212 SAKALAVA HAIR-DRESSING. 



left in a series of rings all round the head ; and the day when 

 a child's hair is first cut is made quite a festive occasion for 

 the friends and relations, who are invited to eat rice, and who 

 offer congratulations and wishes for the child's long life. 



Among the Sihanaka and Sakalava the hair is platted in 

 numerous little tails hanging all round the head; while the 

 B^tsimisaraka and other east-coast tribes have it generally 

 arranged in five large knots, one on the crown of the head, 

 and the others in front and at the back on either side. Some 

 of the south-eastern people have a rather elegant style of 

 coiffure,. It is done thus : the hair is platted in very fine 

 braids, and then twisted into thin flat circular coils of from 

 two to two and a half inches in diameter ; these are sym- 

 metrically arranged, in two rows, one overlapping the other, 

 the upper one completely encircling the head from the fore- 

 head to the back of the neck, and the other ending below the 

 ears. The whole has a very becoming effect, quite a " dressy " 

 look in fact, and certainly much more pleasing in its general 

 appearance than the chignon and some styles adopted in 

 Europe. At no great distance from these people is another 

 tribe, many of whose women have their hair arranged in two 

 rows of little balls. Behind the head they carry fastened 

 into the hair a piece of hollow wood ornamented with brass- 

 headed nails, and in tins they keep needles and other small 

 property. 



The Bara people have a still more curious style of hair- 

 dressing than those already mentioned. Mr. G-. A. Shaw 

 thus describes it : " Once a month, and in some cases once in 

 six weeks, the hair is washed, and then rolled up into a great 

 number of knots, varying in size from that of a marble to 

 that of an orange, and always round. After being carefully 

 rolled up and tied or sewn, as the case may be (for these 

 people, like their more civilised sisters, are given to mak- 

 ing up Nature's deficiencies with hair from other sources), 

 it is then thickly coated with bees-wax melted into fat, so 

 that when cold each knob is firmly cemented to those adjacent 

 to it, and all appearance of hah is gone. When freshly done 

 it looks like lumps of grey clay stuck on their heads, each of 

 which when struck gives back a sound like striking a piece of 



