The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-01-11
Kenya
! Museum of Strange Races

His hair is the most precious
heritage that can he left to his son
by a man of the Suks. one Of the
tribes of the Kenya colony, British
East -AfriSa. where, dispatches state
the natives are claiming equal re-
presentation with the whites says
bulletin OF the National Geogra-
phic Society.
.1t is unwomanly for the Suk wo-
men to have any hair at all on their
heads. but the increasing supply OF
hair passed down from, father to
son is woven into a great chignon.
in which he can carry all OF his
valuable possessions. such as his
ornaments and his snuff box. This
head covering is the only garment
which he deems necessary.
The Suks belong to the Eilotic
race group, which is only one of
the divisions of the interesting in
habitants Of this newest colony Of
Great Britain. We find the Swa-
hills. or coast folks. "a hybrid race
formed by the union of Arabs who
have pushed into the country with
the negro tribes. the SomaliS and
the Gallas. There also are the
Bantu-speaking population. many
of whom dwell in the regions round
Mount Kenya which was FOR a time
believed to lie in the tabled re-
eions of the Mountains Of the
Moon,' as we'll as more of the N
lotto group, consisting Of the Ma
sal, the Nandi ana others.
Though Kenya cails itself the
newest of the British colonies. it
is one of the Oldest lands of the
earth. Theodore Roosevelt, in
speaking of his African hunting
trip. said that the Nasal often re-
him Of the pictures of the
soldiers Of Thothmes and Raneses
made by the ancient Egyptian
in that their faces We're
resolute and had clear-cut features
The same noted traveller said Of this
tribe that though the women We're
Scrupulously clothed, the husbands
and brothers, very ostentatiously
wear no clothing for purposes of
decency.'
Reports concerning this parti-
cular people have constantly made
their app, arance in the civilized
world because they persistently
pillased neighboring tribes, having
decided that they no longer cared
to till their own fields, but would
get their sustenance by taking the
cattle and supplies of weaker tribes
and in this way have been respon-
sible for the depopulation of large
districts Of British East Africa. To-
day. however, they are doing excel
lent work in cultvatng the soil
The greater portion of the Ma
sal now live in the districts around
Nairobi They have perhaps the
most definite religious beliefs Of
the East African tribes, praying to
two gods, one black and benevolent
and the other red and cruel, but
they believe that when they die,
they go out like a puff. Some of the
Bantu tribes. however, hold to
and the witch-doctors
business is to detect the culprlt so
that she-for the accused is nearly
always an old wonan-may be put
to death.
The Gallas, though they are
now of little Importance either po-
litically or economically, take great
pride in their past. They say that
they once had a sacred book, like
the Bible or the Koran, but COW
ate it. and not being certain about
the particular COW, in their search
they are still opening the stomach
of every COW that dies.
The most effective weapon Of
the Nasal and Andorobo is the ar
row which they poison with the &C
cantrera schimperi. small tree.
They boil the leaves and branches
until the mixture becomes thick
and pitch-like in appearance. and
place it on sheets Of bark which
they hide high on the branches Of
trees away from the children. until
it is needed. When an animal is
shot with an arrow dipped in the
poison. it dies almost Immediately.
The natives cut out the flesh
around the wound as soon as pos
sible and throw it away. The re-
mainder is eaten and the blood is
drunk. This love Of blood as an
article Of food is common among
many African tribes, several of
them going so far as TO bleed their
cattle and drink the blood hot or
mix it with their porridge.
The mixed breed known as Swa-
hills. who live along the coast Of
the mainland and among the thou
sand and one representatives OF
other peoples of the world to be
found in Zanzibar, have one claim
to prominence among Kenya tribes
their language is the one in COM
mon use in the Colony. If one
speaks Swahili he can find some
one TO converse with him from Ma
tai to 4Aden and from Mombasa
to the Congo.
Coohoord 4 IT. inc