THE CONDITION Ol^^ ^J'HL{ XATlVi':S OF SOUTi 1-1<:AST 

 AJT>LJCA IN riil-: STNTEENTll CENTL'R^', ACCORD- 

 lN(i TO 'J'JIE h.AKIA' TOR TL'i ;U!<:S1<: DOlTMENTS. 



Rev. I l!:.\Ki A. ]i nod 



What is tlie orit^in of the South African lUmtu, and, if thih 

 cannot he (liscovere<l, what are. at least, the influences which have 

 broui^ht about the peculiar features of their social and psychic 

 life, their customs, their special ideas, their characteristic rites? 

 Did they borrow them from other people, or are these customs 

 absoltitely underived? What is, in one word, the secret of their 

 past ? 



if we consult the Native> themselves on these (|ue--tii^ns, on 

 wlrch every student of mankind would be very glad to get a 

 trustworthy answer, we must confess that the information they 

 give is very unsatisf actor}'. I hey still remember vaguelv some 

 historical events which happened a hundred years ago. They 

 have kept the memory of jxlitical changes and of migrations 

 which took ])lace from 200 to 400 years ago. They possess the 

 genealogies of chiefs of their clans wdiich number eight to 

 twelve names, and wliich may reach somewhat further back in the 

 past. But legendary traits are mingled with the historical facts, 

 and, when asked about their origin, they either say : " W'e do 

 not know," or they answer by the well-known story of the reed 

 and the chameleon. This is pure myth."^ 



The Portuguese displayed considerable activity in this part 

 of the world during the sixteenth century. Have they not left 

 documents wdiich would supplement this scanty Native inft^rma- 

 fion? In a review of the first volume of the book just referred 

 to, thQLoiirciico Marques Guardian put forth some hypotheses on 

 the origin of the Delagoa l>ay Natives, and exj^ressed the wish 

 that I should go to Li.sbon and there stud\' the Portuguese 

 archives, so as to throw more light on the fiuestion. It happens, 

 in fact, that I have lately had the opportunity of staying in Por- 

 tugal for two months, and 1 tried to find those precious docu- 

 ments. ( )wing to the courtesy of the directors of the (Geographi- 

 cal Society, I had access to their fine liijrary. but I came to the 

 conclusion that sixteenth century documents on the Natives of 

 South Africa are very few. The best report dealing with our 

 tribes is certainly the book of the Dominican brother [oao dos 

 Santos, Ethiopia oriental e z'arias Jiistorias de cousas ii('ta':'eis do 

 Orient^ printed in Evora in 1609. in which he describes what he 

 saw in Sofala and Tete. Is this work, in which the splendours of 

 the Monomotapa kingdom are revealed, entirely trustworthy? 

 It is hard to .say. As it deals rather with Central than with 

 Southern .Africa, and as Dr. Theal in his book. The Portui;;nese 

 in East Africa, has sufficiently made it known to modern readers. 



* Compare my work on " The Life of a South African Tribe,." Vol. II, 

 p. 3-26-328. 



