94 BULLETIN 139^ UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The following is the most detailed description of fire making from 

 any observer, and refers to the Akikuyu, East Africa. 



" No tradition or explanation of the origin of fire exists amongst the 

 Akikuyu, nor has it any place in social or religious ceremony. It is 

 ])roduced in one way only, the by-friction between two pieces of 

 wood. The implements for making it vary but slightly in pattern. 



"The upper, or drill, stick (u-lin-di) is a straight rod like a lead 

 pencil, 13 inches to 24 inches in length and 1 inch to IJ^ inches in 

 circumference. The lower end is convex. When using the longer 

 drill of 24 inches the palms of the hands are not applied more than 

 two-thirds of the way up. It may perhaps be well here to explain 

 that to obtain fire by the friction between two pieces of wood it is 

 essential that one shall be hard and the other soft, of which the 

 harder shall be the drill. Again, not anj^ drill will do with any fii-e 

 stick. The texture of the wood of the one has to bear a certain 

 relation to the texture of the wood of the other in order to produce 

 fire. The Akikuyu say in explanation that 'one is the man and the 

 other is the woman.' The upper or drill stick (u-lin-di) may be made 

 of the wood of the following trees : 



"Ni-u-gu-o; mu-Hn-di-ki; mu-gu-mu; mu-chu-gu; mu-gi-o; ru-gu-tu 

 or ka-gu-tu ( ? veronia, species) ; mu-cha-sa (veronia, species) ; mu-li-ka 

 ( ? veronia, species) . 



"The lower or fire stick (je-lca) is made of an altogether different 

 wood. It is of the pulverized tissues of this stick that the tinder is 

 formed and gradually brought to a glow by the friction of the drill. 



"It is oval in sections, 9 inches to 123/^ inches long by 13^ inches 

 to 23^ inches in circumference, flattened on its lower aspect, and 

 tapered to a point at either extremity. On the upper surface of its 

 middle third about half a dozen cavities, the size of half a pea, are 

 formed to receive the end of the drill. The wall of each cavity is 

 cut down to its bottom at one point, and a tiny gutter made to pro- 

 ceed from it. Down this gutter the pulverized woody fiber insensi- 

 bly trickles as it escapes from beneath the drill. None of it remains 

 in the cavity of the fire stick. This lower block or fire stick may 

 be made of the wood of the following trees. 



"Mu-rin-ga; mu-chu-gu; mu-i-goi-a; mu-te-i (? veronia); mu-re-vu. 



"To make fire two natives proceed as follows: One from his quiver 

 takes his drill and fire stick. From his scabbard he draws his sword. 

 They sit on their heels opposite to one another. The sword lies on 

 the ground between them, its point directed tow'ards the man about 

 to use the drill. The assistant then firmly holds the fire stick trans- 

 versely across and a little above the tip of the weapon, and places a 

 small handful of dry, crumpled grass handy. 



" The fire maker then rubs the palms of his hands and also the tip 

 of the drill on the dry ground, and drops a minute quantity of earth 



