SUPERNATURAL BELIEFS OF THE LUMBWA 419 
and when a leopard hunt takes place they are much in demand. 
They are called up and asked to tell the spirit of the leopard 
to cease its troubling. 
Curiously enough, my neapara belongs to such a family, 
and, being a much enlightened boy, was in bad odour with the 
rawer natives ; but when, with the loan of my shot-gun, he 
successfully (after incantations) exorcised the spirit of a 
leopard which had killed some goats on my farm he rose 
much in their estimation. 
To revert to the 4 Maboita ’ or 4 stack of sticks ’ so frequently 
seen outside Lumbwa huts. This is not erected necessarily 
at the time the hut is built, but only when occasion arises 
for its services, which seem to be chiefly for the purification 
of persons who have committed crimes or offences. Again 
this is connected with Sun worship and not 4 Oiik,’ for the 
sinner is faced towards the sun while it is in the east (even 
up to 11 o’clock). The old men of the district place grasses 
(of particular kinds) on his head and scatter native beer (made 
from honey) on him, telling him not to look to the west where 
the sun goes down — but to watch the east where Asista 
daily appears to care for the welfare of his people. 
The sun is definitely regarded as the Beneficent Deity 
under the name of Asista. He causes the wimbi to grow, 
the cattle to thrive, and the spirits to enter into the children. 
An annual ceremony is still practised, especially in Buret and 
Sotik, asking Asista to give abundant crops, many cattle 
and children. At the sunrise ceremony a sheep is killed 
and certain rites performed with the fat and blood thereof. 
Before sunrise, on an eminence with a far view to the east, 
the old men, old women, and children gather, bringing a 
white goat decorated with many cowries and beads — also 
kibuyus and beer made from honey, not wimbi. A very 
large stack of sticks called 4 Kapkoros ’ is erected and tied with 
its special creeper (the small ones outside the huts are just 
replicas of this). When the sun rises a procession leads the 
goat around the pile, and the milk and beer are scattered to- 
wards the sun, while the chief old man asks Asista to prosper 
them for the year. At eight o’clock the ceremony is finished. 
Although the rain is attributed directly to the moon, yet 
