is very common amongst primitive thinkers, and it has found a wonderful development in the modern system of spiritism. Whatever is true in it, scientifically speaking, is another question. But we ought not to be astonished at the Bantu superstitions when we see so many philosophers of our time speak of astral bodies, subliminal existence, and so on. That idea of a double life has no doubt found some foundation in the fact of dreams. Dreams are a very important thing for the natives. They are fully convinced of their objective value, and no wonder if they explain a nightmare by the action of the baloyi; or if their dreams make them think that they lead a second existence during the night.

When did cannibalism disappear from South Africa? The answer to this question is impossible to give in the present state of our knowledge. But it is likely that the South African Bantu, as well as the tribes of the Equator, passed through that stage and were at a time cannibals. When the distasteful custom began to fade away, it must have left in the minds of the new generations a feeling of disgust, if not of horror. We find traces of it in the numerous tales about ogres of the Bantu folklore, and I guess that if the baloyi are accused of the crime of cannibalism it is for the same reason.

Finally, if some people dare to attribute to members of their tribe such awful acts as those of killing, and eating human flesh, it is sufficiently explained by the terrible power of hatred which the savages possess. They know that a native who hates would not shrink from anything to satisfy his desire for vengeance.

In conclusion, I would say: The origin of the theory of witchcraft, the power of that absurd superstition on the Bantu mind, is easily explained when we consider that it is but an application of the animistic system to the problem of death, that it is in accordance with the Bantu psychological conceptions of the duality of the human being and of the objective value of dreams, the remembrance of cannibalism, the intensity of hatred amongst savages; all these facts and principles correspond perfectly with the various elements of the superstitions which have been analysed now.

The only way of getting rid of that dreadful theory which can be really called the curse of the natives, is to replace in their minds that primitive and dangerous animism by the spiritual, highly moral, philosophical theism of Christianity. A Bantu when he becomes a Christian has given the deathblow to his old belief of witchcraft. However, that belief is slow to die! It is one of the superstitions of heathenism which sticks with the greatest obstinacy to his mind, and how often do we see the accusation of baloyi thrown in the face of a convert by another convert ! Every missionary understanding the natives will agree that any apparition of the baloyi superstition amongst those new congregations must be at once denounced as a sin of heathenism, and punished as such by those measures of ecclesiastical discipline which these young Churches cannot yet dispense with.

But there is another very efficient way of putting a check to the bulo yi superstition. Buloyi is condemned as a crime, and the noi

must be judged and punished by the chief. Now, since the white. Government has taken in hand the direction of native affairs all over South Africa, the native chiefs have seen their power very much diminished. They only judge less important offences. In doing so, they are acting in the name and with permission of their white masters. Accusations of buloyi are frequently brought before the native tribunal. The Christian chief generally refuses to accept them. But heathen ones do it, and therefore they uphold in their semi-official capacity that wretched and dangerous heathen superstition. Though we quite agree that the State is not called, as such, to interfere with the beliefs of its subjects, we must recognize that here a civilized Government has a duty to prevent any judicial act which supposes the reality of buloyi. And I would suggest a few principles and a few rules which the Department of Native Affairs might inculcate on the subject to its subordinates, the native chiefs :-(1) That the crime of buloyi be not recognized under the penal law. (2) That the native chiefs be prohibited from trying any baloyi case. These would be the two main principles. I might add the following ones :-(3) The plaintiff must be reprimanded as upsetting the peace of the country. (4) The mungoma who pretends to have "smelt out a noi must be fined as employing his authority to deceive people and foster hatred amongst them. (5) No evidence based on the use of divination bones must be accepted.

In the course of time, if that policy is followed, and if a true Christianity and education spread amongst natives, the buloyi will have ended, and the grandsons of the actual natives will read with amazement what their forefathers could believe !

TRANSVAAL: AN ETHNOLOGICAL STUDY.

By REV. FRITZ REUTER, BERLIN MISSION.

THE NAME.

Modjadje has its derivation from the word ledjadje, i.e., day or sun; plural, madjadje. Mo is the personal prefix, so that the meaning of the name comes near to: The ruler of the day or the sun.

The original home of Modjadje and her tribe is the country beyond the Limpopo river, called by the natives, Bokgalaka. Even now-a-days the old men of the tribe greet each other by Ndau Mokgalaka, i.e., Lion, man of the country Bokgalaka. In their opinion the whole of the human race comes from there. The tradition of the tribe announces that it was removed to its present abode by a migration of the nations, and that the tribe chanced on a people, who were wild and ignorant of fire.

It is rain-production which brought this heathen race to a power and authority so immense. The rain production was accomplished in a most systematic way. The queen distributed the power of producing "the small rains" to her relations, so that they were co-regents and had their earnings, while she reserved the great rainproducing powers for herself. Generally, the great rain was prepared out of the skin of a deceased chief, who was skinned after death. Part of his flesh, mixed with drugs and burned together with the brains of an owl on a coal-fire, effected the rain. Likewise, they prepared rain-medicine out of the material mentioned for reserve purposes, and poured it into oxen-horns They also placed pots, filled with water, on top of the highest mounts, which were only stirred at fixed intervals by minor chiefs. Thes the e said to produce the small morning-rains and the rains in the harv app. Sprinkling of the rain-medicine was never done in the rain, in acce, but only in the rainy season.

