INITIATION KITI'IS OF THE IIAl'KUl. 56/ 



*' The song of the Kgonia " ( K<jait viadikana, etc.), which is the 

 signal to the women at the kraal to hegin preparing food. 



On the clay.s following the day of circumcision, while the 

 wounds are still raw, the Initiates, with their attendant Miditi, 

 leave the Mphato during tlie day-time, and hide in some kloof in 

 the neighbourhood where \\^ater is to be found. On the previous 

 day the father of each Initiate surreptitiously obtains possession 

 of two pieces of brayed skin, and these are worn by the boys as 

 a covering, before and l)ehind, during the daytime while outside 

 the Mphato. A string is passed round the waist, and the skins, 

 one in front and the other behind, are passed through under- 

 neath to about the middle, and the upper part is then allowed 

 to drop down. The ai)r()ns are thus of double thickness, and are 

 called Mifjabelo. The chief Initiate uses ai)rons of wliite cloth 

 {Ngocfc) in place of the brayed skins. These aprons are used 

 only when on the march as a ]:>rotection from grass or Imshes ; 

 they are removed when halting, and w^hen the boys return to the 

 Mphato, and are rolled Uj) and used as pillows at night. 



( )n reaching their destination in the morning, the Initiates 

 remove their Mitjaln^lo, fold them up, and place them near the 

 spot where their fires will 1)e l)uilt later on in the day. This done, 

 the Miditi cry " Hlahla !" The_v are then ordered to jump into 

 the water and submerge themselves, and there they are forced to 

 remain a considerable time for the purpose of softening the 

 wound. When the Miditi deem tit they order the Badikana to 

 come out again, and to remove the scab which has formed. When 

 this has been done they return to the place where they left their 

 aprons. The boys are now divided into small groups ; a hre is 

 made in each camp, and sitting round it, the Miditi proceed to 

 instruct the Badikaiui in the secret formulae M'hich are known 

 only to the initiated. These formulae are generally ancient chants 

 or incantations which have been handed down from generation 

 to generation, and sometimes they are comi)osed for the occasion 

 by the Miditi themselves. The procedure is as follows : A Moditi 

 rapidly repeats a line of one of the chants he learned when he was 

 initiated, and the Initiates are expected to rejjeat the words 

 after him, using the same inflections and tones, accompanied by 

 the same gestures. If the slightest mistake is made the offenders 

 are beaten mercilessly. This is continued till the chant is known 

 absolutely by heart. The Miditi, however, take advantage of the 

 fact that the formulae consist largely of obsolete words, which 

 convey no meaning to the boys, and they therefore invent all kinds 

 of gibberish, choosing the most difficult combinations of words for 

 the purpose of entrapping the boys. This device, of course, pro- 

 duces the desired effect, for the youngsters stumble o\^er the diffi- 

 culties, and provide their tormentors with endless excuse for their 

 brutal amusement. 



The genuine incantations and chants are interesting, and may 

 prove of value in many ways, and we have been fortunate to 

 secure the texts of several. The first one given here is really a 



