454 ?HE " KASENDI " CEREMONY. 



Having despatched a message to our old friend Manenko, 

 we waited a day opposite her village, which was about 

 fifteen miles from the river. Her husband was instantly- 

 despatched to meet us, with liberal presents of food, she 

 being unable to travel in consequence of a burn on the 

 foot. Sambanza gave us a detailed account of the 

 political affairs of the country, and of Kolimbota's evil 

 doings, and next morning performed the ceremony called 

 " Kasendi," for cementing our friendship. It is accom- 

 plished thus : — The hands of the parties are joined (in 

 this case Pitsane and Sambanza were the parties engaged) ; 

 small incisions are made on the clasped hands ; on the 

 pits of the stomach of each ; and on the right cheeks and 

 foreheads. A small quantity of blood is taken off from 

 these points in both parties by means of a stalk of grass. 

 The blood from one person is put into one pot of beer, 

 and that of the second into another ; each then drinks 

 the other's blood, and they are supposed to become 

 perpetual friends or relations. During the drinking of 

 the beer, some of the party continue beating the ground 

 with short clubs, and utter sentences by way of ratifying 

 the treaty. The men belonging to each, then finish the 

 beer. The principals in the performance of " Kasendi " 

 are henceforth considered blood-relations, and are bound 

 to disclose to each other any impending evil. If Sekeletu 

 should resolve to attack the Balonda, Pitsane would be 

 under obligation to give Sambanza warning to escape, and 

 so on the other side. They now presented each other 

 with the most valuable presents they had to bestow. 

 Sambanza walked off with Pitsane's suit of green-baize 

 faced with red, which had been made in Loanda ; and 

 Pitsane, besides abundant supplies of food, obtained two 

 shells similar to that I had received from Shinte. 



On one occasion I became blood-relation to a young 

 woman by accident. She had a large cartilaginous tumour 

 between the bones of the fore-arm, which, as it gradually 

 enlarged, so distended the muscles as to render her 

 unable to work. She applied to me to excise it. I 

 requested her to bring her husband, if he were willing to 

 have the operation performed, and, while removing the 

 tumour, one of the small arteries squirted some blood into 

 my eye. She remarked, when I was wiping the blood out 

 of it, " You were a friend before, now you are a blood- 

 relation ; and when you pass this way, always send me 



