778 



NILOTIC NEGROES 



Masai ••>iiiic."" hut i^n'in Tally cari-y short knives, and sometimes a knife 

 cmv.'d like a seiinitar. They all of them possess knobkerries, or clubs. 



Pooi-lookiui^ (lui^-out ciiiives are used on tlie rivers and lakes, but the 

 people irenerally ])refer the raft made of ambatch or papyrus bundles. 



A i^-ood deal of clever hashehuovh is made by the Bari, Latuka. and 

 Acholi. Most of these p(H)ple work iron with the smelting furnace, forge, 

 and bellows already described in connection with the Bantu races. 



Their tnusical 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 liridge in the 

 middle. 



With regard to the 

 condition of their 

 vjomen, female cliastity 

 liefore puberty is not 

 much regarded, though 

 it is generally considered 

 reprehensible if more 

 than what might be 

 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 motlier nuist be won by the making of repeated presents, 

 which may last over a period of two or tlu'ee 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 consichn-able. large numbers of children dying from malavi.d 

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

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



425. HEAD OF lilKEDI OX WITH CKOSSED HORNS FRO.M LANGO 

 COUNTRY, CENTRAL PROVINCE 



