374 Report S.A.A. Advancement of Science. 



the following mourning- song to recall all the sufferings of the year of 

 widowhood : — 



Angoma* nkulukuniba 1 Tatana a nga fa, a ba si3'a 

 Na ngonia a nga si ba byela ! 



Our secret law is a great law ! Our father has gone, he ha?* 

 left them, 

 And he had not told them about that law I 



During that song the old \\omen take away all the clothing of the 

 widows and wash their bodies. Then they lead them into the hut of 

 the great wife and put on them new clothing — the clothes which their 

 suitors and other relatives ha\e brought for them. When they are all 

 seated the sisters of the deceased proceed to the last distribution. 

 They ask first the great wife : " You, to whom do you belong ? " 8he 

 answers : " He ! Do you not know him ? It is the man who has 

 taken care of me, wlu) was visiting me ! I am choosing so and so I " 

 She can say also : " I am killing so and so I " (JVdyi dlaya man). That 

 means : " As I have killed my first husband I might do the same for 

 the second one," a ^ery promising declaration indeed. As soon as the 

 widow has given her answer, the women in the hut start shouting 

 loudly, and one of them goes out to the men and cries : " So and so 

 says she kills so and so ! " They proceed to ask another one : " You, 

 wht»m do you choose?" The woman remains silent. "What do you 

 mean i I do not choose anybody." " How is that ? Be sensible ! " 

 " No ! I do not want anybody ! " " Why 1 " They begin to press her ; 

 " You know well who has taken care of you, who has visited {famhela) 

 3'ou the whole year." " I do not want him I " " How is that possible 'I " 

 " No, 1 do not want him. 1 want the ntuk^ihi so and so." A fright- 

 ful noise is heard in the hut. They are all crying together. AVhat 

 has happened ? Probably that widow was not pleased with the man 

 to whom they had destined her. Seeing more of him during that year, 

 she did not love him moi-e. On the other hand, she had some liking 

 for one of the bahikulv, and she arranged secretly with him and per- 

 haps also with his mother that she wouhl keep silent till this da}' and 

 then choose her nephew. It is cjuite possible that the mother of the 

 iitiiknln will say in that instance: "Has this widow not been bought 

 with the money which I secured foi- the family by my marriage?" Of 

 course the official suitor objects strongly to that spoliation. He be- 

 comes angry. J)uring one year he has given clothing to the ungrateful 

 one. T'hings can grow so bad that the tdukuln takes the restive widow 

 at once and says : " Good-bye I I go with my wife I " The old men 

 will then follow him and supplicate him to come back. If they see 

 that the woman is quite decided, they will allow her to go to the hus- 



* I translate hy " la^\ " tlie word xtjoiiKi, wliii-h means especially tlie cir- 

 cunicision school (unknown to the l'>a-lion;;a), hut also any ceieiuony prescrilsetl 

 by law, siuTonndcd hy mystery and accompanied hy suH'erinus. 



