The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-07-12
SOUTH AFRICAN NATIVES.
The Three Native Races That Inhaoit
he spunrry.
James Bryce. IN the June Century.


James Bryce, IN the June Century.
when taa Dufeh fsxed their fsrSt post az
Gaze Town, IN l6sz, with no thought ether
Of colonization or OF conquest bat for the
sake OF having gardens y 24ch could supply
fresh vegetables TO the scurvy-sT-cAen
crews OF their ships sailing TO the East.
they found three native races innaoltihS
the country. One OF these. the b-4saElen.
though gew in numbers. were widely scat
tered over the whole OF South AREA Ifey
were uonaas OF almost the lowest A4Il1.
win a marvellous faculty for tracking and
trapping aid animals. but neither own
ing cattle nor clling the soil. with Scarcely
even a tribal organization. no religion. ard
a language consisting Of successor OF
ciicks Unable 10 accostoM themselves 10
civilized life. driven out Of some districts
b. the settlers. and IN others no longer
able 10 find support. owing TO the exline-
ton Of game they are now almost extinct.
though a fsw are stu left IN The deserts
OF the kalahari and northern Bechnana-
land Before many years the only trace OF
their existence all be IL the renArhaDle
drawings OF animals VITA which they de-
lighted 10 cover the smooth surfaces or
rocks. These drawings. which are found
eli the way from the Zambes. 10 the Cape.
and from Naniacland 10 the Atlantic. are
executed in red and yellow pigments, and
are often fun OF spirit and character.
The second race Was that which the
Dutch called Hottentot- They were OF
reddish or yellowish black hue. taiier than
the Busnmen, but with squat and seldom
muscular Egures-a thoughtlesss cheerful.
easy-golng people. who roved hither and
fhither with their focks and herds as they
could find pasture. They were decidedly
superior 10 the Bushmen. whom they
hated. but quite unable 10 withstand Euro
peans and their numbers rapidly declined.
partly from the loss Of their best grazing
grounds. but largely, also, through cpl
dsmsc diseases, and especially smallpox.
which ships. touching on their Way from
India. brought into the country. They are
now. as distinct race, almost extinct IN
the colony. though a good deal OF their
blood has passed into the mixed black
population OF Cape Town and its neighbor-
hood-a population the other elements Of
which are Maiays and west-coast negroes.
the descendants Of slaves imported IN the
last century. Farther north, on the south
side OF the Orange river. and beyond 1t IN
Namagualand, small tribes cognate to the
Hottento;s still wander over the dreary
plains.
Very different from these weak Bush
men and HottentotS was, and Is. the third
| native race. those who are called Bantu
"a word meaning .'people'1 by themselves
| and kaffirs BY Europeans The word
| Kafir Is Arabic. and means an infldel
Literally lone who denies'). II Is applied
| by Massalmans not merely TO these South
| Africans, but 10 other heather. as for
instance. by the Afghans 20 the idola tsrs
| OF Kafristan. in the Hindu-KuSh noun
tains. The Portuguese probably took the
name from the Arabs. whom they found
already settled on the east coast TheSs
Bantu tribes-if we may class those as
Bantus who speak languages OF what Is
called the Bantu type-fiIi all East Africa
from the regions of the Upper Nile south
ward
Those who dwell south OF the Zambesi
are generally strong and weli-made men,
sometimes as black as = Gulf Of Guinea
negro. sonnet mes verging on brown tint:
and though they have the wOolly hair and
thick iips generally characteristics of the
negro. individuals are often found among
them whose cast OF features suggests an
adTnixture OF Semitic blood. They are
more prolific than the Hettentots. as well
as physically stronger and better made
ard they were further advanced in the arts
81 ife Some Of the tribes dug out and
worked iron and copper; all Of them used
iron. The chief wealth lay in their cat
tie. horses they did not possess. bat
where the land was TT for tiflage they
cultivated H. They had no religion. ex-
cept In a sort OF agile and that Worship
Of the ghosts Of ancestors which seems
10 be the most widely diTused OF ar hu-
nan superstitiors. Instead OF q priest
hood, there were wizards or medicine
men. often powerful as the aenouncers
81 those whom the chief wished TO put To
death Intellectually they were very
much upcn the level OF the native races
| OF West Africa.