The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1929-01-03
NASAL YOUTHS
FIGHT EARLY
Members of Africa's Fer
cest Tribe Called to War
at Age of Sixteen.

Washington.-Whe the prince of
Wales recently visited Nairobi,
Kenya colony, the Nasal tribesmen
entertained him with a war dance.
Amid roaring war whoops the tribes
r..:cc, Hidden hch;nd their large
shields. menacingly welded their
spears in a way which showed the
prince why explorers avoid Nasal
villages when the tribesmen are on
the warpath.
"The Nasal are one of the
fiercest tribes in Africa" says
bulletin from the Washington Cd.
CO. headquarters of the National
Geographic society. "While mem,
bers of the tribe near Nairobi have,
been tanned by British and mission-l
airy influence and have settled
down on plantations, their relatives
in the hills of western Kenya still
spend their time raiding neighbor-
ing tribes when not tending their.
herds.
Begin to Fight at Sixteen.
"a Nasal village is military
barracks. At the call of the chief,
the young warriors don lion names,
which they wear about their heads,
and perhaps string of beads. With
spears and leather shields as their
only arms, they set out to attack
the enemy
"The Nasal begins his military
career at sixteen. When he Isl
thirty, he becomes an elder, set
ties down, and has as many wives
as he desires. The furniture in,
his home Of mud-plastered sticks
costs no more than his haberdash-2
cry. Over an open fireplace hangsl
an iron kettle while additional uten-
sils are made Of gourds. A long!
gourd is Nasal milk can and half
gourds are used for cups. Some
of the huts have three-leggedI
stool or two for the older tribes
men.
"Even when the Nasal is not on
the warpath, the American traveller
would be inclined to avoid him for
sanitary reasons. Splitting upon a
visitor is a sign of reverence and
good will among some of the tribes
men. Every one who sees a new
born baby must spit on it. If q
warrior is friendly, he splits on his
hand before greeting stranger.
"Outside the villages, one might
stumble upon the skeleton of a
tribesman whose body has been left
to the hyenas, jackals and vultures.
Only the chief of the tribe deserves
q burial. After a chief has been
buried for a year the son of his sue
cessor digs up the old chiefs
skull which is a treasured posses
sion in the village.
Grass and Snakes Held Sacred.
"The tribesmen's wives presiding
over his hut jingle with every move.
Their legs and arms are covered
with dozens of wire rings. These
adornments and dozen or more
rings encircling their necks some
times weigh between 10 and %
pounds. Both men and women are
frequently seen with wood cylin-
ders and tin cans in, their distended
ear lObes.
"Masai tribesmen have been al.
most impossible to convert from ma
ture worship. When the chief
would invoke the pleasure of the
gods, all the children in the village
stand in a circle and chant. Grass
is sacred to the tribesmen. If a
Mesai hands a stranger tuft of
green grass, it suggests friendship.
When the young warriors start out
On raids their sweethearts throw
grass upon them to insure victory.
The hyena has certain sacred
character. If a beast happens to
cross the path of warrior, the
whole tribe goes in mourning. The
python is held in veneratiOn, for
they believe the souls of their an
cestors are reborn in them.
"Some tribesmen worship a black
and red god. The black god is
benevolent, living Immediately
above the earth, while the red god
lives farther up in the heavens.
When the Nasal hear thunder, they
believe the red god is trying to get
through the domain of the black
god. The rumbling is the voice of
the black god pleading with the red
god not to harm the tribesmen be-
low.
''The Nasal hate agriculture in
their native environment. They
are cattle herders when not on the
warpath, and live entirely upon the
food their herds proEide---It-is
common practice to drink warm
blood Immediately after it has been
drawn from a COW shot with an ar
row through the jugular vein."