002 BANTU NEGKOES 



of Uganda descend from an ancestor who was a Bantu negro with little 

 or no Hima blood in his veins, and that such slight refinement of feature 

 as some of the Baganda princes or princesses display is merely due to 

 their Bantu progenitors having married women of Hima origin. Indeed, 

 for the matter of that, the ex-king of Unyoro, Kabarega, who claims 

 descent from an Hamitic ancestor, is quite a negro in appearance, as was 

 his father. Kamurasi. It is only in Ankole, Karagwe, and other countries 

 to the south that the royal families seem to be of modified Gala blood, 

 even though many of the subsidiary chiefs and much of the aiistocracy in 

 all these countries (excepting Uganda) are of such clear Hamitic descent 

 that many of them strangely resemble ancient and modern Egyptians. 

 In Uganda proper the Bahima never seem to have obtained such a hold 

 over the country as farther to the north and west. The Hima element in 

 the dynasty is, as I have already said, due to kings of Uganda having 

 married handsome slaves or princesses from Unyoro or Ankole. In Uganda 

 the people of Hima stock at the present day have become a cattle- 

 herding caste which marries within its own limits, and mixes but little 

 with the Bantu Negroes. 



Air. George Wilson* has been kind enough to forward me the 

 following fables, stories, and legends which he has obtained from the 

 Banyoro. It should be premised that the beast stories much resemble 

 those of other parts of Negro Africa, besides certain fables of European or 

 Asiatic origin. In all the African stories, however, the hare takes the 

 place of the fox as the embodiment of astuteness, and the leopard 

 replaces the wolf of European folk-lore. 



Fables. 



(1) The Greedy Hyaena. — One day a hyaena went to visit some of his friends. In 

 the house there was a small calabash standing, in which oil had been. He 

 straightway ate the calabash. Whilst walking over the room he saw some 

 caterpillars. Those he also ate. In fact, everything he saw — skins, refuse, etc.— 

 he devoured. His friends said to him, "Why do you eat thus grossly? You are 

 very greedy ; you must take some medicine to cure your great greediness." " Truly," 

 replied the hyaena, " I badly need such medicine ; I am very greedy." " Follow 

 the road to the left," said the friend, " and ask the way until you find the house of 

 the wizard who cures greed." The hyama went on his way, asking it from time to 

 time, until he reached the house of the Muhuma.f " Can you cure greediness ? " 

 asked the hyaena. "Yes," said the Muhuma ; "sit down and I will prepare a cure." 

 A sheep was brought and killed. At once the hyama exclaimed, " Ah ! I want to 

 eat it." " Well, I'm sure ! " said the Muhuma. " You come here for a cure for 



* Now Deputy Commissioner for the Uganda Protectorate. 



t In Unyoro the Hima caste is called Huma {sing. Mu-huma ; plur. Ba-huma). 

 The Muhuma here is a " muchwezi," or wizard. 



