326 ETHNOLOGY 



They dance round her, singing and clapping their 

 hands, a ceremony partaking of the nature of con- 

 gratulation. They then seat themselves, and begin 

 to give her advice largely based on their own 

 experiences, much discussion and dispute arising. 

 Finally, the senior member of the gathering shaves 

 the future mother's head, which is then carefully 

 oiled, the hair being buried with some slight cere- 

 mony. This latter form, however, is not observed, 

 I understand, by the Sena people, nor by those of 

 Tete, but only by the coast tribes, the A-Mahindo 

 and A-Chuabo, who surround the delta and the 

 neighbourhood of Quelimane. The following day 

 there is more dancing, some of which is said to be 

 more or less indelicate, and to which none of the 

 males are admitted, and this completes the obser- 

 vances for the time being. After the third or 

 fourth month of pregnancy, the husband and wife 

 cease to cohabit, and do not resume marital rela- 

 tions until some time after the birth of the oif- 

 spring, during which period, should he possess but 

 one wife, the husband maintains, or is supposed to 

 maintain, a condition of unbroken chastity, beUeving 

 that should he fail to do so his child will either die 

 or develop some incurable malady or weakness. 



At birth, which takes place in the hut, and not 

 in the open forest as among the Yaos, the young 

 mother is assisted by two of the most dependable 

 and elderly of her female acquaintance. As soon 

 as possible thereafter the child's head is carefully 

 shaved and oiled, the hair, as in the case of the 

 mother at pregnancy, being ceremoniously buried. 

 Among the Baru^ people it is said that the navel- 



