778 



NILOTIC NEGROES 



Masai " sime," but generally cany short knives, and sometimes a knife 

 curved Like a scimitar. They all of them possess knobkerries, or clubs. 



Poor-looking- dug-out canoes are used on the rivers and lakes, but the 

 people generally prefer the raft made of ambatch or papyrus bundles. 



A good deal of clever basketwork is made by the Bari, Latuka, and 

 Acholi. Most of these people work iron with the smelting furnace, forge, 

 and bellows already described in connection with the Bantu races. 



Their musical instru- 

 ments consist of antelope 

 or ox horns, drums, flutes, 

 and a small stringed in- 

 strument which is some- 

 thing like a zither. This 

 usually consists of the 

 shell of a tortoise covered 

 with a tight piece of 

 skin, over which five or 

 six strings are strained, 

 with a bridge in the 

 middle. 



With regard to the 

 condition of their 

 women, female chastity 

 before puberty is not 

 much regarded, though 

 it is generally considered 

 reprehensible if more 

 than what might he 

 termed ' ; philandering " 

 takes place between the 

 sexes. Adultery with a 

 married woman is re- 

 garded as a serious crime. 

 The marriage ceremony 

 is usually preceded by a more or less elaborate courtship, and the good- 

 will of the girl's mother must be won by the making of repeated presents. 

 which may last over a period of two or three years. There are no special 

 ceremonies or superstitions that accompany the birth of a child. Twins 

 are considered to be very lucky. The women are prolific, but infant 

 mortality is considerable, large numbers of children dying from malarial 

 fever. If a woman has had three or four or more daughters before she 

 gives birth to a son (the people preferring male children to girls), the 



42;. HEAD OF BUKEDI OX WITH CROSSED HOKNS FROM LANGO 

 COUNTRY, CENTRAL PROVINCE 



