Ethnographic Bureau for South Africa. 165 



from learned societies or by rt-search studentships. Such \isitors 

 would be all the more likely to come if they knew there was a local 

 bureau thai could put them in touch with all the best sources of 

 information in their special subjects, and in return the bureau would 

 benefit greatly by their advice and opinions. 



The central fi^thnological Museum, situated at the headquarters 

 of the department, would have a prior claim on all ethnological 

 objects of national interest, collected by the officers of the bureau. 

 It might be possible to defray some of the expenses of the bureau 

 by the sale to other museums of duplicates, though in view of the 

 fact that the serious study of South African ethnology (like that of 

 South African Natural History generally) will have to be done in 

 South Africa, and not by chamber scientists at Home, great care 

 should be taken to prevent the too lavish exportation of specimens. 

 It is interesting to note in this connection that the export of native 

 curios from New Zealand is now prohibited by law. 



The next question is : what would be the scope of the investiga- 

 tions of such a bureau, and w^hat would be gained by its work ? 



The branches of ethnology and anthropology in which in the 

 opinion of the present writer there are the most crying needs for 

 investigation, are : (i) The study of traditions, folklore, beliefs and 

 customs; (2) Experimental psychology, and mental growth statistics; 

 (3) Physical observations ; (4) Study of the mixed races. 



It is difficult to see how full details of traditions, folklore, etc., 

 and particularly of the variations of the different traditions in different 

 tribes, can ever be compiled without a central bureau to tabulate 

 data and to indicate lines for further study. No amount of scattered 

 writings and haphazard observations will ever furnish a full insight into 

 the psychology of the Bantu. Obviously our bureau, whose officers 

 would have the literature of their subject at their finger ends, couid, 

 by circulating instructions and question sheets among volunteers, 

 obtain not only casual notes, but co-ordinated records. In this way 

 it would be practicable to take certain subjects of special importance 

 or urgency and to press forward the investigations of these first, till 

 sufficient material was collected to monograph a particular branch, 

 say marriage customs, animism, or some other matter. A mono- 

 graph of this kind would be of extraordinary .value, compared to 

 the usual ethnographic writings, because based on investigations on 

 the same lines made simultaneously at various centres. There \an 

 be no question that an insight, such as these records would give us, 

 into questions like marriage customs, or the tribal legal procedure 

 (formerly very complex among the Bantus in their own administra- 

 tion of justice) would have an important practical bearing on the 

 administration of native law. 



Thanks to the work of Dr. Bleek, we have a copious Bushman's 

 folklore in the form of eightv-four manuscript volumes available for 

 future reference in the Grey Library at Cape Town, together with 

 an incomplete Bushman Dictionary. The time is fast coming when 

 we will have to approach these records as the papyri of Egypt were 



