Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-11-14
oxcs 4 POWERFUL nAI,on-


u.,.s.,.xg. Nov. t..--M- Theodore
ngu, bss male some susrFisiag discoveries
.;th yessr,I Ii, fhs inhaiassass OF aIashona-
land. Eight sesrs ago Mentsga Kerr De-
sryituea these nssisss rs a ytfs riFaii people
r,inr as.,onx the racks AMI erannss NJ ,ls.-
hits. where they krs,s ee.s-s.nf on,!osss
b., .s, a,ss,roac.s .,t III. sirs.a.ss ss,a.s.>
Their ens.ssis,s for isrsny years bad kept
tiaas ii, a sssse OF terror
Mr.. Bo,pt SAYS that il, spite of their
,i,ni.l nature. he i,eiesssi V hen he say them
l.-,sesr tia, lhsir race hail SEGA better
ilav.. IS they retained traces of higher civi-
fix,,ion in their skill in smelling iron, their
carvings and musical Instruments. They
/ called themselves the Makalaaga, Il name
i,ich ,lii MOI signify mneh To the explorer
until h. returned 10 civilization, when he
began to read the words Of early fortn-
suese travellers,
In the book written SEQ years ago by
! Dos Santos, who wss far more careful
and accurate writer On Africa than most OF
his contemporaries, Mr.. Bent WIS aston
region of Mashonalanl:
..All these katfirs they call Meearangas
because all talk the Mocaranga language
The Mouamatapa and all his vassals are
| Mocarangas, name which they have be-
cause they hive in the land os the Moea-
,anra, which Is ta best and most polished
| of an the Ksiiir q ,uages have seen.
Here VIC have & 6 sane nante as Mako
langa by substituting. rs the Portuguese al
ways dill r for |. other conclusive testi-
nony with regard to thu identity of the two
people has been discovers! by Mr.. Bent.
and ii may be regarded as established that
the timid Makslaaess of today are tie
descendants of the uncr powerful ofganz-
alton known in tie sixteenth century rs the
empire of Moneuiatapa. powerful katfir
! organization like the Matsbeles of today,
| iieh fell TO pieces ON account of internal
I, ssepsions, and finally became a prey TO
/ nc Zulu hordes.
/ The descriptions which Dos Santos gives
/ of the Makaiangas of Monpmaapa cor
! respond exactly with the habits aml cGs-
toms OF the present inhabitants. Tie tells
OF the annual sacrifice to the spirits of
| their ancestors, the intcrcessors Tor them
between God aud man. the beer drinking,
the iron smelling, the Msshonaland piano,
the weekly day of rest during tie ploughing
season, and other customs which identify
them with the people of today.
Mr. Bent mas also betn abie 10 aNall mn
self of the writings of Arabian historians
who lived 1000 years ago, whose descript-
| ions of the manners and customs of the
people living in this region connecting
| lem with the present race. Hence it seems
very clear that the country now called
Nashons land has been inhabited for at
least 1863 years by the ancestors of the
present barbarous race a race which at one
time had power and some degree of civili-
| cation, due probably to its intercourse with
foreign traders: but it has again fallen into
condition of barbarism.
| During the ploughing season every sixth
dav is called Gods day, when the people
abstain from work. The day is invariably
devoted by the men to drinking beer and
living idle on the rocks. The Mashona
piano consists OF more than ~ iron notes
fixed to scale on u square piece of wood
and played on a calabash to bring out the
sound. The natives are n musical race,
and easily pick up tunes to play on this in
| strument.
The anthropologist evidently has an inyit-
ing field for research in the study of the
Makalanga, whose language is at yet little
known. The natives are very reserved
with regard to their customs and religious
obseryances.