Polygamy Rampant.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7, 14 August 1912, Page 70

Polygamy Rampant.

MARRIAGE SYSTEM IN Zl LELAND. Mr. Fred Niblo. of the “Get Rich Quick Wallingford” Company, 'has travelled extensively in Africa. (His studies of the Zulus revealed an extraordinary marriage system, which he recently explained io a reporter. , “Polygamy is practised entirely among all the natives of Zululand,” lie said, “and 'the old Labola custom of buying and selling wives is stilt flourishing in all its hideousness. Women arc a. 'chattel and their market price,, like , their, products, is governed by the supply and demand, At present Gt per cent, of the population of Zululand is female. Fathers jaisc their daughters to sell; as the price he receives depends upon Ater physical condition ami appearance, girls are pretty well cared for until they are married, and then—presto! her life's iromanee endfe, and from the courted, coquettish maiden she changes to practically a beast of burden. “The number of A man’s wives is only limited <by his purchasing capacity, and. as they are more than self-supporting, it is readily seen that the first cost is the only expense, and they' are a profitable investment.

“As the men arc not bound by the mh» conventdonalities that govern, or are supposed to govern, the white benedict, his matrimonial condition does not hinder him in the least from having as many “affairs les coeur” with t he dusky debutantes of the tribes as his cattle kraal may justify from time to time. When the suitor (whether he be married or single) sees a girl he fancies, lie strikes up a- violent flirtation, much to •the amusement of their hilarious and none top delicate mutual friends. At first 'the maiden, with the instinct of hetsex, receives 'his advances coyly and coldly, but soon warms under his persistent and ardent wooing until she finally yields a favourable response to his Tanda-MamU'kia (glance of k>ve)< and tlren straiighitway the proud swa'in goep to her father, where the terms are agreed upon and the wedding day set. “Five cows is the usual price for »< desirable healthy girl of from fourteen to twenty yours of age, though a few may be valued a little higher th iirthat. If the suitor can pay the price at once the wedding takes place in a few days, and all tlm friieuds «nd relative* of both parlies are invited. The marriage ceremony itself is simple, but the feast and dance which immediately follows is a gloifioiis affair, and lasts for several days. “If, however, the girl is purchased on the ‘instalment plan' (a common syat*a>), she remains with the father until

paid for in full, and then the wedding is announced. '

“Many odd rules regulate the marriage customs. For instance, if a wife proves unfaithful or is otherwise declared unsatisfactory to the husband, he may return her to her -father and ‘demand bis money Imek.’ She then becomes a rather second-rate artk-le from the marketable standpoint, and is either disposed of at reduced price or put to work on her father’s land.

“Again, if a wife dies during her first, two years of married life, Che husband may go to the father and dleimand her next younger sister as an equivalent. This demand may be made regardless of the fact 'that this sister may alreadybe engaged to another. “When a man dies, his wives, daughters, and other chattels revert to the ownership of his nearest brother, and he can marry them, sell them, or work them—at his discretion. I heard of a recent case where a young- widow, with the aid of friends, purchased her liberty by paying her estimated value, (in cows) to her lute -husband's brother. This, too, is very unusual, as wives never own anything in their own right, anything they may have belonging to their husband or master.

“The Zulu people are noted -for their magnificent physiques. The men arc tall, straight, and -well muscled. The women, especially the young women, are gratefully proportioned, -with well-curved forms, but the hard work makes them age quickly, and the supple beauty of to day is the wrinkled hag of to-morrow. “The Zulu is neither inventive, studious, nor ambitious. He is a fairly clever imitator, -a cheerful worker, if constantly and strictly managed, but with no thought beyond his next meal. “Where he is not yet- tainted witii civilization he is honest, -upright, and truthful, and loyal and generous with his fellow tribesmen."