THE RHODESIAN NATIVE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14807, 10 October 1911, Page 4

THE RHODESIAN NATIVE.

SOME -OF HIS MANNERS AND < ;y ; CUSTOMS, v A BEMABXABLT interesting journey from Rhodesia to Egypt was lately made by Mr. ' E. H. Cholmeley and Mr. Frank H. Mellah'd,. both of whom have for some vears been Native Commissioners and As-sistant-Magistrates in the service of the British South Africa Company in Northeastern Rhodesia. Mr. Melland and Mr. Cholmeley had long held the opinion that, with so "many possible routes by which to proceed on vacation leave, and with so much "that was interesting, instructive, and comparatively little known on some of those routes, it would be a pity to travel home Tby the beaten track of trains and mail steamers.

■ They therefore arranged to devote the greater part of their "leave" to journeying through the heart of Africa, on bicycle and on foot, , over much territory but little known, for the purposes of studying, not only the geography' of the country, but the varying conditions of native life akin to, yet, differing from, the sections of it with which their official duties are chiefly concerned. The two travellers have succeeded in compiling valuable information far exceeding the scope of one magazine article, but some of the main points of interest are suggested in an article which Mr. Cholmeley contributes to the August number of the Windsor Magazine, in the course of which he- says:— '.* - •'" ''

if" In physique a Wawemba (Rhodesian) ; native is of medium height, but generally ! well-developed, and, with a curious ignorance : of. the use of his sheer muscular strength, has great staying powers. In disposition he is a cheerful, good-natured child, with a great capacity tor obstinate ' grousing' if he thinks he is being unfairly treated, or can score anything by it,. but has a keen sense of humour, and can often be managed by a judicious mixture of sternness and chaff. ""The late Miss Mary Kingsley used to maintain that it was a mistake to describe the African native as having the nature of a child—that his temperament was really that of a woman. There is much truth in this. Though in many ways he is a child, in some others he shows in a most remarkable manner traits that are characteristically feminine. ■■/". "Religion he*has practically, none, beyond an ill-developed ancestor and spirit worship, but his superstitions are multifarious and i tenaciously clung to. In nothing is this more clearly seen than in the witchcraft or magic" which is still firmly and almost universally believed in. "Among the Wawemba, when a native falls sick of any disease that he does not understand—and he understands but two or three—it is invariably ascribed to the malevolent influence of some other person, whether through some individual actor. general hostility. If some " particular incident or act of hostility can be recalled the person responsible is applied to directly. If the sick man or his relatives have any docbt a witch-doctor is applied to, and by one of his sundry tests or oracles he points out the responsible persons. In either case the latter may possibly be required only to pronounce a blessing or apology, and if the sick person recovers all is well. On the other hand he may be required to pay a fine; while in former times, in serious cases, especially if the injured party was a chief, or a native of i standing and influence, he ran consider- ! able risk of summary execution. ■ ~ "Even at the present day the practice of demanding compensation" from the ac- ! cused man is far from having died out, i and the most grotesque injustices fre- j quently/ result, .; J