184 NATIVE IDEAS OF COSMOUH'.N'. 



of the country emerged from a cave, and the former declare that 

 they sprang from a tree. When men and beasts first burst from 

 the parent tree — so runs the tradition — all was enveloped in pro- 

 found darkness. A Damara then lit a fire, which so frightened the 

 zebra, the girafi:e, the gnu and every other beast now found 

 wild in the country, that they all fled from the presence of man, 

 whilst the domestic animals, such as the ox, the sheep, and the 

 dog, collected fearlessly round the blazing brands. 



The tree from which the Damaras are descended is to be 

 seen, they say, at a place called Omaruru. But somehow there 

 must be more than one parent tree, for both in going and coming, 

 we met with Omumborumbongas, all of which the natives 

 treated with filial afifection"* (ialton gives a somewhat similar 

 account in his Travels in South Africa, but says that men have 

 also a special origin or " eanda," and that there are some six 

 or seven of these " eandas," each with its own peculiar rite. 

 Amongst the Nandif of iBritish East Africa, men and women 

 are supposed to have sprung from the leg of an Ndorobo, a 

 race of hunting savages similar to the Bushmen of South 

 Africa. The Damaras are no more definite in the location of 

 the parent tree than are the Bechuanas or Yao. with respect to 

 their great hole. The darkness in these stories is reminiscent 

 of the Babylonian myth, and raises the c|uestion, is there any 

 connection between them? This will Ije discussed later when 

 considering the derivation of these stories. 



I now give a legend of Creation common amongst the 

 Abenanzwa of Southern Rhodesia, who are a remnant of the 

 old Varoswe, whose ancestors claim to have built Zimbabwe and 

 other similar ruins, and who have many curious and interesting 

 customs peculiar to themselves. This account stands on quite a 

 different plane to those given above, and is strangely like that 

 given in the Ijook of Genesis. It runs as follows : — 



In the beginning God created the earth and the waters. He saw 

 that the world was bare-looking, and so created the trees, grass, and 

 plants to hide the nakedness. He rested awhile, content, but later on said : 

 "This world of mine is still empty.'' He then took clay and fashioned 

 beasts, birds, and lishes, and breathing into them, gave them life. He again 

 rested for awhile, and then said : " My world is still not complete. 1 will 

 make creatures in my own image, and I will call them my children." 



God then took clay and fashioned woman, and after breathing life 

 into her, fashioned man and gave him life also. Man, animals, birds, 

 and tishes he fashioned in pairs, male and female, that they might multiply 

 and increase. After this he created no more.:!: 



Mr. Hemans. who collected this tale from the Abenanzwa, 

 informed me that he had taken the greatest pains to arrive at 

 the truth, that he had cross-examined many natives, with the 

 object of discoverinif if they had any other explanations, but 

 found none. I may add Mr. Hemans' comment on the religious 



*Andersson: "Lake Ngami," 22 r, ^27. 

 t Hollis : " The Nandi," 97. 



t Hemans : " History of the .Kbenanzwa Tribe," Proc. Khod. Sc. Assoc- 

 12. [2] 107 et seq. 



