3 2 4 



THE LIVING RACES OF MANKIND 



invaders. On reaching the river, he crossed by boat to the exact landing-place "where the 

 original conqueror first set his foot upon the frontier." 



The Wahuma invaders conquered not only Uganda, but a large tract of country west of 

 the Victoria Nyanza. There they established the empire of Kitwara, which has long since 

 been broken up into the recently independent states of Uganda, Unyoro, and Toru; while its 

 political influence can be detected over a still wider area, as in Usoga, to the east of the Nile, 

 and in the Monbuttu (Maugbattu) country, west of the Albert Nyanza. 



THE WAGANDA. 



Uganda is the central and most important part of these Kitwara states. It is situated to 

 the north-west of the Victoria Nyanza, and its old capital of Mengo is now the administrative 

 centre for the much vaster region known as the British Protectorate of Uganda. 



The population of Uganda has been estimated at from 800,000 to 5,000,000. The former 

 figure is probably the nearer the truth. Most of the people are typical Bantu Negroes, the 

 Wahuma being numerically insignificant. The Wahuma characteristics are recognisable only 

 in the chiefs or in some clans of cattle-herds living to the west of the Nyanza. 



As a type of the Wahuma caste we may quote Speke's description of Mfcesa, who was 

 king at the time of that traveller's visit: 



"The king, a good-looking, well-figured, tall young man of twenty-five, was sitting on 

 a red blanket spread upon a square platform of royal grass, encased in tiger-grass reeds, 

 scrupulously well dressed in a new mbuyu [i.e. bark-cloth]. The hair of his head was cut 

 short, excepting on the top, where it was combed up into a high ridge, running from stem 

 to stern like a cockscomb. On his neck was a very neat ornament a large ring, of beautifully 

 worked small beads, forming elegant patterns by their various colours. On one arm was 



another bead ornament, prettily devised; and 

 on the other a wooden charm, tied by a string 

 covered with snake-skin. On every finger and 

 every toe he had alternate brass and copper 

 rings; and above the ankles, half-way up to 

 the calf, a stocking of very pretty beads. 

 Everything was light, neat, and elegant in its 

 way; not a fault could be found with the 

 taste of his 'getting up.' For a handkerchief 

 he held a well-folded piece of bark, and a 

 piece of gold-embroidered silk, which he con- 

 stantly employed to hide his large mouth 

 when laughing, or to wipe it after a drink 

 of plantain wine, of which he took constant 

 and copious draughts from neat little gourd 

 cups, administered by his ladies-in-waiting, 

 who were at once his sisters and wives. A 

 white dog, spear, shield, and woman the 

 Uganda cognisance were by his side, as also 

 a knot of staff officers, with whom he kept 

 up a brisk conversation on one side, and on 

 the other was a band of tvichwezi, or lady 

 sorcerers. 



"The king's gait in retiring was intended 

 to be very majestic, but did not succeed in 



Photo by Richard Buchta. , conveying to me that impression. It was the 



AN UNYORO GIRL (FULL-FACE). traditional walk of his race, founded on the 



