The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1931, Page 60

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60

and hung with two loops of cowhide to the side
of the hut. Of course there are no windows; a mea-
sure of light comes in through the doorway, but
often this is insufficient, and a bundle of long, thin

’ dried reeds is used as an illuminant. A man who
has worked in the mines probably possesses a more
up-to-date lamp, one of numerous novelties he
bought with the money he had earned. There is
no chimney; a little of the smoke finds its way out
through the doorway, and the rest hangs like a thick
cloud in the top of the dome, finding an exit through
the thatch as best it may. In such a dwelling it is
desirable to crawl about on hands and knees, partly
because of the danger of banging one’s head and,
even more, because it is desirable to have nose and
eyes well below that cloud of smoke.”

The Hut’s Furniture.

“As we sit on the floor, our eyes become accus-
tomed to the gloom, and we begin to notice things
in detail. That basket hanging from a hook in the
roof contains milk or Kafir beer; the basket is so
wonderfully made that, when swelled by water
poured into it, it easily holds liquid without leaking.
Also hanging from the roof, we notice little bits of
skin and fur, pieces of snake skin, dried toads, croco-
diles’ eyes, and a variety of oddments: these are
charms to guard against evils, seen and unseen, and
as a cure for diseases. The small grass brush beside
the entrance is used for brushing away any dust or
mud the inmates bring in on their feet. The floor
is swept constantly. The Zulus are a clean, orderly

- people, very neat in their habits and delighting in
a clean and tidy hut. The doorway may be closed,
when required, by means of a door of wickerwork
fastened with loops of ox-hide. It is carefully
closed every night to keep out the dreaded abatagati
(evil spirits), snakes, or other unwelcome intruders.

“Such is the Zilu home. A polygamous head-
man— and most of them have many wives — will
haye several huts, one for each wife and her chil-
dren while they are small. As the children grow
older, they separate, the big boys going to sleep in
the huts for the unmarried youths and the girls
‘to the huts provided for unmarried girls on the
_ other side of the kraal. There is generally a cook-
_ ing-hut and others in which the supplies of grain
_ are kept, and there are shelters for the calves and
_ goats. The domestic animals of the kraal also
_ include milch cows and a few dogs; and there are
always a number of fowls. These have all to be
' protected from wild animals.”

Ps

‘the country.

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

Beasts of Prey.

“Big game are practically unknown now, though
an occasional lion makes his appearance. Until
recently leopards sometimes attempted to raid the
cattle kraal,—if the palisade was not very high,
they leaped over it, —and hyenas were also a con-
stant trouble. Sometimes at dead of night the
silent kraal was startled by a disturbance among
the cattle. The terrified lowing of the oxen meant
that some beast of prey had leaped into their
midst. At once the alarm was given, and the men,
spear in hand, would emerge from their huts to
attack the intruder —a task that needed consider-
able courage and care; for a cornered leopard is
dangerous, and the lion standing over the body of
an ox is*prepared to defend its quarry. But such
things rarely happen now. The crocodiles in the
river, however, are still the bitter enemies of the
dogs and goats.

“Time was when other dangers beset the hours
of darkness. Less than fifty years ago it was no
uncommon thing for the impis (troops of warriors)
of Cetchwayo, the last Zulu king, to sweep down
upon one of his own villages and destroy it. ‘In
those days,’ said an old Zulu, ‘we could not lie
down without fearing that we should wake up
spirits. We dared not talk after the sun went
down. If a dog barked or a plover whistled, the
whole kraal would be aroused and prepare to fight,
thinking an impi was coming to eat us up.’ They
had no fear of the surrounding tribes — they would
not run the risk of attacking Zulus. It was their
own king who might raid them and steal their

”?

GARIOS The Simple Life.

“The Zulus, like most of the Bantu tribes, live
a very primitive life. They have but few industries,
for their simple domestic utensils are home-made
or bought at the white man’s stores which now dot
The women and girls do the bead-
work decorations, and both men and women help
to prepare the hides of the cattle for use as gar-
ments. The men and boys make their own shields,
assagais, knobkerries, pipes, snuff-boxes, and sticks.
Such things as trades can hardly be said to exist,
and the only ‘professional’ men are the witch-
doctors, or medicine-men. Nowadays, in most parts
of the country, the people are able to buy such
useful things as blankets and iron cooking-pots
from European traders’ stores, where they also buy
their beads, soap, sugar, and a hundred: and one
other things for which a demand is springing up —
indeed everything from a plow to a blanket,
a khaki suit to ‘pink pills.’ ”