. The Baganda . Uganda,the Basese were of great importance to the country ; and itwas through their means that the Baganda influence hadbecome so extended at the time when Arab traders firstdiscovered the lake. The number of canoes kept on theshores of the mainland, together with those on the islands,was very great, and a fleet of a hundred strong could easilybe collected in two or three days. Each chief on the islands XI INDUSTRIES 3^5 had to maintain a number of canoes ready for state-service,and he was liable to punishment if they were not kept inserviceable condition. Most of the men on th
. The Baganda . Uganda,the Basese were of great importance to the country ; and itwas through their means that the Baganda influence hadbecome so extended at the time when Arab traders firstdiscovered the lake. The number of canoes kept on theshores of the mainland, together with those on the islands,was very great, and a fleet of a hundred strong could easilybe collected in two or three days. Each chief on the islands XI INDUSTRIES 3^5 had to maintain a number of canoes ready for state-service,and he was liable to punishment if they were not kept inserviceable condition. Most of the men on the lake shore,as well as those on the islands, were skilled in the art ofcanoe-building, so that they were able on a journey torepair their canoes, if one of them met with an accident orleaked badly. There were, however, special men in eachdistrict responsible for the condition of all the large canoes,and these men made canoe-building a speciality. The treesusually selected were of the kind which the Baganda call. IIG. 65.—BAGANDA DUG-OUT CANOES. mivule, a wood not unlike mahogany in appearance, whichhardens in the water and becomes then unworkable, butwhich before being placed in water is fairly soft and easilycut. On the lake there were two kinds of canoes used, thecommon dug-out, and the canoe more especially known asthe Uganda canoe, which was a well constructed dug-out served as a ferry-boat to cross the armsof the lake, where they ran far inland and the people desireda short route to the other side ; they were also used in someparts by the fishermen for fishing in shallow water, and againthey were used on some of the rivers, and were the only C C 386 THE l^AGANDA CHAP. canoes that plied upon tlie smaller lake Wamala in the When a man wished to cut a tree, either for building^^,^ a dug-out, or for making boards for the better kind ofcanoe. canoe, he asked the medicine-man near at hand to consultthe oracle and to tell him whether he mig
Size: 2299px × 1087px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidbaganda00joh, bookyear1911
