50 Hiitton Wchstcr 



week, and the institution so arising would differ very little from 

 the Hebrew Sabbath. It is possible that the Todas show in an 

 early stage the institution of a Sabbath in which the whole 

 community has not yet settled on a single and joint holy day."^® 

 This interesting h3'pothesis, which is put forth tentatively, throws 

 no light on the reasons which led to the ascription of a tahu 

 character to certain days. Air. Rivers himself refers to the 

 " enormous influence of the period of the moon in Toda cere- 

 monial,"^' a fact which suggests that the Toda rest days had their 

 ultimate origin in those seasons of abstinence at the lunar changes 

 found elsewhere in India (infra) and so generally in other 

 regions of the world. 



b. Tabooed Days in West Africa 



We must regret the scantiness of our information regarding the 

 rest days observed by certain African tribes. Thus many of 

 the Gallas are said to show great respect for Saturday and Sun- 

 day, and on these days do not work in the fields. Here we may 

 legitimately assume Jewish and Christian influences from Abys- 

 sinia, especially since the Gallas of equatorial Africa do not 

 observe any periods of rest. The missionary Krapf, who notices 

 this African sabbath, is inclined, however, to ascribe a purely 

 rationalistic origin to the custom. He points out that whilst the 

 Wanika of German East Africa rest from labor every fourth 

 day and pass the time in feasting and carousing, their neighbors, 

 the nomadic Masai and Wakuafi, know no distinction of days 

 " solely because, from their point of view, they do not think that 

 any particular day of rest is required. "^^ 



Throughout central Africa from the British and German pos- 

 sessions in the east to the Portuguese and French possessions 

 in the west, there is a market plage every few miles at which 

 the neighboring tribes meet regularly for exchanges. Usually 



^'^ The Todas, pp. 411 sq. 

 ^' Ibid., 592. 



^'J. L. Krapf, Travels, Researches, and Missionary Labours, London, 

 1867, pp. 82, 365. 



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