218 MYTHOLOGY. 



are not only disagreeable, but injurious to health. The lips 

 crack, and the skin feels dry and harsh. Occasionally, at 

 this time, tropical rains fall, but they do more harm than 

 good, as a sudden cold which annihilates vegetation is inva- 

 riably the result. In July and August the nights are the 

 coldest, and it is then no unusual thing to find ice half an 

 inch thick. Snow is of rare occurrence. 



The Damaras and the Bechuanas have nearly the same 

 notion as to their origin. Thus the latter believe that the 

 founders of their nation and the animals of the country 

 emerged from a cave, while the former declare that they 

 sprung from a tree. When men and beasts first burst from 

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

 profound darkness. A Damara then lit a fire, which so fright- 

 ened the zebra, the giraffe, the gnoo, and every other beast 

 now found wild in the country, that they all fled from the 

 presence of man, while the domestic animals, such as the ox, 

 the sheep,* and the dog, collected fearlessly round the blaz- 

 ing 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 several Omumborombongas, all of 

 which the natives treated with filial affection."}" 



The chief deity of the Damaras is called Omukuru. His 

 abode is said to be in the far north ; but it would be some- 

 what difficult to specify his attributes. Each tribe is sup- 

 posed to have its own Omukuru, to whom it ascribes all its 

 superstitious habits and customs, peculiarities, &c. The tribe 

 is divided into castes or " eandas." Thus there are Ovakue- 

 yuba, those of the sun, or related to the sun, and Ovakue- 

 nombura, those related to the rain, &c., each of which has 



* Some Damaras attribute the origin of the sheep to a large stone. 

 f The grain of this tree is so very close, and the wood so exceed- 

 ingly weighty, that we gave it the name of the "iron tree." 



