204 AFRICA SPEAKS 



being, only that there is a long snout like that on a 

 wolf. It is light tan in color and has an odd call like 

 that of doves. 



It will attack anyone, and after it has killed its 

 victim it breaks open the skull and eats the brains. 

 WTien the Nandi find a person dead with his head in 

 this condition they know the Nandi Bear has been 

 about. Sometimes very brave men will stand their 

 ground with spear or club and then the bear will run 

 into the forest and not harm them. 



Such is the tale as told by the Nandi themselves. 

 That some strange animal prowls about in their country 

 is possible, but when it comes right down to producing 

 the Nandi Bear itself, something always prevents. I 

 tried to organize a hunt to run this weird beast to 

 earth, but was unsuccessful. They will spear lions 

 and leopards, but when it comes to creeping through 

 the forest in search of the Nandi Bear, that is some- 

 thing else again — a thing to be whispered about. 



The Nandi do not live in large villages like many 

 African tribes, but sometimes one or two famihes will 

 group together for sociability. The Nandi women 

 ornament themselves in a similar manner to the 

 Masai, but, in contrast to the Masai, they are neat 

 and clean and, while they do most of the work, still 

 they seem to have plenty of time for leisure, enjoying 

 life in a much greater degree than most primitive 

 women. Nothing worries them, either past, present, 

 or future, and in such a state of mind they go merrily 

 about their daUy tasks. The young Nandi women 

 must go through many strange rites before marriage, 

 one of them being circumcision, without which no 

 woman may marry. 



