. Women of all nations, a record of their characteristics, habits, manners, customs and influence; . a use-ful and cheerful person,who helps to grind thecorn and nurse thebabies, and, according tothe immemorial wont ofgrandmothers, neutral-ises the efforts of tlieparents to bring up theirchildren with wholesomeseverity. It must befrom a very partialview of the case thatone writer asserts thelot of old women inSouth Africa to be somiserable as to leavethem no refuge butsuicide. It certainly isnot the rule in Natal, and on the Zambesiand Shire, where I was assured that theKafirs were in the habi
. Women of all nations, a record of their characteristics, habits, manners, customs and influence; . a use-ful and cheerful person,who helps to grind thecorn and nurse thebabies, and, according tothe immemorial wont ofgrandmothers, neutral-ises the efforts of tlieparents to bring up theirchildren with wholesomeseverity. It must befrom a very partialview of the case thatone writer asserts thelot of old women inSouth Africa to be somiserable as to leavethem no refuge butsuicide. It certainly isnot the rule in Natal, and on the Zambesiand Shire, where I was assured that theKafirs were in the habit of poisoningoff the aged, I never found this statementborne out by any lack of grey heads inthe villages. I do not know what founda-tion there may ever have been for thispersistent tradition; but I can safely sayit has none among the people I know. Professional women are not unknownamong the Zulu. The prophetess (isanusi)37 is a person of great consideration, and theherb-doctor {inyanga yemiti) may be either aman or a woman. These practitioners oftenhave a really useful knowledge of medicinal. Doctorsand Witches, KAFIR WOMAN BAKING dress and the mud buildings roofed with corrugated iron are typical of a town herbs, handed down in their families. Butthey are not now allowed to practise without a licence. The ordinar}^ diviner, or witch-doctor, is not the sameas the prophet or prophetess, thoughsometimes, I believe, the two callingsmay be united in the same person. Thediviner discovers lost property, and finds outthe cause of illness by throwing the bones (casting lots), or by various methods of smelling out, which chiefly reduce them- 290 WOMEN OF ALL NATIONS
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