1920] 



on String Figures 



87 



think that the white man will laugh at these simple games ; thus an 

 exhibition is not made unless encouraged by sympathetic advances, 

 but if patterns are shown no secret is made about the method of 

 construction, which is not treated as a tribal secret. To this open 

 revelation of methods of weaving there is one reported exception 

 mentioned by Boas, and referred to later. Even, however, when 

 figures are displayed, it does not follow that it is easy to take down 

 or follow the rapid sequence of moves made by the operator, so the 

 collection of records may involve a good deal of gentle diplomacy. 



I can give you an illustration of this reluctance to show figures 

 unless they are asked for. Haddon, when a few years ago near the 

 Victoria Falls in Africa, met a high official of the Government, and, 

 enquiring about various customs of the natives, asked if any string 

 games were known in that part of the country. The officer said, 

 " No " ; he had never heard of them, he had lived for years among these 

 people, had constantly seen them at work and at play, and was con- 

 fident that nothing of the kind could exist without his knowledge. 

 After their talk Haddon strolled over to where the police escort 

 waited, and taking out of his pocket a piece of string (without which 

 to-day no self-respecting anthropologist ought to travel), made to 

 their obvious pleasure a couple of string figures. He then tossed 

 the string to a black orderly, who made other patterns. In fact 

 these natives were acquainted with various forms, and when Haddon, 

 disguising his deeper knowledge, showed interest, they were delighted 

 and readily exhibited to him such designs as they knew. One of 

 these is worth reproducing here, for it represents (what is rare in such 

 designs) a place, namely the Batoka Gorge on the Zambesi River 

 below the Victoria Falls. [The figure as shown by the Lecturer 

 was made bv successive movements, as set out in the next paragraph.] 



The Batoka Gorge. 



This incident suggests, what I believe is the truth, that the best way 

 of finding out native figures is to make some oneself, and then 

 challenge the natives to do better if they can : for this, no exten- 

 sive acquaintance with their language is necessary, a very obvious 

 advantage in opening communications on so technical a matter. 