The number of those who sought for rain was always immense. All the major chiefs of the country appeared and paid their tribute to the queen in order to get the necessary rain. Gold and diamonds, cattle, and human beings, were paid for this precious moisture. Once 22 Zulus from Natal were at Modjadje's for six weeks to fetch rain, but no rain appeared; so a rain doctor with a medicine horn accompanied them on their way home, having strong hopes that it might rain on the long trip to Natal. Once it did not rain for a couple of years, and even Modjadje in her head kraal was in bad want of drinking water; but even then most of her people did not despair of her ability. It was said that certain causes had made Modjadje sad, and had influenced her to such a degree that it was impossible for her to produce the rain until they were removed. In 1884 it was stated that the Christians who had been converted out of her tribe were to be blamed for it, and had to be killed first. This was actually done. A force of about 10,000 men suddenly attacked my Christian village on Good Friday, and murdered the Christian chief, with 40 men, women and children. In 1892 it was said that the invasion of the white people into the Low

Country had aggravated rain-production, and again forces were set a-going to burn down their homesteads; a white man murdered. Two native wars resulted from this.

was also

Her wholesale fraud gave Modjadje immense power, so that every one of her subjects who fled into another country was surrendered without further ceremony. The hangman's servants dogged his steps and said: "This man has run away with the rain." The people to whom he had fled replied that it was better for one man to die than for the whole of the tribe to suffer. But in most cases these deserters surrendered themselves, and then were put to death with battle-axes in a most wretched way.

About the time I entered the country the Kaffirs had a beer-feast in a kraal not far from my station. There they drank and danced and committed all sorts of abominations until they were exhausted. At that time a fire broke out in a place far away, which, by a strong wind, was driven towards that kraal, and the huts and hedges became a prey of the flames. Most of the people were so drunk that they could not escape, and were burned. I tried to save the chief's wife and her daughter, but the burns were of such a nature that they also died. Now a great trial was started to find out the guilty person, who by witchcraft had directed the fire to this place. By means of dice it was at last discovered that it was an old man of the same kraal, who, of course, was in possession of a good lot of cattle; he had not been one of the drinking party. This man was condemned to death as having called the fire by witchcraft in order to annihilate these people. The poor old fellow fled into the bush and hid himself in the long grass, which was set on fire at once, whilst they surrounded it, and as soon as the victim appeared he was struck down with axes. His cattle fell to Modjadje's share.

When I attacked the heathens with the Gospel, stating: "Whoso sheddeth man's blood by man shall his blood be shed," they were equal to the occasion, and started to strangle their victims with a loop. A very tall native was the executioner. He with his staff entered quite peaceably the kraal of the person they intended to kill. He drank beer and took snuff with him, then suddenly threw the loop round his victim's neck, his assistants caught the legs, and so they tugged him to and fro till he was dead, and having carried out their orders they went away roaring and laughing. The queen was a blood-thirsty monster, who felt neither pity nor mercy. She remained childless, and this is said to have been one of the causes of her sanguinary disposition. She always had a chancellor, who lived. with her and was her principal adviser, but who generally was killed within, at most, two years, lest he spread the secrets he had discovered.

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE COUNTRY AND THE WHOLE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

was quite peculiar. Every minor chief, according to the degree of Modjadje's favour, received a small piece of land, for which he had to pay a daughter, who passed for a wife of Modjadje, but in reality

was her slave. Consequently, according to this custom all the chiefs were closely related to each other. Modjadje distributed these numerous wives amongst her men. From time to time she also arranged great drinking-bouts at the chief kraal, at which her favourite men had free intercourse with her wives. The children of these were considered as Modjadje's children. To these women Modjadje was brutal to the last degree. She used to beat them with an iron rod, and found her principal satisfaction and delight in homicide.

Referring to her, the natives used this proverb: "She is like a cooked pumpkin," i.e., the exterior is cold, the interior glowing. So she was able to talk with a great show of friendliness to a person whose death she had already in view. This snake-like manner was also adopted by her chiefs. She never appeared in person in a meeting of the council, but communicated her views only by means of her chancellor. It was not allowed to any one of her indunas, not even to her chancellor, to approach her when clothed under penalty of death. I once noticed myself how much her chancellor was worried by having to take off and put on his rather thread-bare shirt when going to and coming from the queen. About ten steps from Her Majesty everyone had to creep, and this in a most doglike way. No contradiction was permitted, and every disobedience punished by death.

On account of her seclusion the oddest sayings arose. Rider Haggard's well-known Romance, entitled "She," treats of Modjadje. The Boers did not credit the existence of Modjadje The different tribes conceived the most horrible idea of her personality and manner of life. So it was supposed that her body was quite different from that of other human beings; that she was endowed with four breasts, long hair, and many other strange qualities. Her seclusion is said to have started with the following event. About 50 years ago a bastard appeared in Northern Transvaal, who pretended to be the son of the god Ralevimbo, and who roved about the residences of the great chiefs with a rifle and numerous followers. As tribute he demanded their daughters for wives, in which attempt he was partially successful. So one day he came to Modjadje with his retinue, and demanded to marry the young queen. Terribly frightened about this, the natives gave him as much beer as he wanted, till he was completely intoxicated; then they retired and left him. Meanwhile the queen had fled into a cavern. After that time she would not see any white face. To the white authority her sister, who resembled her in a most striking manner, was represented in her stead. This sister must have been beautiful in her youth tall and slender, with a pointed nose, dark-blue eyes, and a light colour. Modjadje is said to have been still more beautiful.

In war-time every chief had to lead his chosen men to the chief kraal, where they were made fit for war by a witch-doctor, so that no bullet might do them any harm. In addition to this, everyone could at any time get a packet of medicine by paying for it, as a remedy against ghosts. This medicine consists of a powder, which was blown towards the ghosts.