THE BANTU OF SOUTH AFRICA 



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possessing large herds of cows and goats, they will not give a stranger a drop of milk until 

 he pays for it." 



The national dress of the Bechuanas is a skin cloak, or Jcaross; women wear in addition 

 two or more skin aprons. They have elaborate ornaments of strung teeth, and beads, and 

 armlets of grass. 



The chief weapons of the Bechuauas are the barbed assegai and oval hide shield; but they 

 also use a two-edged dagger and knobkerries, and their wars with the Bushmen have forced 

 them to adopt the bow and arrow. The wooden handles of their daggers are beautifully 

 carved; for in woodwork the Bechuanas are very skilful. They make spoonsand cups, engraved 

 with animals and arabesque designs. Their pottery and basket-work are also superior to that 

 of most of the South African Bantu. The huts are conical, with extinguisher-shaped roofs 



Photo by B. W. Canty] 



USIPEBUS WIVES, ZULULAND. 



[Uuiban. 



placed on low walls. The roof overhangs the wall considerably, and its outer margin is 

 supported by poles. In some of the huts these poles are connected by a lattice-work, so that 

 the huts are double- walled. 



The main foods of the Bechuanas are the meat of cattle and goats, milk, and maize. 



Marriage is based on purchase. The efforts of the Cape Government to abolish this 

 system have been resisted by both sexes, and especially by the women, who are flattered by 

 the feeling that they are worth paying for, and fear that they would cease to be considered 

 and cared for if they could be had for nothing. As in the case with most tribes who believe 

 in totems, there are many restrictions on marriage, and the union of cousins is prohibited. 



After this brief sketch of the general customs of the Bechuanas, we need only consider 

 the distribution of the principal tribes. The most southern representatives, the Batlaro and 

 the Batlapi, live in the districts of Kuruman and Vryburg, north of Griqualand. To the north 



