444 XOSA ARTS AND CRAFTS. 



The shaft, itln-ll, of an assegai was a long thin piece of 

 assegai-wood, nni-gxina, about 5 feet in length and Yz in. in 

 diameter, tapering slightly towards the end away from the head. 

 The shaft was split open at the end. and the head inserted into 

 the cleft to the depth of about 1]/^ in. It was then fixed in posi- 

 tion by smearing it wdth resin, i-tywiiia, obtained from the candle- 

 wood tree, i-bolo, or from a species of hypoxis, i-xalanxa, 

 and was tied very tightly to the shaft with a fine thong made 

 from the shoulder sinew^s of the ox. The shaft was rendered 

 pliant by holding it over a tire, tshisa, and manipulating it with 

 the hands, and was carefully balanced for use. It was tested 

 thoroughly, z'avanya, before purchase, and was notched by the 

 purchaser with his own private mark, iii-tlaho. 



The fixing of handles in hoes and axes formed a profession 

 hy itself, that of the burner-in, iim-piscli. The handle was^ not 

 fixed into a hole in the head as with us. but a hole was burnt 

 into the handle, pisela (a primitive Bantu form of the verb 

 tshiscla), w'ith the pointed end of the axe, or hoe-head, heated 

 red-hot. When the iron was cool, it was pushed as far as 

 possible into the hole, and there firmly fixed by lashing it tightly 

 with thongs well smeared with resin. 



The original hoe or pick, i)uj-xoboiii^a, 'for breaking up, 

 kiihela, and cultivating, lima, land, and also the original spade 

 for scoffling or clearing away weeds, iim-lilakulo, were both made 

 of sneezewood, iim-tati, or ironwood, nm-iilcbc, the hardest and 

 toughest woods obtainable. The head of the pick was fixed as 

 described above in the case of the axe-head, but it was set at an 

 acute angle to give greater purchase, and the user bent down con- 

 siderably in using it. The wooden spade, for the sake of balance, 

 was made much longer in the head and proportionately shorter 

 ir. the shaft than our iron spades. The maker of hoes and spades 

 was called iiin-hazi or incihi ycmiti. 



Of wood they also made troughs, iim-kitmbi, and in older 

 days farther north, boats or canoes, nm-kombc (another form 

 of the' same word), by burning and cutting out in turn the inside 

 of a tree trunk. They made stamp-blocks of mortars, isi- 

 nqusho, for husking" grain, by hollowing out the end of a tree- 

 stump, isi-kondo, and pestles or stampers, isi-nfilo, of stamper- 

 wood, um-hlcli. They also hollowed out wooden spoons of 

 various kinds, i-cepc, i-gxcbcka, u-kczo, the handles of which 

 were sometimes elaborately carved, rola. 



Wooden weapons were numerous. There was the simple 

 stick, in-to)i(ja, used in fencing, and generally to ward ofT blows 

 — the word was also used to describe a w^eapon of any kind. A 

 form of it was the um-rolo, a long stick of olive-wood, um-nquma, 

 which was bound up with the bundle of assegais, and used for 

 first defence in case of threatened danger. Another was u)h- 

 vqayi. a long, pointed stick wdthout a knob, used as a weapon in 

 single combat, and held high above the head in dancing, made 

 of wood of the same name, um-nqayi (Eleodendron veliiUiuiui ). 

 There were also various kinds of knobbed sticks or knob-kerries. 



