The Names Monomoizes,
Spelled Also Monemuiges And Monomuizes, And Monomotapistas, When Applied
To These Tribes, Are Exactly The Same As If We Should Call The Scotch
The Lord Douglases.
Motape was the chief of the Bambiri,
a tribe of the Banyai, and is now represented in the person of Katolosa.
He was probably a man of greater energy than his successor,
yet only an insignificant chief.
Monomoizes was formed from Moiza or Muiza,
the singular of the word Babisa or Aiza, the proper name of a large tribe
to the north. In the transformation of this name the same error
has been committed as in the others; and mistakes have occurred
in many other names by inattention to the meaning, and predilection for
the letter R. The River Loangwa, for instance, has been termed Arroangoa,
and the Luenya the Ruanha. The Bazizulu, or Mashona,
are spoken of as the Morururus.
The government of the Banyai is rather peculiar, being a sort
of feudal republicanism. The chief is elected, and they choose
the son of the deceased chief's sister in preference to his own offspring.
When dissatisfied with one candidate, they even go to a distant tribe
for a successor, who is usually of the family of the late chief,
a brother, or a sister's son, but never his own son or daughter.
When first spoken to on the subject, he answers as if he thought himself
unequal to the task and unworthy of the honor; but, having accepted it,
all the wives, goods, and children of his predecessor belong to him,
and he takes care to keep them in a dependent position. When any one of them
becomes tired of this state of vassalage and sets up his own village,
it is not unusual for the elected chief to send a number of the young men,
who congregate about himself, to visit him. If he does not receive them
with the usual amount of clapping of hands and humility,
they, in obedience to orders, at once burn his village.
The children of the chief have fewer privileges than common free men.
They may not be sold, but, rather than choose any one of them for a chief
at any future time, the free men would prefer to elect one of themselves,
who bore only a very distant relationship to the family.
These free men are a distinct class who can never be sold;
and under them there is a class of slaves whose appearance as well as position
is very degraded. Monina had a great number of young men about him
from twelve to fifteen years of age. These were all sons of free men,
and bands of young men like them in the different districts
leave their parents about the age of puberty, and live with such men as Monina
for the sake of instruction. When I asked the nature of the instruction,
I was told "Bonyai", which I suppose may be understood
as indicating manhood, for it sounds as if we should say,
"to teach an American Americanism," or "an Englishman to be English."
While here they are kept in subjection to rather stringent regulations.
They must salute carefully by clapping their hands on approaching a superior,
and when any cooked food is brought, the young men may not approach the dish,
but an elder divides a portion to each.
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