The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1894-01-03
AN AFRICAN QUEEN.
SHE SAYS SHE is THREE HUNDRED
YEARS OLD.
Unlike Most of Her Sex, This One Is Proud
of Her Years. Now a Captive OF
England.

of Her Years. Now Captive OF
England.
From the Chicago Times.
England has just taken captive Wo-
man who it is claimed is 800 years old.
She is Queen Majajie, the ruler of
tvibe of Kaffirs, whose age is vouched
for by the reputed traditions OF her
tribe. and who has oeen famous among
The saveges of southern Africa for her
admitted great age. Generations have
spoken of her as being blessed with the
gift of perpetual life, and her fame has
extended throughout the uncivil1zed re-
gions as for north as Egypt.
While it is not for moment to be be-
lieved that the woman could have reach
ed this marvellous age the English
government admits that is has s.utnorita-
lively traced the history of Queen Maja-
jie's tribe back for 10 years, during
which time it has been under her rule.
Previous to that period no authentic
records exist, but traditions of the Kaffirs
credit this queen with having reigned
many generations before.
A missionary, the Rev. Mr.. Butter,
who has lived for twenty-five years
among these savages, has informed the
British government that his investiga-
tons satisfy him the queen has absolute
Al. I. i e l,,, ~ 81
and he could find no trace Of any pre-
viOus ruler. In fact, the legends OF
people are identified entirely with the
present queen end make no mention of
any other head of their government
The queen is described by Englishmen
who have seen her as of light copper
color, with frizzy wool on her head.
She wears a dress made of tiger skins,
which has large hood that usually
covers her face.
There is a suggestion of "She" about
his savage queen, for it has been Jaw
of the tribe that none should look upon
her face excepting her indunas and three
women Her indunas are the generals
and leaders of her army, and they num-
Der ninety-twO. The head induna, Or
commander in chef, is named Jonas,
and he is man of considerable age,
s supposed to be in the neighborh0Od of
so. The other ninty-One are between
the ages of 80 and 80, and all of them
have been prominent in savage warfare.
The three women are remarkable from
the fact that they are freaks. Ole is
exceedingly tall, thesecOnd is unusually
stout, and the third wears long
beard. sThese women occupy the
positions of advisers. They all live
together in what, is known as the
Sacred Kraal, the queen occupying
an apartment some thirty feet square,
while the three women are in small
rooms opening into this.
Around this kraal are numberless
( wooden images, representing every ma
ton of Kaffirland and all sorts of animals.
These images are beautifully and adroit-
ly carved from w,od. So numerous are
these figures that they form veritable
forest about the kraal and winding paths
are made among them leading up to the
entrance. The images are cOlored so that
they approach closely TO the flesh tints
of the different tribes, and they are made
the natural height of the human beings
represented
Once year the queen has been in the
habit of personally supervising the
slaughter If 40 oxen, which ceremony
constitutes one of religious fetes of the
season. Even upon this occasion she is
not seen, for she is carried by the indunas
in covered chair to the place where the
ceremony.occurs. She was also required
to goat stated periods to an enormous
tree in the forest which was known as
the medicine tree, and there, with Ger
tain ceremonies, the health of her people
was guaranteed for the tine being.
The English general who took posses
sion~Of the queens capital and of her
has permitted the memberssof the tribe
to see her, and they come with the
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