Chap. XIX. LOVE OF OENAMENTS. 341 



As the face with us is chiefly admired for its beauty, 

 so with savages it is the chief seat of motiUitioii. In 

 all quarters of tlie world the septum, and more rarely 

 the wings of the nose are pierced, with rings, sticks, 

 feathers, and other ornaments inserted into the holes. 

 The ears are everywhere pierced and similarly orna- 

 mented, and with the Botucudos and Lenguas of South 

 America the hole is gradually so much enlarged that 

 the lower edo:e touches the shoulder. In North and 

 South America and in Africa either the upper or lower 

 lip is pierced; and with the Botocudos the hole in the 

 lower lip is so large that a disc of wood four inches in 

 diameter is placed in it. Mantegazza gives a curious 

 account of the shame felt by a South American native, 

 and of the ridicule which he excited, when he sold his 

 temheta, — the large coloured piece of wood which is 

 passed through the hole. In central Africa the women 

 perforate the lower lip and wear a crystal, which, from 

 the movement of the tongue, has '' a wriggling motion 

 "indescribably ludicrous during conversation." The 

 wife of the chief of Latooka told Sir S. Baker *^ that his 

 " wife would be much improved if she would extract 

 *' her four front teeth from the lower jaw, and wear the 

 " long pointed polished crystal in her under lip." Fur- 

 ther south with the Makalolo, the upper lip is perforated, 

 and a large metal and bamboo ring, called a felele, is 

 worn in the hole. " This caused the lip in one case to 

 project two inches beyond the tip of the nose ; and 

 when the lady smiled the contraction of the muscles 

 *' elevated it over the eyes. * Why do the women wear 

 "'these things?' the venerable chief, Chinsurdi, was 

 " asked. Evidently surprised at such a stupid question, 

 " he replied, ' For beauty ! They are the only beautiful 





42 



* The Albert N'yanza,' 1866, vol. i. p. 217. 



