in RACES AND CLASSES 25 



share ; they are therefore, for our purpose, the most 

 important. The Masai, however, have both histori- 

 cally and politically been such an important factor, not 

 to say stumbling-block, in the development of the 

 country that they too demand and deserve considerable 

 notice. 



The Kikuyu and Kavirondo on the one hand, and 

 the Masai with to a lesser degree the Nandi, Lumbwa 

 and Sotik, on the other, seem to show the distinct 

 characteristics presented to us in Jacob and Esau. 

 The difference is most marked if we take the Kikuyu 

 and the Masai. The former, as I shall show, are sly, 

 cunning, deceitful, cowardly, and devoid of all sense of 

 honour, yet through their brains and numbers economi- 

 cally useful. As a tribe they seem to resemble the 

 character which is depicted to us in the person of 

 Jacob. The Masai are picturesque, brave to a degree, 

 boastful, quarrelsome, comparatively faithful and 

 honourable, and yet economically useless. They 

 represent Esau, and as far as anything can be 

 humanly certain, it is certain that they too will lose 

 their birthright. 



These two, the leading types, will therefore be taken 

 at more length and we will dismiss the remainder 

 shortly. 



The Kavirondo — form the second largest source 

 from which labour can be drawn, and for agricultural 

 purposes undoubtedly the best. Although they are 

 nearly always alluded to as one tribe, yet Kavirondo 

 in reality are divided very sharply, not only into two 

 tribes, but into two races : the Nilotic Kavirondo and 

 the Bantu Kavirondo. Yet the two sections, though 

 so ethnologically different, have almost exactly similar 

 customs and habits, and, unless expressly stated other- 



