884 MASAI, TURKANA, SUK, NANDI, ETC. 



man of the tribe, one for the oldest woman, and one for a child. The 

 food is cooked and mixed together, and portions are given to the man, 

 woman, and child, who bury it in the holes allotted to them. The 

 remainder of the sacrifice is then eaten by the old men of the tribe, 

 and while this is proceeding, the rest of the people pray very solemnly. 

 Among these people (as, no doubt, among all the Nandi stock) there is a 

 vague belief in ancestral spirits as well as in a central Deity. It is 

 thought that by burying this food in the ground the spirits of departed 

 chiefs, together with, perhaps, the omnipotent Deity, may eat the buried 

 food and accept the sacrifice of the tribe. The reason given to Mr. Isaac 

 by the natives for the selection of the old man and woman and the little 

 child was that the tribe intended to show that all its members from the 

 oldest to the youngest were united in approaching God with a petition. 



The Nandi and Lumbwa go through elaborate cerertionies in the 

 making of peace after war. Some of the Nandi use a donkey's skull, 

 which is alternately chopped with an axe by each of the parties who have 

 met to make peace. After this chopping, speeches are delivered in which 

 both sides "declare that those who break the peace shall be destroyed 

 as the skull is being smashed. In some cases a human skull is used 

 instead, or a dog is cut in half (as is done amongst the Kavirondo), 

 or a whetstone is broken into pieces, or a small water-tortoise is beaten 

 to death with clubs. 



The Lumbwa blunt and bend a spear, or throw a spear into a river, as 

 a sign that hostilities are finished. About twenty-five years ago the Masai 

 made a great raid on the Lumbwa, and very severe fighting took place. 

 The Masai gained no great advantage, and sought for peace, which was 

 concluded by the interchange of a Lumbwa baby for a Masai baby, the 

 women who made the exchange rearing the interchanged infants. This 

 was thought to be the most permanent way that could be devised of 

 making a lasting peace. If there is a private quarrel between two 

 individuals in Lumbwa, and they wish to be reconciled, a cooking-pot full 

 of water is taken, and a number of dead flies and a dead rat are placed 

 in the pot. After speeches have been made the pot is solemnly broken by 

 the injured party, and the water is supposed to represent the blood of the 

 offender, which will be spilt in like manner if he renews his aggression. 



