The uncivilized races of men in all countries of the world; vol. 1 of 2: Being a comprehensive account of their manners and customs, and of their physical, social, mental, moral and religious characteristicsWood, J. G. (John George)
History
The uncivilized races of men in all countries of the world; vol. 1 of 2: Being a comprehensive account of their manners and customs, and of their physical, social, mental, moral and religious characteristics
Wood, J. G. (John George)
Anthropology; Ethnology; Manners and customs
So he set up his forge, and, in a manner which will be described in
a future page, made his own bronze, brass, or bell-metal, and cast
a number of little cylinders. These he beat into shape with his
primitive hammer, and formed them into very tolerable imitations
of leopards’ teeth. Being now furnished with the material for his
necklace, he began to put it together. First, he strung rows of
chalk-white beads, and then a brass tooth. Next to the tooth comes a
large transparent glass bead, of ruby-red, decorated with white spots.
Then comes a tooth, then more beads, and so on, until the ornament has
been completed. In order to give the necklace an air of reality, he cut
a piece of bone so as to look like a very large tooth, and strung it in
the centre of the ornament, so as to fall on his chest.
This is really a handsome piece of workmanship, and when in use must
have a very excellent effect. The colors are selected with remarkable
taste, as nothing can look better on a dark skin than white and ruby.
Moreover, the metal teeth are burnished so as to glisten brilliantly
in the sun, and will dazzle the eye at the distance of some feet. Both
these necklaces are drawn from specimens in the collection of Colonel
Lane Fox.
It is a remarkable fact that good taste in color, if not in material,
seems to be inherent in the race, despite the very small amount of
clothes which either sex wears. When they become partially civilized,
especially if they owe any allegiance to missionaries, they assume
some portion of ordinary European costume. The men, whose wardrobe
is generally limited to a shirt and trousers, have little scope for
taste in dress; but the women always contrive to develop this faculty.
Whether in the gay colors of the gowns which they wear, or whether in
the more sober hue of the handkerchief which they invariably tie round
their heads, they always manage to hit upon a combination of colors
which harmonize with their complexions.
Perhaps it is fortunate that such should be the case, for the
assumption of European costume is, artistically speaking, anything but
an improvement in the appearance of a Kaffir, or, indeed, of any wearer
of a dark skin; and it is a curious fact, that the better the clothes,
the worse do they look. A young Kaffir, wearing nothing but his few
tufts of fur, moves with a free and upright gait, and looks like one of
nature’s noblemen. But the moment that he puts on the costume adopted
in civilized Europe, he loses every vestige of dignity, and even his
very gait is altered for the worse.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account