Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-03-28

Some O. the Customs and Peculfarfties of
the Race of South African Negroes.


In relating ner novel experience as 8
housekeeper in the Colony Of Natal,
Lady Barker speaks frequently of the
Kafrs, the native race of negroes, on
whom the whites depend almost ex-
clusively for service, both indoors and
out. The women of the tribe are SO
occupied at home in attendance upon
the lord]y sex that they can seldom en-
gagged to labor for an alien people, and
the Kafir men are, therefore, chiefly
employed by the colonists for the per-
Torrance of every sort of work that
can be done by human hands.
The Kafrs are, as 3 race,
gentle and docile, and easy
to learn, although careless, awkward,
and incorrigibly lazy. The habit of
idleness which has been practiced
through many generations is hard to
overcome, and not until the
necessities engendered by civiH-
zation force them to indus
try will the Kafr men submit to
work with regularity and determine
ton.
GAS q race" writes Lady Barker
"the Kafrs make the effect of pos
sessing fine physique; they walk with
an erect bearing and light step, but
in true leisurely savage fashion. I
have seen the black race in four differ
ent quarters of the globe, and / never
saw one single individual move quickly
of his own free will. We must bear in
mind, however, that it is new and
revolutionary idea to Kafir that he
should do any work at all. Work is for
women-war or idleness for men; con-
sequently, their fixed idea is to do as
little az they can; and no Kafir will
work after he has earned money
enough to buy sufficient number of
wives who will work for him."
The primative costume of the Kafr
consists of a waist cloth and innumer-
able rings on the legs and arms; but he
is quick to adopt the dress of the white
man, eagerly appropriating any cast
off garment or article of fnery with
which he can attire or adorn bis per-
son. The race are excessively addict
ed to the use of snuff, and cali wear
snuff boxes in their ears-sDuH boxes
made of every conceivable material
hollow reeds, cowries, tiger cats
teeth, old contingencies, aoorn-shells,
empty chrysales of some large moth
all sorts of miscellaneousru rubbish which
could by any means be turned to this
use" The teeth Of the Kafirs are ex-
ceedingly fine, and excellect care is
taken of them-the habit prevailing of
frequently rinsing the mouth and pol
ishing the teeth with q bit of wood,
until they glisten like pearls.
But it is in the manufacture of his
head-gear that the Kafr exhibits the
triumph of his ingenuity. A singular
style of dressing the hair, in fashion
with all the tribes, is arranged in the
following manner: so soon as 8
youth is considered old enough to as
sumo the duties and responsibilities of
manhood he begins to weave his short,
crisp hair over ring of grass which
exactly fits the head, keeping the whole
hair in It's place by means of wax. In
time, the hair grows perfectly smooth,
and shining, and regular over this
firm foundation, and the effect is as
though it were ring Of jet or polished
ebony worn round the brows. Differ
ent tribes slightly vary the size and
form Of the ring"
To complete the decoration of this
artificial crown, the Kafr seizes upon
everything conspicuous or fantastic
that his hands may fall upon. Every
feather of bird or fowl that comes into
his possession is instantly fastened in
some grotesque manner Ia the circlet
of hair surrounding the head, and the
wearer exults in the startling append
age with the vanity Of child. Some
particularly fanciful head-dresses ex-
hibited on certain imposing occasion
are thus described by Lady Barker:
One stalwart youth had got hold of
the round card board lid of s. collar
box, to which he had affixed two bits
of string, and tied it firmly, but jaun-
tily, on one side of his head. Another
lad had invented most extraordinary
decoration for his wool-covered pate,
and one which it is exceedingly difficult
to describe in delicate language. He
had procured the intestines Of some
small animal, a lamb or kid and had
cleaned and scraped them, and tied
them tightly, at intervals of an inch or
two, with string. This series of small,
clear bladders he had then inflated, and
arranged them in a sort of bouquet on
the top of his head, skewering tufts of
his crisp hair between, SO that the eff
feet resembled 81 bunch of bubbles, if
there could be such thig. Another
very favorite adornment for the head
consisted of strip of gray cloth or
ribbon, or of even a few bright threads,
bound tightly, like a fillet, across the
brows, and combining tuft of feathers
over one ear; but l suspect all these
fanciful arrangements were only worn
by the guided youth of lower class,
because [ noticed that the chieftains
and smdomas, or headmen, of the vii
lagos never wore such frivolities. They
wore, indeed, numerous slender rings
of brass or silver wire on their straight,
shapely legs, and also necklaces of
lions or tigers claws and teeth round
their throats; but these were trophies
of the chase, as We'll as personal orna-
ments.'
The native hut, or ksaol, of q Kafr is
shaped like a beehive, and has out one
aperture, a low door, through which
the inmates manage to crawl, but
which admit very little Eobt r. ~