Barotseland : $b eight years among the BarotseStirke, D. E. C.
History
Barotseland : $b eight years among the Barotse
Stirke, D. E. C.
Western Province (Zambia)
There are, beside these legislative divisions, several other divisions
of the people headed by various indunas. On the death of an important
person another person, generally younger, is elected to the place of
the deceased; thus indunas of the same name have been at the head of
divisions since time immemorial. These divisions are enumerated in order
of seniority. It was the duty of the induna in charge of each division
to provided a certain number from the division under him for tribute
work for the Chief, or for raiding parties or anything else that might
necessitate a large number of people being assembled together.
The first division is the Kabeti under the Ngambela who deputes his
authority to the induna Imandi. The second division is the Mutakela
under the induna Mukulwakashiku, third the Ngundwe under Noyo, fourth
the Ngulubela under Katema, fifth the Kawayo under Namunda, sixth the
Mbanda under Muyumbana, seventh Njeminwa under Kalonga. The first six
divisions are Barozi only, but the seventh division comprises all alien
people subject to the Barozi as well as the Likombwa or Chief’s body
servants and the less important of his relatives by blood or marriage.
All these divisions and arrangements of the people are of long standing
before the Makololo invasion, and were necessitated by the fact that as
there was no known method of writing amongst the Barozi, every induna
of the respective divisions had to act as index of the people under his
supervision.
CHAPTER IV.
Barozi Industries.
The Barozi industries are neither numerous nor complicated. A simple
people living in a state of savagery would not have any very great or
serious wants. Living on the Zambezi, and in a low flat swampy country
which becomes inundated yearly, boats were a necessity of life. The trunk
of a large tree cut down and then carefully hollowed out and pointed at
bow and stern, such were their first boats and so they are to-day.
In the course of time they found that a long paddle worked by men
standing up was more effective than a short paddle worked by anyone
sitting down, as well as being much more useful for work in shallow water
where the paddles being cut long are available as poles for pushing the
boat along. Of all the various trees used for boat making “mukwa” (a tree
resembling an ash) is alone unsinkable, all other kinds sink on being
submerged. Paddles are made of young “mukwa” as it has more play and give
in it than other woods. Paddling itself is quite a fine art, and to be
a paddler in the Barozi sense of the word is to have a more than useful
knowledge of the science. Steering is done by the stern paddler assisted
by the bow paddler, but by no means all of those who are good paddlers
are capable of paddling in the bow or stern.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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