OKU;iX OF ZIMnAIiWE-CULTURE. 'i^2'J 



by Dr. Maciver in his " Mediiieval Rhodesia." His (hfficulties 

 were identically my old difficulties. 



h^or two years Mr. Neal and 1 discussed our rival hypotheses 

 as to origin while engaged in spade-work within the actual ruins. 

 There were, to \\\\ mind, far too many Kafir Kraal features 

 about certain of the ruins and too much Kafir about certain 

 of the relics to be associated with any suggestion of their being 

 resultant of the intrusion of any Asiatic influence in ancient 

 times. 



I'.e it remembered that Mr. Xeal had j^reviously worked in the 

 ruin- in Alashonaland. where are admittedly the oldest ruins. 

 ! had then only examined ruins in Alatebeleland, where the ruins 

 are representative of the decadence in building from the 

 original Zimbabwe construction. 



The truth, it must be confessed, was that though certain 

 buildings and relics in IMatebeleland were obviously Kafir — 

 though Kafir of from 500 to 900 years ago, or considerably 

 more — I had altogether failed to enquire into the origin of even 

 the Kafir culture dis])laved in such buildings and relics. Thus, 

 sorely against my natural predilections for an evolved culture 

 of purely Kafir origin, I was ultimately compelled to abandon 

 my cherished hypotheses. For twelve months at least, while 

 still <loing spade-work in the ruins in Matebeleland, I felt horribly 

 lost and miserable at the disappearance of my old conjectures. 

 The study of the evolution and display of culture of a pre- 

 historic people was then, to my mind, far more fascinating than 

 the study of a gradual decadence of an imported culture and its 

 ultimate fall into oblivion. All read with avidity of the build- 

 ing up of Rome and Athens, but few^ are sufficiently interested 

 to care to read of their decline and fall. However, for the last 

 twelve years my opinions have been reversed. 



But the " ascertained facts "' which led to this slow con- 

 version seem after this lapse of time exceedingly simple. In 

 t'ne Matebeleland ruins, which represent a .stage in the decadence 

 of the Zimbabwe culture approaching Kafirisation ; I found, 

 what later hmidreds of Rhodesians and experts from all parts 

 of the world have also found. 



1st. That in all extensions, additions, superstructures, and 

 repairs, the workmanship is invariably and most obviously in- 

 ferior to that of the original buildings, and just as these repairs, 

 etc., are of various ages, so in each succeeding addition or repair 

 there is a still further marked falling ofl:' in the builder's art until 

 at last pure and unadulterated Kafir building, or, rather, the rude 

 piling up of unhewn .stones of all sizes and shapes of but a few 

 score years ago, is reached. The old superior art of building in 

 dressed stone, in true courses at la.st became dissolved into the 

 rude rampant wall of Kafirisation. 



But exactly the same powers of decadence in culture had 

 been in operation in Mashonaland as in Alatebeleland. In 

 Mashonaland we see the decadent form of building not only 



