776 ABORIGINAL PLACE NAMES. 



name occurring in Matatiele District, and the latter down in 

 >sgqeleni. 



Ntenetyana comes apparently from i-Ntenetya, the rock hare, 

 Lepus scLvaMlis Cuv. Godfrey adds : " The name is probably 

 applied also to the red hare. Pronolagiis crassicaudatns Geoff." 

 In this case the name appears in diminutive form, and so may 

 indicate another smaller species not yet identified. 



Ntshilini, from i-Ntshili, the red-faced mouse-bird. Colitis 

 iitdicus Lath. 



l^sliisauc is the Pondomisi name for the black-shouldered 

 kite. 



Si(/cau. from isi-Gcau, a spider, is the name of the late 

 Pondo chief, and the place-name, no doubt, comes from the chief 

 rather than from the spider. 



Umcimvitbu, the home of the hippopotamus, Hippopotamus 

 amphibius L., still perpetuates the memory of the extinct race. 



Xalflnga, the name of a district, comes from i-Xalanga, the 

 generic name for vultures. 



Zibodla, the African wild cat. Felis ocrcahr cajfra Desm. 

 Mbidlana gives the diminutive, and probably indicates a smaller 

 species not yet identified. 



V. — Names connected ivitli Superstitions and Customs. 



Among these we select the following names, bv way of 

 example : — 



Nkondlo is the concluding dance of the N ton jane. The 

 Ntonjane is the female initiatory rite corresponding to the cir- 

 cumcision rites of the boys, and takes us into the heart of the 

 evils of heathenism. Much remains to be done before the 

 Ntonjane, with all its vile accompaniments, is efi^ectively sup- 

 jj'cssed. 



Mbiilu, a j)urely mythical beast, having the power of assum- 

 ing human shape, and yet unable to keep his tail hidden. 



Mc/zcakwa is obscure, but I think not unconnected with the 

 superstition associated with the much-feared snake. Inkwakwa is 

 a long cobra, very venomous, and no doubt the superstition has 

 arisen from that fact. 



Fnndhcayo reminds us of a shamefu,! custom., common 

 enough in the early days, when a chief in passing through any 

 given district allotted girls to members of his company during 

 the period of their stay. Gaika is said to have established the 

 custom about 1810. The name indicates the place where some 

 such seizure took place. 



Oamata is a name worthy of a lengthy note, on accoiuit of 

 its usage as an invocation in connection with sacrifice. It is a 

 word whose depth has not yet, I think, been fully sounded, and 

 for the present I prefer to merely note. i-Oamata is a name (of 

 H.-B. origin) for God, and is used in the aboriginal prayers, of 

 which so little is definitely known. 



