286 



THE LIVING RACES OF MANKIND 



and resting on his right side, he carries his scarf of charms. Round his loins he wears a few 

 yards of cloth, coloured or plain. Slung on his gun are a pair of sandals. And thus equipped 

 he stands ready for any fight." 



The Ikongo may be cited as one of the tribes which have managed to maintain its 

 independence; for the Hova have not been able to conquer the whole island, as some of the 

 tribes occupy impregnable positions. Thus the people of Ikongo live on the top of a plateau 

 five miles long, with precipitous sides, up which there is only one narrow and difficult ascent; 

 and as the plateau is well watered, and contains large rice-fields, it is self-supporting. 



The whole of the western side of Madagascar is occupied by about twenty-five tribes, 

 grouped together as the Sakalava, who before the nineteenth century were the ruling race in 

 Madagascar. The people have been less influenced by European and Arab intercourse than 

 the eastern tribes; and they approach nearer to the African type than the Ilova. Some of 

 them, such as the Anti-Mana, probably contain a preponderance of Negro blood. It is stated 

 that this Negro element has been introduced by slavery; but probably it was mainly due 

 to the absorption of survivors from tribes of Negro aborigines. That the original inhabitants 

 of the Hova province were Bantu is suggested by their name of Vazimba, which is identical 



with that of the Bazimba who 

 attacked Mombasa in the sixteenth 

 century. 



The culture of the Malagasi is 

 more uniform than their physical 

 characters. Clothing among all the 

 tribes consists mainly of cotton or 

 grass fabrics, or a bark-cloth, pre- 

 pared, as in Uganda, by beating 

 sheets of bark with a wooden 

 rnallet. One striking difference from 

 the East African tribes is the fact 

 that garments of skins and leather 

 are never used. Before the island 

 fell under European influence the 

 national dress was a loin-cloth, 

 reaching with men to the knees 

 and with women to the ankles. 



The ornaments worn are rings 

 of brass and silver on the arms, 

 fingers, or in the nose. The Saka- 

 lava wear the African ear-plug. 

 Traces of tattooing occur among 

 the Betsileo, who thus adorn the 

 neck and breast. The teeth are 

 generally left untouched, but some 

 of the forest tribes stain alternate 

 teeth jet black. 



The original weapons were 

 javelins, arrows, and the Malaysian 

 blow-tubes, all of which are still in 

 use in the interior; but firearms 

 are now practically universal. 



The houses are oblong in shape. 



Tne Walls are of & clay Or of 



timber planks. The roof is of 



Photo by the Trappitl Monastery] \.\[ u 



WIFE OF A KAFFIR CHIEF. 



iann Hill, Natal. 



