South Africa -- Description and travel; South Africa -- History -- 1836-1909; South Africa -- History -- To 1836
The rain-maker is used only in time of drought, when the Chief sends to
him desiring that he will make rain, and presenting him with a head of
cattle to assist him in the operation. The profession is a dangerous
one, as the Chief is wont to sacrifice the rain-maker himself if the
rain is postponed too long. It is the rain-maker’s trade to produce
acceptable excuses till the rain shall come in its natural course. It is
not expected till the bones of the ox shall have been burned after
sacrifice,--which may be about the third day. Then it may be asserted
that the beast was not good enough, or unfortunately of an unacceptable
colour; and there is some delay while a second beast comes. Then it is
alleged that there is manifestly a witch interfering, and the
witch-doctoring process takes place. It is bad luck indeed if rain do
not come by this time;--but, should it not come soon after the
witch-doctor’s victim has gone through his torments, then the rain-maker
is supposed to be an impostor, and he is at once drowned by order of the
Chief. Mr. Warner, from whose notes this account is taken, says that the
professional rain-maker was not often a long lived man.
I did not myself visit the Transkeian territory, but in passing from
East London to Durban the small steamer which carried me ran so near the
land that I was enabled to see the coast scenery as well as though I
were in a rowing boat just off the shore. We could see the Kafirs
bathing and the cattle of the Kafirs roaming upon the hills. It is by
far the prettiest bit of coast belonging to South Africa. The gates of
St. John, as the rocks forming the mouth of the river are called, are
peculiarly lovely. When I was there the rebellion had not been
commenced, but even then I thought it a pity that English vessels should
not be able to run in among that lovely paradise of hills and rocks and
waters.
I insert here a table of the population of the Transkeian tribes, giving
the estimated numbers of the people and the supposed number of fighting
men which each tribe contains. They are all now regarded as Kafirs
except the inhabitants of Adam Kok’s Land and the district called the
Gatberg, who are people that have migrated from the west.
ESTIMATED POPULATION OF THE TRANSKEIAN TERRITORIES.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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