1888.] 



Lore of the South African Natives. 



309 



As with ilanga (Sun) so it may be said of inyanga, the Kafir and 

 Zulu word for Moon, that it is rarely found in any other Bantu 

 language.* 



Inyanga. appeared to Dr. Bleek to be of Hottentot origin, and if so 

 this would show perhaps that the veneration paid by the Khoi-Khoi 

 to the Moon had had the effect on the neighbouring Kafir of inducing 

 him to adopt the Hottentot word. No sign of Moon worship, how- 

 ever, has been observed in the Kaffir, who selects a full moon for his 

 festivities for the same reason that we choose it for a moonlight walk 

 round the Kloof. 



Two words are most commonly applied by the Bantu to the Moon 

 of which it may be said, speaking roughly, that one is in use on the 

 West and one on the East Coast. 



The Zulu for moonlight is unyezi^ probably from an Archaic form 

 inkivezi (see Bleek), and we find this word applied to the Moon 

 among the following tribes on the East Coast : 

 Wa Swaheli 

 Wa jSfyamwezil ... .,, 



Ma Kwa ... ... > Mwezi 



Tette and Sena Tribes 

 Wa Granda ... 



Wajiji ... ... ... ... Ukwezi 



Wa Chaga ... ... ... Mwere 



Wa Sambala ... ... ... Muezi 



.Wa Pokomo ... .... ... Muezi 



Nyassa Tribes ... ... ... Mwezi. 



And on the South-west : 



Ora Herero ... ... ) ^ 



^ . , > Omueze 



Ura Ambo ... ... ) 



Ba Rotse ... ... ... Moezi 



Angola ... ... ... ... Mbeshe 



Lubalo, Kisama, &c. ... ... Mbeshi. 



.But among the greater number of West Coast tribes it is replaced 



by another word as follows : • 



Isubu ... ... ... ) 



^. , > JNgonde 



Diwala ... ... ... ) 



* I have only come across it in the two following Lake Tribes : Watuta, inyanga ; 

 Ma Nyuema, mwango. 



t Wa Nyamwezi, people of Moon land or of the Moon badge. They wear an ivory 

 orescent moon attached to the neck. 



