They Are Generally
Very Dark In Color, But Several Are To Be Seen Of A Lighter Hue;
Many Of The
Slaves who have been exported to Brazil have gone
from this region; but while they have a general similarity
to
The typical negro, I never could, from my own observation,
think that our ideal negro, as seen in tobacconists' shops,
is the true type. A large proportion of the Balonda, indeed,
have heads somewhat elongated backward and upward, thick lips, flat noses,
elongated `ossa calces', etc., etc.; but there are also many good-looking,
well-shaped heads and persons among them.
17TH, TUESDAY. We were honored with a grand reception by Shinte
about eleven o'clock. Sambanza claimed the honor of presenting us,
Manenko being slightly indisposed. The native Portuguese and Mambari
went fully armed with guns, in order to give Shinte a salute;
their drummer and trumpeter making all the noise that very old instruments
would produce. The kotla, or place of audience, was about
a hundred yards square, and two graceful specimens of a species of banian
stood near one end; under one of these sat Shinte, on a sort of throne
covered with a leopard's skin. He had on a checked jacket,
and a kilt of scarlet baize edged with green; many strings of large beads
hung from his neck, and his limbs were covered with iron and copper
armlets and bracelets; on his head he wore a helmet made of beads
woven neatly together, and crowned with a great bunch of goose-feathers.
Close to him sat three lads with large sheaves of arrows over their shoulders.
When we entered the kotla, the whole of Manenko's party
saluted Shinte by clapping their hands, and Sambanza did obeisance
by rubbing his chest and arms with ashes. One of the trees being unoccupied,
I retreated to it for the sake of the shade, and my whole party did the same.
We were now about forty yards from the chief, and could see
the whole ceremony. The different sections of the tribe came forward
in the same way that we did, the head man of each making obeisance
with ashes which he carried with him for the purpose; then came the soldiers,
all armed to the teeth, running and shouting toward us,
with their swords drawn, and their faces screwed up so as to appear as savage
as possible, for the purpose, I thought, of trying whether they could not
make us take to our heels. As we did not, they turned round toward Shinte
and saluted him, then retired. When all had come and were seated,
then began the curious capering usually seen in pichos. A man starts up,
and imitates the most approved attitudes observed in actual fight,
as throwing one javelin, receiving another on the shield,
springing to one side to avoid a third, running backward or forward,
leaping, etc. This over, Sambanza and the spokesman of Nyamoana stalked
backward and forward in front of Shinte, and gave forth, in a loud voice,
all they had been able to learn, either from myself or people,
of my past history and connection with the Makololo;
the return of the captives; the wish to open the country to trade;
the Bible as a word from heaven; the white man's desire for the tribes
to live in peace:
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