St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-09-27
KAFFIR FOLK LORE.

ust 2sth, brought wildly to my
mind some specimens Of African ira
ditions, scarcely inferior to those of
more highly cultured people. Those
of the Kaffir or Brantu race, in Africa,
are legion. Many an hour have |
listened while seated in a low bee
hive-like hut, to sable men and wo-
men as they repeated, with volubil-
ity of tongue, nursery tales and
legends, ridiculous many Of them,
but interesting, for they showed that
they possessed ideas common with
civilized people. Their wise sayings
remind us OF those of Seneca, and we
cannot fail to notice indications that
they he d a clear perception Of moral
distinctions.
Some Basutu proverbs are like
those of Solomon. For instance,
"Scoffing and destruction 60 hand
in hand" Lions growl over their
food" (applied to persons OF a fret
full temper) "The thief catches him
self" accusations of conscience.)
Two dogs do not let fox escape"
(Union is strength.) If a man has
committed murder secretly, the
straws will tell it," Murder will
out) You have let mouse grow
in your calabash," your kindness
has been paid with ingratitude.)
Their puzzles are not devoid of in
terest. Take the following: do
you know what it is that throws it.
self from the top of mountains with
out being broken?" Answer: The
water of cataract. There is a
thing which has neither legs nor
wings, and which nevertheless trav-
els fast anditsprogressis not stopped
by precipices, rivers or walls?" An
swer: The voice. Name the ten
trees at the tops of which there are
ten fiat rocks" Answer: Fingers,
tipped by the nails. do you know
a thing which neither walks on the
ground, flies in the air, nor swims in
the water, and which, nevertheless,
walks, ascends, and descends?" An
swer: The spider and its web.
Zulus who are naturally as intelli
gent and progressive as Basutus,
have legends, many of which are
tinctured with their superstitious
belief and worship. The influence of
ancestral spirits on mundane affairs,
being deeply seated in their minds,
of course appears in their folk lore.
Their knowledge of the habitat of
departed spirits, was obtained, they
say, as follows. "a hunter, in chase
of an antelope, followed the game
until he was led into deep cave in
the bowels of the earth. On went
the game, till it reached the subter-
ranean regions where the man found
his relatives who had gone before
him, but in a different way. They
seemed to be in a prosperous condi-
ton, had herds of oxen and cows,
all white. and an abundance of food.
But the subterraneans would not el-
low him to stop there. 60 back to
the upper world, die like other men
and then return and take up your
permanent abode with u.s." Strange,
though it may appear, this tradition
was universally believed by the Zu-
lus, hence their readiness to accept
as truth the dictum of spirit doc
tors" who, by their incantations,
profess to hold intercourse with the
other world.
They have legend in reference to
the descent of balloons from men,
which is decidedly anti-Darwinian.
1t runs as follows: "a certain tribe
were habitually idle and did not like
to dig; they wished to eat at other
peoples houses, saying, we shall
live, although we do not dig, if we
eat the food of those who cultivate
the SOIL The chief of that people
told his followers to prepare food for
journey, saying, We are going
into the Wilderness They did so.
All kinds of food were collected, and
they took the handles of hoes which
they fastened behind them. 1t was
then that they turned into balloons.
The hoe handles grew and became
tails. hair made its appearance upon