THE PEOPLE OF UGANDA AND THEIR ALLIES 325 



step of the lion; but the outward sweep of 

 the legs, intended to represent the stride of 

 the noble beast, appeared to me only to 

 realise a very ludicrous kind of waddle, which 

 made me ask if anything serious was the matter 

 with the royal person." 



The dress of the Waganda consists of 

 long robes of cloth made by beating the bark 

 of a species of fig-tree with wooden hammers. 

 But imported cotton has of late years been 

 superseding the native material. Over the 

 bark-cloth mantle was worn a robe made 

 ekher of cattle or of small antelope-skins sewn 

 together. The whole body is covered, and 

 under Mtesa's rule the punishment for being 

 seen out of doors insufficiently clad was death. 

 In the court, however, the women in imme- 

 diate attendance on the king were all quite 

 nude. Ornaments of beads and brass wire 

 were extensively used; but the ornaments 

 have changed, owing to increased communica- 

 tion with the coast. Tattooing and the filing 

 or extraction of teeth are unknown. The old 

 weapons, bows and arrows, have been exchanged 

 for muskets and rifles. 



The Uganda houses are large beehive- 

 shaped structures of thatch supported by posts. 

 The roof is double, which keeps the temperature lower than it otherwise would be. 



The staple food is the banana, which is broken into flour and eaten as gruel or unleavened 

 cakes. Sweet potatoes, maize, millet, beans, and pumpkins are also largely used, while the 

 Arabs have introduced tomatoes, papaw, and rice. Coffee is grown, and the berries are chewed. 



The national religion is fetishism, but Mohammedanism and Christianity have been 

 introduced and been widely adopted. The Christian missionaries belong to three parties: the 

 White Fathers of Algeria, a French Roman Catholic mission; the Mill Hill Fathers, who 

 are English Catholics; and the Protestant missionaries, belonging to the Church of England. 

 The missionaries have been very successful in educational work. Before the introduction 

 of Christianity and Islam and the establishment of British control human sacrifices were 

 extensively offered for religious motives, while much life was squandered by the caprice 

 of the king. 



Though the lives of strangers in Uganda were regarded as sacred, all the early travellers 

 to the country were horrified by the waste of life. Thus Speke assures us that "nearly 

 every day, incredible as it may seem, I have seen one, two, or three of the wretched palace 

 women led away to execution, tied by the hand, and dragged along by one of the body-guard, 

 crying out, as she went to premature death, '0 my lord! my king! my mother!' at the 

 top of her voice, in the utmost despair and lamentation; and yet there was not a soul 

 who dared lift hand to save any of them, though they might be heard privately commenting 

 on their beauty." 



The king was an absolute despot, and was regarded as almost divine. Hence attendance 

 at court was almost a religious duty. It is, according to Speke, " the duty of all officers, 

 generally speaking, to attend at court as constantly as possible; should they fail, they forfeit 

 their lands, Avives, and all belongings. These will be seized and given to others more worthy 

 of them, as it is presumed that either insolence or disaffection can be the only motive which 



Photo by Richard Buchta. 



AN UNYORO GIRL (PROFILE). 



