LIVING AT 120 YEARS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 4602, 28 January 1936, Page 4

LIVING AT 120 YEARS.

CLAIM FOR AGED NATIVE,

Ramonotwane, the very old man who lives at Kalamare, in the Bachuanaland Protectorate, was shown last September, on historical and other, evidence, to he 120 years old, says a writer in the Star, Johannesburg. Unfortunately he does not know his birthday, or he •would be.looking forward to his hundred and twenty-first -truly a remarkable coming of age. •Centenarians are supposed always to be able to give reasons for the attainment of their great age, and he is so far in advance of the ordinary run of them that it was fitting to ask him, as I did recently, how he accounted for having lived from the days when Mzeligazi was ruling in the 'Transvaal until' the present time. His answer was not only interesting but original, showing how clear his mind remains. In giving it he expressed the view that people in general- —-referring particularly, to' the natives of his own country —were shorter lived and less vigorous than in his day. “In our early days,” he said, ‘we never thought of women—only of war and hunting. We were not allowed to marry until we had long proved ourselves high-class fighters and had seen many years of war.” This is in accordance with what is known of the rule laid down by Zulu despots. Ramonotwane, it may be recalled by those who read his history, was only allowed his first wife after he was about 35. When asked how many he had had since he replied—/‘Oh, quite a lot— I have lost count.”

Life in' general, he asserts, was very different, “in his young days.” The men had no chance to lounge about and grow soft. They were always on the move, whether in peace or war. “I made up my mind that none of my comrades should beat me in any feat of strength or skill, so I was always exercising and practising, when not out with the assegai or on one of the long journeys we were constantly ' sent on.”

Regarding drink, Ramonotwane’s name ought to be written in letters of gold in the recordsi of teetotal organisations. . Hie takes nothing but tea nowadays, and says he was never a great beer-drinker, even in times and circumstances when beer often had to be “both, meat and drink.”

The old man’s identity and activity even now are remarkable. He is often to be seen “breying” skins, as he used to do in his y-oung days when times were slack —-working away steadily, crooning and whistling softly to himself. In spite of the loss of the finger and thumb of his.left hand, which were shot off during Hendrik Potkieter’s raid into Matabeleland in 1847—Avith which far-off days, the old -man links the present—and, blind as he is, he does the job well. Nor does his want of sight interfere with his other occupation of “doctoring”- —divining by the aid of the “litoala,” or divining bones. This has really been his profession since he retired, long ago, from that of . a soldier Qf Mzeligazi, and - he says it Avas the Matabele. king in person who had him instructed in the art. Feeling Avith his fingers, he is .able to identify the magic pieces and to tell the relation in. which they lie, in order to interpret their meaning. » pFfis activities as a bone thrower and his implicit belief in the results presented a peculiar problem Avhen Ramonotwane became a Christian, toAvard the end of last century. That was in the days of the Rev. W. C. “Willoughby, afterwards the first principal of the Tiger Kloof Nati\ r e Institution, who at that time Avas in charge for the London Missionary Society in Khama’s country. [Mr. [Willoughby Ayas very averse to having him -in the church Avhile he remained a bone-thrower, but eventually, becoming convinced of the harmlessness of the practice as carried on by Ramonotwane, and of the old man’s benevolent influence and helpfulness among his compatriots, the missionary alloAved him to be taken into full church membership. -