South Africa -- Description and travel; South Africa -- History -- 1836-1909; South Africa -- History -- To 1836
There are many religious rites and ceremonies and many laws as to
cleanness and uncleanness; but it would hardly interest the reader were
I to describe them at length. At the age of puberty, or what is so
considered among the Kafirs, both boys and girls go through certain
rites by which they are supposed to be introduced to manhood and
woman-hood. There is much in these ceremonies which is disgusting and
immoral, and it has been the anxious endeavours of missionaries to cause
their cessation. But such cessation can only come by the gradual
adoption of European manners. Where the Kafirs have lived in close
connexion with the Europeans many of these customs have already been
either mitigated or abandoned.
When a child dies but little notice is taken of the circumstance. Among
adults, the dying man or woman, when known to be dying, is taken away to
die in a ditch. So at least the Rev. Mr. Dugmore says in one of the
papers from which I am quoting. When death has occurred the family
become unclean and unable to mix in society for a certain period. It
used to be the custom to cast the dead body forth to be devoured by
beasts, the privilege of burial being only accorded to the Chiefs. But
now all are buried under the ground, a hole being dug not far from the
hut. The funeral of a Chief is attended with many ceremonies, his arms
and ornaments being buried with him. Friends are appointed to watch by
the grave,--for longer or lesser periods according to the rank of the
deceased. If he have been a great Chief, the period is sometimes a year,
during which the watchers may do nothing but watch. These watchers,
however, become sacred when the watch is done. Cattle are folded upon
the grave which may never after be slaughtered;--nor can anything be
done with their increase till the last of the original cattle have died.
The grave of the Chief becomes a sanctuary at which an offender may
take refuge. The death of the Chief is made known to all other Chiefs
around,--who shave their heads and abstain for a time from the use of
milk. From all which it may be seen that a Kafir Chief is considered to
be a very big person.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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