THE ABYSSINIAN AND ETHIOPIC GROUPS 



373 



pastoral peoples, a melancholy race, 

 who will sit for hours upon a bank 

 gazing at the moon, or crooning some 

 old ditty under the trees?" 



But the injustice of the early 

 reports of Somali fanaticism and 

 hostility to strangers is now gener- 

 ally admitted ; and though they have 

 on occasions committed acts of dia- 

 bolical cruelty and are very excitable, 

 later travellers have been impressed 

 by their merits. The Somali are 

 certainly intelligent, skilful artisans, 

 devoted to men whom they trust, 

 and tolerant of discipline. 



The weapons of the Somali are 

 a large spear with a leaf-shaped blade, 

 a small thro wing- javelin, a two-edged 

 dagger about 18 inches long, a club, 

 and a round hide shield about 18 

 inches in diameter. The spear is the 

 main weapon: it has a wooden handle 

 4 or 5 feet long, which ends below 

 in a point, a ferrule, or a short iron 

 spike; the head is from 2 to 4 inches 

 wide, about 8 inches long, with a 

 shaft about a foot long; the blade 

 is often blackened by being made 

 red hot and then rubbed with a 

 piece of cow's horn. The northern 

 Somali sometimes fight on horseback, 

 and their horsemanship is excellent. 



Most of the Somali are Moham- 

 medans, and adhere with fanatical 

 devotion to a somewhat corrupt form 



of that religion. They wear the Moslem rosary of ninety-nine beads, and carry charms. One 

 of their devotions takes the form of a dervish dance round a fire, which they continue till 

 they throw themselves into the flames in frenzy or fall into them in a mesmeric trance. They 

 will not eat meat unless the animal has been killed by a Mohammedan, or dedicated to Allah 

 by a prayer said over it in its dying moments; and they have been known to starve to death 

 rather than touch Christians' food. 



Their religion is, however, mixed with fetishism; for they swear by stones, they have 

 holy places and sacred trees, and trust justice to ordeals, making suspected criminals pluck 

 cowry-shells out of a pot of boiling water, walk over hot ashes, or drag a heavy red-hot iron 

 weight from a fire. The verdict is given the day after the ordeal, according to the appearance of 

 the burnt scar. 



Polygamy is usual, and the men marry between the ages of fifteen and twenty. A man 

 usually marries a woman from another clan, as he thus gains protection from blood-feuds with 

 his wife's people. The women do all the menial work of the tribe, and some of them 

 usually accompany caravans on the march to make the grass huts, cook the food, and load 

 the camels. The men act as camel-drivers, hunters, and warriors. 



Burial rites are simple, especially since, being Mohammedans of the Shafeite sect, they 



By perm ission of the Professor of Anthropology, Natural History Museum, Paiis. 

 A YORUBA MAN. 



