Motibe Asked What I Thought Of The Makololo Dance.
I Replied, "It Is Very Hard Work, And Brings But Small
Profit."
"It is," replied he, "but it is very nice, and Sekeletu will give us an ox
for dancing for
Him." He usually does slaughter an ox for the dancers
when the work is over.
The women stand by, clapping their hands, and occasionally one advances
into the circle, composed of a hundred men, makes a few movements,
and then retires. As I never tried it, and am unable to enter into
the spirit of the thing, I can not recommend the Makololo polka
to the dancing world, but I have the authority of no less a person
than Motibe, Sekeletu's father-in-law, for saying "it is very nice."
They often asked if white people ever danced. I thought of the disease
called St. Vitus's dance, but could not say that all our dancers
were affected by it, and gave an answer which, I ought to be ashamed to own,
did not raise some of our young countrywomen in the estimation
of the Makololo.
As Sekeletu had been waiting for me at his mother's, we left the town
as soon as I arrived, and proceeded down the river. Our speed with the stream
was very great, for in one day we went from Litofe to Gonye,
a distance of forty-four miles of latitude; and if we add to this
the windings of the river, in longitude the distance will not be much less
than sixty geographical miles.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 352 of 1070
Words from 100799 to 101057
of 306638
