92 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS SECTION E. 



be found a hut calleil the " Nfola oa Koina,"'^' which is at otice 

 the focus and the source of all the fertility rites of the tribe. It 

 is a sacred shrine and taboo to all uninitiated persons. The hut 

 itself is of phallic design, and consists of a central chamber en- 

 closed within an outer one. In the dark recesses of the outer- 

 chamber or passage are stored the dikomana or magic drums,! 

 which are consecrated by human sacrifice, and play a large part 

 in fertility and in war rites. These drums are regarded as the 

 earthly shrine of the tutelary spirit of the clan in much the 

 same way as the Ark was looked upon as the earthly tabernacle 

 of Jehovah by the Israelites. Beyond the drums is placed the 

 store of sacred seed, which I will describe presently. The 

 central chamber is separated from the outer one by a wall of 

 stone. All newly-married couples spend the first few niglits of 

 their wedded li\es within the sacred precincts of this hut, in 

 order that a numerous offspring of their union may be assured; 

 and it is used as a dormitory for girls during the rites which 

 are practised on attaining the age of j^uberty, with the same pur- 

 pose in view. The efi:"ect of the continuous use of the Ntloa 

 oa Koiita for this purpose, especially by those who subse(|uently 

 present the tribe with large families, is a reflex one, and th.e 

 efficacy of the building is reinforced. The interrelation of the 

 fertile powers of human beings and of the crops is illustrated by 

 the store of seed already mentioned. This consists of a hollow 

 vessel resembling one of the cylindrical seals used by the ancient 

 Babylonians in general shape, made of a composition of cow- 

 dung and beeswax, in which seed is stored in layers, separated in 

 at least one tribe ( Moletshie) by layers of human skin. At 

 sowing time each householder is given a ifew grains from this 

 store, which he mixes with the seed he is about to sow, in (uxler 

 that the fertility abst)rbed dtu-ing storage in the Kauma hut may 

 be imparted to the subsequent crop. Kidd's description of the 

 Zulu custom of cutting- up certain organs from the body of a 

 man and scattering them o\er the fields to ensure fertilitv is 

 another exam|)le of the same kind.! It would be possible to 

 enlarge U])on this subject for hours, l)Ut I think the few examples 

 T have quoted should suffice to make my point clear when 1 plead 

 that until faith in zvitchcraft is eradicated it 7cill never he possible 

 to educate the N'afiz'es in scientific methods of stock-farming^ 

 and agriculture. At jjresent all the methods and practices of 

 civilized man are regarded as merely the superior magic of the 

 white man. Let us now consider what has been done for the 

 education of the Bantu in South Africa. 



Hie first and most important fact(M- in their edvication is 

 found in the example set by n'hite men. 



* This apparently corresponds witli tiie " Egbo " house of the Bantu 

 of Central and West Africa described by Ainaury Talbot: " In the Shadow 

 of the Bush." 



t Described in "Bantu methods of Divination," RcM. S..I. Assn. for 

 Adv. of .Science. Marit/:l)urt; (1916), 397-408. 



■| Kidd : "Savage Cliildlicod." Appendix C. p. 291. 



