716 BANTU NEGROES 



is laid in it wrapped up in bark-cloth. Here the corpse lies for five or 

 six days, until a large quantity of bark-cloth can be collected from his 

 relations and adherent's, and with this the grave is generally filled up to 

 the surface. On the top of the bark-cloth earth is thrown, leaving the 

 grave at last with a raised cover of beaten clay. The chiefs women live 

 in the house until the grave is comiilete. They then lea\e, and the hut 

 is shut up, and remains without any interference until eventually it falls 

 to ])ieces over the grave. When an ordinary peasant dies, he or she is 

 generally buried in front of the dwelling inhabited during life. 



In former days, before European influence changed any of the customs 

 of the country, when the chief of Bukole (one of the sub-di\isions of 

 Busoga) died, his successor (generally his brother) despatched a large 

 number of warriors to range the country for miles round the chief's 

 village and slay any person they met. During these raids every attempt 

 was made to capture a young man and a girl. On the second day after 

 the chiefs death this couple was killed, their pudenda were removed, 

 and, together with those of a bull, were put into the interior of a large 

 fetish drum called ' Kideye." The hole in the drum through which this 

 disgusting tribute had been inserted was sewn up, and the drum was 

 beaten to announce the chiefs death. An embassy carrying news of the 

 death was sent to Unyoro,* and the embassy further carried with it, for 

 the inforination of the king of Unyoro, the name of the chiefs successor. 

 The king of Unyoro then sent his representatives to confirm the appoint- 

 ment of a new chief, and to give him a stool of authority and two 

 spears. When the new chief of Bukole had been formally installed, he 

 again sent out men to kill any one whom they might find ; and if no 

 victims could be discovered and despatched, the force went on to fight 

 against some neighbouring chief. Until blood had been shed in this 

 manner the new chief and his subjects were expected to keep their heads 

 shaved. Any one infringing the order to shave the head was immediately 

 put to death. When blood had been shed, then all the people were 

 in\'ited to come and mourn for the deceased chief. The days of mourning 

 sometimes lasted for two months, and most seriously interrupted the 

 work of the peasants in the fields. All this time the messengers from the 

 king of Unyoro remained in Bukole until they had received sufficiently 

 large presents to be taken back to Unyoro. These practices only ceased 

 when Kabarega, the king of Unyoro, was driven out of his country by 

 the British forces. They occurred with other chiefs of other sub-divisions 

 of Busoga. It may be imagined, therefore, that the people, in this 



* This incident shows the continued reverence for, and dependence on, the 

 Hamitic rulers of Unyoro, which long survived the time when in all the southern 

 and western parts of Busoga Uganda was the dominant power. 



