L50 THE MAMBARI. Chap. XII. 



different kinds of trees, transplanted when young by himself. 

 In this grove are to be seen various instruments of iron in the 

 state he left them. One looks like the guard of a basket- 

 hilted sword ; another has an upright stem, on which are 

 placed branches worked at the ends into miniature axes, hoes, 

 and spears. To these he presented offerings, according as he 

 desired to prosper in hewing, agriculture, or fighting. The 

 people in charge of these articles were supported by pre- 

 sents from the chief; and the Makololo sometimes follow 

 the example. This was the nearest approach to a priesthood 

 I had met. AVhen I asked them to part with one of the 

 relics they replied, " 0, no, he refuses." — "Who refuses?" — 

 " Santuru," was their reply, showing their belief in a future 

 state of existence. 



I inquired whether Santuru had ever seen white men, and 

 could find no trace of any having been here till the arrival 

 of Mr. Oswell and myself in 1851. Any remarkable event is 

 commemorated in names borrowed from the persons or things 

 concerned. Thus the year of our^visit was dignified as the 

 year when the white men came. <i 6reat numbers of children 

 had been called Ma-Eobert, or mother of Eobert, in honour of 

 my w T ife and her eldest boy ; others were styled Gun, Horse, 

 (32) Waggon, Monare, Jesus, &c. ; but though our names, and 

 those of the native Portuguese who came in 1853, were 

 adopted, there is no earlier trace of anything of the kind. 

 For a white man to make his appearance is such a memorable 

 circunistamce, that, had it taken place during the last three 

 hundred years, there must have remained some tradition 

 of it. 



But Santuru was once visited by the Mambari, and a 

 distinct recollection of the incident is retained. They came 

 to purchase human beings, and both he and his head-men 

 refused them permission to buy any of the people. Tfeese 

 traffickers in flesh and blood reside near Bihe, and profess to 

 use th£ slave for domestic purposes only. Some of them 

 visited us while at Naliele. They are of the Ambonda race, 

 which inhabits the country south-east of Angola, and speak 

 tfie Bunda dialect, which is of the same family of languages 

 ■^rith the Barotse, Bayeiye, &c, or those black tribes compre- 

 hended under the general term Makalaka. They plait theii 



