Great Zimbabwe, Mashonaland, Rhodesia: An account of two years' examination work in 1902-4 on behalf of the government of RhodesiaHall, R. N. (Richard Nicklin)
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Great Zimbabwe, Mashonaland, Rhodesia: An account of two years' examination work in 1902-4 on behalf of the government of Rhodesia
Hall, R. N. (Richard Nicklin)
Great Zimbabwe (Extinct city); Zimbabwe -- Antiquities
Two or three sit by the _Isafuba_ game-holes, and of course
disputations at once ensue. Others settle down to work of their own,
such as grass-hat making, carving sticks with chevron patterns, drying
tobacco leaves, crushing snuff, dressing skins, or performing the
duties of barbers. The boys are most industrious when engaged upon
their own work. Others are off to inspect their bird and game traps, of
which they seem to have at least a hundred within a short distance from
the camp, while the rest sit and watch whatever happens to be going on.
Down the side of Makuma Kopje, where Mogabe’s kraal is situated, come
young men in twos and threes, some of them with musical instruments,
such as Makalanga pianos, a flute, and a one-stringed harp with gourd
attached to increase the sound, and of course all are singing. These
on descending Makuma disappear in the ten-foot grass which fills the
valley till they are near the camp. Other young men come from Chenga’s
kraal in the opposite direction two miles away. These latter are the
boys to work. Our best workmen come from Chenga’s, for Mogabe’s men
have not been improved by tips and favours from visitors to the ruins;
besides, belonging to the kraal of the paramount and dynastic chief,
they deem themselves to be somewhat superior to all direction or
reprimand by white men. Though Mogabe’s people know “how to be happy
though Makalanga,” Chenga’s people seem to be even more genuinely
contented with their environment.
By 7 a.m. the camp is in full life, and all the boys are present with
at least a dozen brothers and followers. The trap-owners have returned
with rats, small birds, and possibly a rock-rabbit. A boy is given a
note to take to Victoria, seventeen miles distant. He places the letter
and his pass in a cleft stick, holds it out in front of him, and is
off. He will be back in camp an hour after sundown, perhaps bringing a
load of 35 lbs. on his head. A thirty-four miles’ journey is preferred
to a day’s work in the temple, so that there are always willing runners
into Victoria. There are eggs, poultry, milk, honey, melons, pumpkins,
rice, and sweet potatoes for sale or barter for salt, and these can
always be obtained for half the original price asked for them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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