224 THROUGH ANGOLA 



meet on the road. On one occasion two of my 

 men were chased by an initiation gang, and 

 only saved themselves by running to me for 

 protection. 



The girls are not marriageable until they have 

 passed through their initiation ceremonies. I was 

 not able to ascertain whether some of the nude, 

 ash-dusted young women I saw in my journey 

 through southern Angola were initiates or brides 

 about to marry ; for I know south of the Cunene 

 River all brides are taken round to their friends 

 and painted up like this, and enjoy a large measure 

 of freedom before marriage. 



The custom of keeping brides separated from 

 the ground occurs here as in other parts of Africa, 

 where the custom may equally apply to other 

 people temporarily rendered important, such as 

 girls during initiation, dancers, etc. 



Scarcely anywhere in Angola is there any 

 ceremony on marriage, which is practically always 

 a matter of purchase, the women being bought 

 with cattle, merchandise, or money. She brings 

 neither dowry or trousseau beyond an apron of 

 fibre skin or cloth ; in some tribes the bride is 

 handed over naked to her husband, who must 

 provide her with all her clothing, a sleeping mat, 

 and the few pots and pans, which is all the furniture 

 there is in an Angolan household. He has also 

 to provide the wedding feast and as much beer 

 and palm wine as the village can drink. 



In the south of Angola among the manlier 

 hunting tribes, a prospective bridegroom must 

 qualify himself for matrimony bv running down 



