 139.

Stocks, 267-8.

Story-telling, 121, 230, 251.

String-making, 118.

Stringed instruments, 221-2.

Succession to chieftainship, 259.

Sugar-cane, 108, 176.

Sureties of husbands and wives, 132-4.

Tabu, 94-6.

Talismans carried by hunters, 188.

Tambuka. _See_ Batumbuka.

Tatuing. _See_ Keloids.

Teeth chipped, 41-43.

Temples, 63.

Theal, Dr. M’Call, quoted, 276.

Theft, secret, regarded with horror, 84.
punishment of, 264.

Thorn-trees, 15.

Thunder personified, 57.

Tingani, Nyanja chief, 255.

Tobacco, 178.

Torrend, Rev. J., S.J., quoted, 33.

Tortoise in folk-lore, 232, 239.

Traps, various kinds, 189-90.
sham, made by women to frighten hippos, 183.

Trees, 14-15.
sacred, 50, 52, 62, 101.
for canoe-making, 194.

Tribute paid to chiefs, 269-70.

Tshaka, Zulu king, 278.

Tuchila River, 7.

Tyolo Mountain, 7, 60.

_Uncle Remus_, 231 _et seq._

‘Undertakers’ (_adzukulo_ or _awilo_), 159, 161 _et seq._

Undi, Nyanja chief, 26, 256.

Unkulunkulu = Mulungu, 54.

_Unyago._ _See_ Mysteries.

Villages described, 99 _et seq._

Volcanic action, traces of, 6.

Wailing for dead, 157-8.

War, burial of men killed in, 160, 289.

War-arrows, 187.

War-dances, 228-9.

Watch-huts in gardens, 183.

Weaving, 195-6.

Weirs for catching fish, 192.

Whale represented in mysteries, 97.

Whistles, 188, 223.

Widows, re-marriage of, 167.

Witchcraft, 84 _et seq._, 168, 266-7.

Women preside over religious ceremonies, 56, 77.
their meals, 139.
position of, 148 _et seq._
work of, 135-6, 197, 204-6, 207.
Yao, captured and married by ‘Angoni,’ 133.
clean out wells to bring rain, 77.
chiefs, 256.

Wood-carving, 203.

Woodward, Ven. H. W. (Archdeacon of Magila), quoted, 22.

Yaos (Wayao or Ajawa), 24, 31, 51 _et seq._
tribe-marks, 39.
tooth-chipping, 42.
special deities, 58.
come from Mangoche Mountain, 58.
notions as to blood-guiltiness, 67.
birth-customs, 112.
betrothal and marriage customs, 129 _et seq._
man lives at wife’s village, 131.
language, 211.
tales, 234, 236, 239 _et seq._
trace descent through mother, 252.
their old home in Lujenda valley, 257, 276.
five branches of tribe, 258.

Young, E. D., quoted, 283.

Zambezi River, 1, 3, 4, 25.
crossed by Angoni, 280.

Zebra, 9, 17.

Zinyao dances, 97-8, 127-8.

Zomba, 7, 98, 259, 283.

Zulu spoken by Angoni, 35.

Zulus, 34, 35, 54, 72, 129, 271, 277-8.

Zwangendaba, Zulu chief, 279.

Zwide ka’ Yanga, Zulu chief, 278.

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at the Edinburgh University Press