KNOCKING OUT FRONT TEETH. 497 



and returned when he had become a boy of about ten 

 years. He went again, and returned when it was time to 

 knock out his son's teeth. As that takes place at the age 

 of puberty, he must have spent at least five years in each 

 journey. He added that many who went there never 

 returned, because they liked that country better than 

 this. They had even forsaken their wives and children ; 

 and children had been so enticed and flattered by the 

 finery bestowed upon them there, that they had disowned 

 their parents and adopted others. The place to which 

 they had gone, which they named Bambala, was probably 

 Dambarari, which was situated close to Zumbo. This 

 was the first intimation we had of intercourse with the 

 whites. The Barotse, and all the other tribes, in the 

 central valley, have no such tradition as this ; nor have 

 either the one or the other any account of a trader's visit 

 to them in ancient times. 



All the Batoka tribes follow the curious custom 

 of knocking out the upper front teeth at the age of 

 puberty. This is done by both sexes, and though the 

 under teeth, being relieved from the attrition of the 

 upper, grow long and somewhat bent out, and thereby 

 cause the under Up to protrude in a most unsightly way, 

 no young woman thinks herself accomplished until she 

 has got rid of the upper incisors. This custom gives all 

 the Batoka an uncouth, old-man like appearance. Their 

 laugh is hideous, yet they are so attached to it, that even 

 Sebituane was unable to eradicate the practice. He 

 issued orders that none of the children living under him 

 should be subjected to the custom by their parents, and 

 disobedience to his mandates was usually punished with 

 severity ; but notwithstanding this, the children would 

 appear in the streets without their incisors, and no one 

 would confess to the deed. When questioned respecting 

 the origin of this practice, the Batoka reply, that their 

 object is to be like oxen, and those who retain their teeth 

 they consider to resemble zebras. Whether this is the 

 true reason or not, it is difficult to say ; but it is notice- 

 able that the veneration for oxen which prevails in many 

 tribes should here be associated with hatred to the zebra, 

 as among the Bakwains ; that this operation is performed 

 at the same age that circumcision is in other tribes ; and 

 that here that ceremony is unknown. The custom is so 

 universal, that a person who has his teeth is considered 



2 K 



