The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-01-07
From Livingstone's Travels in Central Africa
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS IN CENTRAL AT
RIGA

Sambanza next morning performed the cere-
mony called KdSendi, for cementing our friend
ship. 1t is accomplished thus: The hands of
the parties are >ined Tin this case, Pitsane
and Sambanza were the persons engaged y
small missions are made on the clasped hands,
on the pits of the stomach of each, and on the
right cheeks and foreheads. small quantity
OF blood is taken off from these points in both
parties by means of a stalk of grass. The blood
from one person is put into pot of beer, and
that OF the second into another each then
drinks the others blood, and they are supposed
to become perpetual friends or relations. Du.
ring the drinking of the beer, some of the party
continue beating the ground with short clubs.
and utter sentences, by way of ratifying the
treaty. The men belonging to each then finish
the beer. The principals in the performance of
hdSendt are henceforth considered blood rela-
tons, and are bound to disclose to each other
any impending evil. They now presented each
other with the most valuable presents thew had
to bestow. Sambanzs walked eff with Pit.
sane,s suit OF green baize faced with red, which
had been made In Loanda, and Pitsane. besides
abundant supplies of food, obtained two shells.
All the Batoka tribes follow the curious Gus.
tom of knocking out the upper front teeth at
the eye of puberty. This is done bv both sex
es; and though the under teeth, being relieved
from the attrition of the upper, grow lone and
somewhat bent out, and thereby cause the m
der lip to protrude in most unsightly wav. no
young woman thinks herself accomplished un.
I'll she has got rid of the upper incisors. This
custom gives all the Batoka an uncoutb. old.
man.like appearance. Their laugh is hideous :.
yet they are 80 attached to it that even Sebitu.
ane was unable to eradicate the practice. He
issued orders that none of the children living
MD i'm ha
by their parents, and disobedience to his man.
dates 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 ia
to be like oxen. and those who retain their
teeth they consider to resemble zebras. Wheth.
er this Is the true reason or not, it is difficult
to say but it is noticeable that the veneration
for oxen which prevails in many tribes, should
here be associated with hatred to the zebra, as
among the Bskwains; that this operation is
performed at the same age that circumcision is
in other tribes and that here that ceremony ia
unknown. The custom ia so universal. that
a person who has his teeth is considered ugly.
and occasionally, when the Batoka borrowed
my looking-glass, the disparaging remark would
be made respecting boys or girls who still re-
tanned their teeth, Look at the great teeth +"
Some of the Makololo give more face.ious ex.
planation of the custom they say that the wife
of chief having in quarrel bitten her hus
bands hand, he, in revenge, ordered her front
teeth to be knocked out and all the men in the
tribe followed his example; but this does not
explain why they afterwards knocked out their
own.
The women here are in the habit of piercing
the upper lip, and gradually enlargipg the orr
fee until they can insert a shell. The lip then
appears drawn out beyond the perpendicular OF
the nose, and gives them most unganly as
pect. Sekwebu remarked, These women want
to make their mouths like those of ducks !"
and, indeed, it does appear as if they had the
idea that female beauty of lip had been attain
ed by the OrnittOrhynchus pdradorus alone.
This custom prevails throughout the country
of the Marsvi, and no one could see it without
confessing that fashion had never led women
to freak more mad.
As we came away from Monina's village,
witch doctor, who had been sent for, arrived,
and all Monina's wives went forth into the
fields that morning fasting. There they would
be compelled to drink an infusion of plant
uamed "goho," which is used az an ordeal.
This ceremony is called "muavi," and is per-
formed in this way: When q man suspects that
one of his wives has bewitched him, he sends
for the witch doctor, and all the wives 90 forth
into the field, and remain fasting till that per-
SON has made an infusion of the plant. They
all drink it, each one holding up her hand to
heaven in attestation of her innocency. Those
who vomit it are considered innocent, while
those whom it purges are pronounced guilty,