. Across Africa. Indigenous peoples -- Africa, Central; Plants -- Africa, Central; Africa, Central -- Description and travel. XXV.] BURIAL OF A WARUA CHIEF. 333. which are probably iineqiialed in eons I brought in were a welcome addition to my larder; and an occasional visit from Fume a Kenna also somewhat varied the monotony. I also busied myself in collecting a vocabulary of Kirua, and in inquiring into the manners and cus- toms of the people, and by this means became ac- quainted with the cere- monies observed at the burial of a chief of Urua their savagery. The iirst proceeding is to diver
. Across Africa. Indigenous peoples -- Africa, Central; Plants -- Africa, Central; Africa, Central -- Description and travel. XXV.] BURIAL OF A WARUA CHIEF. 333. which are probably iineqiialed in eons I brought in were a welcome addition to my larder; and an occasional visit from Fume a Kenna also somewhat varied the monotony. I also busied myself in collecting a vocabulary of Kirua, and in inquiring into the manners and cus- toms of the people, and by this means became ac- quainted with the cere- monies observed at the burial of a chief of Urua their savagery. The iirst proceeding is to divert the course of a stream, and in its bed to dig an enormous pit, the bottom of which is then covered with living women. At one end a woman is placed on her hands and knees, and upon her back the dead chief, covered with his beads and other treasures, is seated, being supported on either side by one of his wives, while his second wife sits at his feet. The earth is then shoveled in on them, and all the women are buried alive with the exception of the second wife. To her, custom is more merciful than to her companions, and grants her the privilege of being killed before the huge grave is tilled in. This being completed, a number of male slaves —sometimes forty or fifty — are slaughtered and their blood poured over the grave; after which the river is allowed to re- sume its course. Stories were rife that no fewer than a hundred women were buried alive with Bambarre, Kasongo's father; but let us hope that this may be an exaggeration. Smaller chiefs are buried with two or three wives, and a few slaves only are killed that their blood may be shed on the grave; while one of the common herd has to be content with solitary burial, l)eing placed in a sitting posture, with the right forefin- ger pointing heavenward, just level with the top of the mound over his grave. April, Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanc
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookpublishernewyo, bookyear1877
