Identifier: handbooktoethnog00brit (find matches)
Title: Handbook to the ethnographical collections
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors:British Museum. Dept. of British and Mediaeval Antiquities and Ethnography Joyce, Thomas Athol, 1878-1942 Dalton, O. M. (Ormonde Maddock), 1866-1945
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Publisher: (London) : Printed by order of the Trustees
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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With these should be classed, on linguistic and ethnographical grounds, the Karamojo, who are nevertheless physically Bantu. All these tribes appear to be connected through the Latuka with the Bari and the true Nilotes; they are, like the last, pastoral tribes with the exception of a section of a section of the Masaiwho have developed agricultural habits, and are occasionally known as WaKuafi. With the Masai, chiefly in and around the Mau forests, are usually found a hunting tribe of inferior status, known as the Dorobo. For the sake of convenience, certain of these Bantu tribes, who have adopted the habits and customs of the Masai, will be described here. These are, in a southerly direction: the AKkamba, between Kilima Njaro and the river; the WaTaita, south-east of the last; the WaChaga, on the southern slopes of Kilima Njaro; and also the AKikuyu around Mt. Kenia, who resemble the agricultural Masai. The first four seem AFRICA 199 to have moved south-west from the Tana valley, where the WaPokomo, probably the parent stock, is still settled. They would appear to be connected also with the WaGiriama, WaDuruma, and WaDigo, nearer the coast and south of the Sabaki River, who again show signs of having come under the influence of the Masai, and may even have become connected with them by blood.
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Fig. 175.—Wooden shoulder-shields (ndomi), worn at dances. AKikuyu, East Africa Protectorate.
Clothing amongst these tribes is again entirely of skin, and as far as the men are concerned is nearly as scanty as among the pure Nilotes, though the women are more fully clothed. Tooth mutilation occurs locally (Masai, AKamba); cicatrization is found among the Bantu and among the AKikuyu and Naivasha Masai, who produce it by means of caustic vegetable juice. Lip-plugs are found (Karamojo, Turkana, Suk), and the ears are loaded with ornaments, iron chains, wooden plugs and the like (figs. 22, 173, 174). Except for the huge chignons of Turkana and Sukmen, no elaborate hairdressing is found. The warriors of the 200 AFRICA Masai and their imitators wear a number of special ornaments, among which those of ostrich feathers are most conspicuous (fig. 177). All, except the Turkana, practise circumcision. The Turkana, Suk and pastoral Masai, are purely pastoral, and live mainly on milk and blood; th

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