THE CAGAXAXOA UK MA-LADOCIJ . 24O 



form to receive them. These bundles of grass are used for 

 thatching^ the roof of the men's platform. When this has been 

 done, the grass which is collected by the boys every day is used 

 for thatching their own sleeping shed. 



On the fifth day after the circumcision three poles of 

 Molioio wood (a wild fig tree), which have been specially 

 selected, are taken from the hiding place, where they have been 

 stored for some weeks. They must be perfectly straight, with- 

 out any twMgs or branches throughout their whole length, and 

 must otherwise fulfil the conditions already mentioned in con- 

 nection with the gate-posts of the Tsela ea boratatanxc. Two 

 of these poles are fixed upright in the ground, about eight feet 

 apart, in the open space in from of the Chief's seat. (Plate 6, 

 No. 3.) The upper ends of the poles are notched to receive 

 the third, which is laid across them, so as to form a " horizontal 

 bar." This structure represents the Tlo otshe, or sacred 

 elephant. (Palate 6, N. 6.) Tt remains in ])ositi()n until the 

 Mpliato is destroyed at the close of the ceremonies. When 

 this sacred symbol has been erected, after the Initiates are 

 asleep at night, one of the Manialsalwana climbs up on to it, 

 and clutching the horizontal bar with his legs, he hangs head 

 downwards and chants " The Song of the Elephant," while the 

 rest of the Warders join in the chorus. The Tlo otslir is treated 

 with very great veneration, as it is regarded as the emblem of 

 wisdom and the source of knowledge. All instruction in the 

 Lodge is delivered " from the elephant " b)' one of the 

 Maiiiafsahoana, specially chosen for the office, who mounts the 

 " bar " and repeats the sacred formuUe, after assuming the 

 dependant position described above. These formukx? are 

 jealously guarded by the Initiated, and are committed to 

 memory word for word, though many of the words are obsolete, 

 and their meaning unknown. The dialectical difference be- 

 tween the language of the Bagananoa and that of the Bapedi 

 is considerable, but many of the formulae used in the Initiation 

 rites of the Sekukuni are identical with those used by the 

 people of Malaboch. A careful study of the sacred formular 

 and hymns of the various Bantu " Schools " would probably 

 be of great help to the student, who wishes to get back to the 

 original stock language of the race. 



When the " Commandments " are recited from the Th 

 otshc. the wooden posts of the Tscia ea borafafanye are st'aick. 



The food of the Initiates consists of Kaffir-corn pap 

 (specially prepared for each boy by his female relations at the 

 kraal), and water. The water is drawn by some half dozen or 

 so of boys, who are told oft' for the task. They fetch it every 

 day, under the care of their Maiiialsahoaiia, in little calabaslie^. 

 or sometimes in horns. Only two meals a day are provided — 

 one before they leave the Mphato in the morning ; the other 

 after their return at night. 



