90 REPORT OF THE HARVARD AFRICAN EXPEDITION 
femba she must confess her misdeeds to her. At birth the child is given a name 
which serves until it enters the bush school. In order to bring good luck to the 
newborn child, the femba takes it in her arms and, walking around the hut, 
lifts the body successively to the four points of the compass. A father is not 
allowed to be present at the birth and usually does not see the mother for at 
least several days after her delivery. 
The time spent in the girls’ school as in the boys’ school varies considerably. 
Very frequently it is only a few months. The girl generally enters shortly be- 
fore attaining puberty, that is, when she is from ten to twelve years of age, or 
occasionally even younger. 
Both the entrance to and exit of the girls from these bush schools is as in the 
case of the boys a time of important celebration, and the ceremony is accom- 
panied with much drinking of palm wine and with much fervent dancing by the 
women, which lasts most of the day and far into the night. 
The chief woman dancer will suddenly run out from a group of companions 
and stand conspicuously motionless and waiting. At the first throb of the drum 
she will lift her arms and stretch upwards, then bend and reach down to her toes. 
Her waist begins to oscillate, at first slowly in a gentle tremor, then in ripples. 
These spread to her bosom, back and buttocks. They change to quiverings, to 
shudderings, and to violent convulsive movements. Faster and faster rumble 
the drums and more rapid and violent become the woman’s movements. Every 
muscle from head to foot works until the agony of exertion seems to render her 
frantic. Then she will twirl round and round, faster and faster, until suddenly 
she drops, sweating and apparently senseless. After a second of absolute silence, 
there is tumultuous applause. Other groups of women then rush into the quad- 
rangle dancing with earnest faces, yet with great abandon and almost with fury, 
their bodies vibrant, and breasts swaying, and feet stamping to the rhythm of 
the turbulent drums (No. 67). Then after a weird long call, and sometimes 
after explosions of some sort in the forest, the girls or boys are led away into 
the bush. 
It is said that on entering the bush schools the girls are first rubbed with 
white clay and given a new name. Clitoridotomy is then performed, and some- 
times other surgical procedures are attempted, and later the marks of the tribe 
are cicatrized or tattooed into their skin. In the bundu society among the Vais 
and Mendis, rupture of the vagina is also performed, since many of the women 
of these tribes say that if it is not performed, childbearing is impossible. The 
pubic hair is also plucked out. The girls then receive instruction not only in sex 
lore and all matters pertaining to sex relationship, but also in their matrimonial 
duties, and in the special tribal customs and duties pertaining thereto. They 
are also taught to dance and sing. The songs, however, are said to deal largely 
with sex questions. In the sande school some attempt is made to teach the girls 
about the useful herbs and plants in the forest. A girl will be given a leaf and 
sent out to find the tree. They are also taught how to prepare snuff, to select 
the tree, remove the bark and prepare it by boiling, fanning, and drying. 
Instruction is also given in the meaning of taboos or fetishes, and why usually 
