Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-09
SOUTH AFRICAN kAFFlRS
their Appearance and Domestic Manners
and Gu ems.
som-thiDg of the Relations Between
Man and Wife-MiIitury Formation
and Favorite weapon.
rrum tbr New York Tribune.

hi, and other extremely foreign languages
with written characters utterly unlike En-
giish. the ethnOlogists and philologists pre-
fer L" spell the name k-a-I-i-r. Properly.
# is only negative designation. Like
''WcishE and ''Walloon,' both meaning
"strarge" which the English and the
f1cmingS respectively applied to the Celtic
races with whom they came in contact,
KAHN was the general term, meaning
''unbcli-vcr" applied by the Arabs of Afri
CD to the fighting races with whom they
came i'm contact in southeastern Africa.
Nowadays ii is limited by the book learned
TO the tribes which are scattered about the
country, roughly speaking, bounded on the
north by the TekeZaS, Inc west by the
BcchuauaS and Basutos. anu on the south
by what is left Of the Hottentots. In other
words. kdfraria, eInnUIUg 4CaiIy regarded,
Includes all Zululand anu some of Portu-
xu'se East Africa, with The whole of Natal.
But the hunter and the miner OF the Rand
and of the karoo ale not bookmen, as a
class, and, aiming at convenience rather
IMAM eNactness or PEI spscu.ly, they apply
thu term 'kaffir'' to almost any native in
those parts much as lie sutitt4eru wn.te
calls any one with dash of negro blood
q niger Many of the backs who so 20
kimberley 10 work in the diamond mInes
ami are shut up there in lhe huge incio-
sureS- or barracks, TO guard against their
IarcsE"tis procivities, during me terms of
Their service. are rea ~ haffirs, and the
.rcS'-BeChEanaS. Basu and so On-are
Of races closely akin to he Kafffr race.
Their dom stic habits and the tenor of their
daily lives al home all much alike. 1t
i chiefly in his tribal organization that the
kaffir proper. especially ne Zulu. differs
from and excelS his neishbors and con-
g-uers-
The home life of the Kaffir is conducted
upon the polygamous system. modified by
strict tribal laws and pecun,ary facts. The
katfli Young man, when his tribe is not
hampered in its internal administration by
The interference of white commissioners, Is
Tot allowed To marry at all until he has
washed his assegai.'' No soap known to
civilization is fit for this washing: 1t must
be done with human blood and the blood
Of enemies To the tribe Here, according TO
the friends of Cetewayo, was that hero's
excuse for his outbreak in 1873 and 1879.
II sought no war with the English The
Dutch are our enemies, and my young mon
clam0red before me for leave to wash their
spears Having washed his spear credita-
bly, the young man is allowed by his law TO
marry wife. If he can collect enough cat
tie for the wedding fee, which is paid to
her father. who is her owner. The payment
and acceptance of this fee is the essence IF
the ceremony. but the ceremony once com
Rlete the union has stability. among the
Zulus al least. which more civilized tribes
elsewhere might well emulate
The bridegroom ShaVes his head. all but
ring of wool left high up on the crown
The bride shaves her head, except for a
tuft on the top This topknot Is their idea
of the lovely in matronIy couture They
have decided ideas of their own as to femi-
nine l"veliness. and according to these ideas
Ire keen critics of complexion. One of the
signs that .he origin of the kaifirs as a
Homogeneous race is comparatively recent
Is the variety of tone in their skins-some
lew inhy black. others varying shades of
rich coffee color. They themselves esteem
most highly the deepest black with warm
Ted tone. and this complexion constitutes
one OF the charms of the Anna Tembu
DtIlrS- whose prices run high as forty
head Of good cattle. while ten head is
GOO price 10 pay for lady of less favored
breed
he ia.I,
OF housekeeping the young man goes 10
work 10 start an independent kraal (pro-
n"un'ei crawl }. This word is Dutch, The
kaIr 10 which II corresponds being umuzi.
The hut. which is the center of the Kaffir
umuzi. is a conicaI hemispherical wat
lie affair. with ground an from l.. to ~
tt't IN diameter, and one opening feet
nigh 10y II inches wide serving as door
window and chimney. Inside the floor is
of hard. smooth clay, followed out slightly
III the center for a fireplace, and except
around the edges, where the goats and
chi,krns bunk and the Hitter and hunting
and lighting apparatus are kept. fairly clean
Here the katfir and his W .fe cook and eat
their food, which is principally cornmeaI
(mealieJ mush, with the occasional addi-
i4i"u II fresh beef XIII and eat your cat
lie Is the conventional kaffiT order for
!'break up Your kraal and move" They
tan cook in pots made of finely woven wa
1er-Jisht mating, or of thin. hard wood.
have attained some skill in working iron,
mostly for weapons. but the iron pot of
the white man has begun to find its way
Into the native home
| One point worth remarking about the do
imestic arrangements of the Kaffir young
couple IS that the bride is expected to build
the house with her own dark red toned
bands. while the bridegroom fixes the sur
founding fences to secure the cattle and
keep out the leopards- AS rule. womans
rights are not in a tlOurishing state among
the kaffirS. The exception, that of the
Zulus, among whom the women are better
treated than among other divisions of the
race. Is a strong argument for Womans
rights because the Zulus are the pick of
all the kaffirs. The Zulus are taller. more
agile, more intelligent, more good natured
and Suciable when well treated, and more
formidable in war than any other kafirs.
They may not make powerful hands
In the gold or diamond mines as some of
the western and southern natives. not be-
Ing 50 thickset. or. generally. so well fitted
to carry heavy loads: but among these peo-
pies lishtness and rapidly OF mOtion-and.
II would seem. grace-are more admired
in men than what We call sturdineSs.
The costume Of the Zulu in the domestic
circle. if he he man IF rank, Is comprised
IN leopard skin about his shoulders a
peculiar sort Of belt made If strips Of
hide. an anklet or two of brass. and some
thing in the way Of q necklace His wife
has very rainy-day skirt made for her
by her husband out OF an hide which he
himself has tanned ard softened. But this,
e. far as the man is cOnCerned. is only for
The piping times Of peace, when the family
Emoke Dutch tobacco out of smokehorns
and eNhilarate themselves with snuff When
the Zulu goes forth to wash his assegai''
he leaves leopard skins and belts at his
kraaL His tribe have made themselves
respected by the British in open fight and
the secrets of his warlike responsibility are
his "impiS and his ''assegafs'
The Zulu 'impi is tactical and discip-
linary formation of about / 900 warriors on
foot. In battle. the impi charges in solid
formation like the Macedonian phalanx
each warrior covering his body with a
shield about q inches by * at the widest
part, made OF one thickness Of OK hide
Each impi Is permanently under the COM
mand of an induna- The principal offensive
weapon Of the Zulu warriors, the .asse-
gal. Is a light spear. sometimes as long as
five feet, sometimes not longer than three
the long. fiat head of iron, beaten into the
shape Of willow leaf. bound To the haft
with OK hide thongs At close quarters the
assegai may be used for stabbing but IL is
more effective when used as a missile that
Will kill at 200 yards, its penetrating power
being due to the rotary motion, like that
OF Il rifle bullet. which is impaired in the
act OF hurting by a peculiar hook of the
little finger II is said that white man