COSTUMES OF THE WATAVETA 



101 



Now and then, however, a kind of leather apron to sit upon is 

 also worn hanging down the back. The hair is generally 

 twisted into a number of thin spiral locks, which fall low on 

 the forehead, sometimes down to the eyes. At the back the 

 hair is lengthened with plaited bast, which hangs clown like a 

 short pigtail. The lobes of the ears are artificially widened, 

 and decked with heavy ornaments of different forms, made of 



WATAVETA. 



iron or brass wire, beads, or iron chains. A few ornaments 

 round the wrist, bracelets and anklets, mostly made of twisted 

 wire, or strips of leather sewn with beads, complete the costume. 

 On the right side they wear the sime, a short straight sword 

 with a broad, gradually-widening blade, and on the other a finely 

 decorated wooden club. If we compare this with the descrip- 

 tion of the costume of a Masai warrior given farther on, we 

 shall see that a young spark of Taveta is as like to him as 



