The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-05

the rank of the brides father. For in
stance, the hereditary chief in charge
of a tribe, when parting with his
daughter, need set no bounds to his bo-
vine ambition, and the legend, Brides
are cheap today" is meaningless to one
of such exalted rank A mere appoint
ed chief in charge of a tribe dares not
his daughter, but ten head is the aver
age payment made. The ordinary
Kaffir has three or four wives, and
when he has been in service with his
white master sufficiently long to acquire
the amount necessary to obtain the
desire of his heart, he returns to his an
ceStral halls, and after a brief c/lrt-
ship, makes his selection in the 'kaffir
market" and proposeS-to the father
No presents are made to the brides
maids, for there are none to present;
but that much maligned mother-in-
law is duly recognized by the heather,
for she invariably. receives a, COW from
her sOn-in-law-e elect.
Kaffir modistes receive few commits
sions from natives for trousseaus The
bride dyes her hair for the wedding
morn, not with Mrs. Aliens best, but
with red clay, the symbol and badge Of
every married woman. The ceremony
is usually very picturesque, and in that
land of sunshine takes place in the
open. The officiating clergy consists of
a terribly pompouS individual called the
official Witness who publicly asks
the woman in the presence OF her as
sembled friends and relatives whether
she gives her full and free consent to
the union, and in the event of repent
ance at the last moment he instantly
stops the marriage rites. The wedding
breakfast is both primitive and salts
flying. 1t consists of cattle or goats
slaughtered for the occasion, and large
calabashes of "utywala-' or Kaffir
beer, an intoxicant brewed from a grain
resembling millet. On the coast a vile
connection of treacle and water, called
'isityimiyana," is in great request.
When the marriage is announced it
produces g fiutter in the neighboring
kraals, and the brave OF any tribe not
on speaking terms with the brides peO-
pie make it the occasion for a hostile
/ demonstration, known subsequently to
the avenging law as faction fight. The
unlimited generally approach the scene
of the ceremony armed with assegals
and knobkerries, and when the cere-
mony is at a most interesting point
challenge the able bodied guests to
come forth to Slkirmish. Several OF the
latter VINO have drunk of the ''utyWala"
not wisely, but too we'll, sally forth to
avenge the insult, and mid rival jeers
and taunts do their level best to break
each others heads. Blows are given
and taken, but the average Kaffir' s
head is as cast steel. The women too,
are not behindhand, and urge on the
combatants with strong hints as to
their degeneracy from the days of yore.
and in one case, when several of their
injured foesS tried to rise, felled them
to the ground with fat stones When
the intruders are driven off, the wound
ed are brought into the kraal, and the
whole assemblage sits far into the night
drinking beer and 'feasting on red
flesh till the rude awakening in the
morning, when the medicine man or
herbalist is called in to bind the broken
limbs and minister to the black slaves
of over-indulgence.