296 



THE LIVING RACES OF MANKIND 



with an. assegai. They 

 formerly smoked dakka, 

 A species of wild hemp, 

 now mostly replaced by 

 tobacco. 



The customs of the 

 Hottentots are often the 

 same as those of the 

 Kaffirs as, for example, 

 most of the ceremonies 

 connected with the birth 

 of children; thus they 

 carefully bury the 

 placenta, the mother 

 undergoes certain rites 

 of purification, and the 

 infant is smeared with 

 cow-dung. Circumcision 

 is performed when boys 

 are about nine years of 

 age. Marriages between 

 near blood-relatives are 

 forbidden; the woman's 

 consent is asked, after 

 which the affair is settled 

 by purchase between the 

 bridegroom and his 

 future father - in - law. 

 Polygamy was once 

 prevalent. The burial 

 customs are interesting: 

 the corpse is sprinkled 

 with blood, sewn up in 

 mats, and buried in a 

 sitting attitude facing 



the east in an excavation made on one side of the grave. In filling up the grave, the earth 

 is therefore not thrown on the corpse. 



These rites and the folklore of the Hottentots show their lively faith in a future life and 

 in the existence of spirits. Their folklore is extremely rich in tales of the "Uncle Remus" 

 type. Their language is allied to that of the Bushmen, but it contains only four regular clicks. 

 Its structure is very specialised; for it has a gender, and shows whether nouns are masculine, 

 feminine, or neuter by the aid of suffixes; it also has three numbers. But, as in some other 

 linguistic groups, the meaning of many words varies according to the tone of expression. 



2. THE BANTU OF SOUTH AFRICA. 

 THE OVA-HERERO. 



As we have seen in the last section, the most powerful and most typical race of Hottentots 

 are the Namaqua of the lower part of the Orange Kiver. They have been reduced in numbers 

 by a struggle with a northern race, the Hereros, who are now the dominant people in German 

 South-west Africa. Between these two peoples there was once a buffer tribe, known as the 

 Hill Damara, who were hybrids between the Namaqua and their northern foes; but they were 



I'/ioto by O. W. Wilson] 



A CAPE KAFFIR. 



