434 HEAVENLY BODIES IN S.A. MYTHOLOGY. 



primitive man domesticated. It thus appears that the moon in 

 Hottentot mythology was a beneficent being, and had the gift of 

 the good things of life in her hand. Thus worship was paid to her. 

 There is not much in Hottentot mythology or folklore regard- 

 ing the stars. Certain of them had distinctive names, but beyond 

 this practically no tales connect them with man, except such as 

 are derived from the Bushmen. The rising and setting of par- 

 ticular stars that heralded the advent of the seasons was noted, but 

 no special honours were paid to them. 



Astronomical Lore of the Bantu. 



Amongst the Bantu sidereal worship is practically non- 

 existent, ancestor worship takes its place. As these people are 

 still more civilised than either Bushmen or Hottentots it might 

 have been expected that the worship of the heavenly bodies would 

 have been further developed. This may be explained by the fact 

 that their origin has been different from the former. There is a 

 Bechuana tribe practically extinct now, or at least absorbed in 

 that tribe, who are called the Ba-letsatsi, or men of the sun. The 

 siboko or tribal emblem is the sun. Stow gives some curious infor- 

 mation regarding them which I have not been able to check in all 

 particulars. He says: — 



"The Ba-letsatsi, or men of the sun, when the hrilliant star 

 of day rises in a cloudy heaven, do not work, saying that it afflicts 

 their heart. The food prepared the night before is all given to' 

 the matrons, or aged women, who alone may touch it, and. who 

 give part to the children under their care. On such mornings 

 these people go down in a crowd to the river, there to wash their 

 whole body. Everyone casts to the bottom of the water a stone 

 which they have carried from their hut, and which is replaced by 

 another taken from the bed of the river. On their return to 

 the town after their ablution, the chief kindles a fire at his house, 

 and all his subjects go to get fire from it. This, therefore, repre- 

 sented a consecrated or sacred fire, that is the sun from which 

 all receive their warmth. After this ceremony, begins a general 

 dance in a public place. He who has lost his father raises his 

 left hand towards heaven ; on the contrary, he who has lost his 

 mother raises his right; while the orphan, who has lost both, 

 raises neither, but crosses both his hands upon his breast. 



''This dance is accompanied by a monotonous song, when 

 everyone says : — 



' Pina ea Morimo, u ee gae 



Ki lema Ka lefe 



X' ee gae! U ee gae.' "* 



which the author translates as follows: — 



Song of the Shades of the Departed (Morimo) go home ! 



Which is it that I raise (i.e., which hand)? 

 Go home ! Go home ! 

 The translation is not very apt. Morimo is not the Shades of the 

 Departed, but the usual word for God. Moreover, the dance here 

 referred to, with its accompanying song, is not peculiar to the 

 Baletsatsi, but is performed by other clans of the Bechuana tribe 

 with slight modifications, and the same remark applies to the song. 



Si > . "The Native Races of South Africa," pp. 414-5. 



