The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-08-01
SOUTH AFRICAN NATIVES
The Three Native. Races That In.
habit the Country.


at Cape Town in 1852, with no thought
either of colonization or Of conquest
but for the sake of having gardens which,
could supply fresh vegetables to the sour
vy-strickenc of their ships sailing "a
the east, they found three native races
inhabiting the country. One OF, these,
the Bushmen, though few in numbers,
were widely scattered over the whole OF
South Africa. They were nomads of al
most the lowest kind, with marvellous
faculty for tracking and trapping wild
animals. but neither owning cattle nor
tllllng the soil, with scarcely even a
tribal organization, no religion and a
language consisting of succession of
clicks. Unable to accustom themselves
10 civilized life, driven out of some dis.
tricts by the settlers and in others 40
longer able to find support, owing to
the extinction of game, they are now
almost extinct, though few are still
left in the deserts Of the Kalahari anal
northern Bcchuanaland. Before many
years the only trace of their existence
will be in the remarkable drawings of
animals with which they delighgted 10
cover the smooth surfaces of rocks.
These drawings, which are found all
the way from the Zambesi to the Cape,
and from Maniacland to the Atlantic
are executed in red and yellow pig
ments, and are often full of spirit and
character.
The second race was that which the
Dutch called Hottentot- They were of
reddish or yellowish black hue, talle,
than the Bushmen, but with squat and
seldom muscular figures-a thoughtless.
cheerful. easy-going people, who rove
hither and thither with their f1ocks and
herds as they could find pasture. They
were decidedly superior to the Bushmen.
whom they hated, but quite unable to
withstand Europeans, and their mum.
bers rapidly declined, partly from tn.
loss of their best grazing grounds, but
largely, also. through epidemic diseases,
and especially smallpox, which ships,
touching on their way from India
brought into the country. They are
now, as a distinct race, almost extinct
in the colony, though good deal Of
their blood has passed into the mixed
black population of Cape Town and lis,
neighbcrhood-a population the other
elements of which are Malays and west
coast negroes, the descendants Of slaves !
imported in the last century. Farthe,
,orth, on the south side of the Orangs
river. and beyond it in Namagualand
mall tribes cognate to the Hottentois
still wander over the dreary plains.
Very different from these weak Bush
nen and Hottcntots was, and is, tn,
bird native race, those who are called
3antu e. word meaning ''people'D by
and Kafirs by Europeans.
The word kafir is Arabic, and means all
nfidel (literally zone who denies''). It
s applied by Mussulmans not merely 10
hese South Africans, but to other
leathen; az, for instance, by the
Afghans to the idolaters Of Kairistan
n the Hindu-Kush mountains. The
Portuguese probably took the nam,
rom the Arabs, whom they found al
eady settled on the east coast. Thes.:
santu tribes----if we may class those as
'antus who speak languages of what j.,
allied the Bantu type-fill all East
Africa from the region Of the Upper Nile
Those who dwell south of the Zambesi
re generally strong and well-madc
len, sometimes as black as a gulf Of
uinea negro, sometimes verging on q
rown tint; and though they have the
'oolly hair and thick lips generally
Of the negro, individuals
re often found among them whose cast
features suggests an admixt,ue Of
emitic blood. They are more prolific
IAN the Hottentots, as well as physical
: stronger and better made, and they
ere further advanced in the arts o,
fe. Some of the tribes dug out an
orked iron and copper; all of ther.
sed iron. Their chief wealth lay ir
leir cattle; horses they did not possess
ut where the land was fit for tillag
ley cultivated it. They had no re
gion, except in sort of magic, ana
lat worship of the ghosts of ancestor
hich seems to be the most. widel.
iffused of all human .superstitions.
lstead sof a priesthood, there were
lizards or medicine.men. often power
i asathe denouncers of those whors
le chief wished to put to death. In
llectunlly they were very much upon i
e level Of the native races of West !
Frica.-James Bryce, n. p, in Century. /
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SHORES OF THE THAMES. !
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