Again They Attacked Omwita
(The Present Mombas), Were Repulsed, Were Lost Sight Of In The
Interior Of The Continent, And,
Crossing the Nile close to its
source, discovered the rich pasture-lands of Unyoro, and founded
the great kingdom of
Kittara, where they lost their religion,
forgot their language, extracted their lower incisors like the
natives, changed their national name to Wahuma, and no longer
remembered the names of Hubshi or Galla - though even the present
reigning kings retain a singular traditional account of their
having once been half white and half black, with hair on the
white side straight, and on the black side frizzly. It was a
curious indication of the prevailing idea still entertained by
them of their foreign extraction, that it was surmised in Unyoro
that the approach of us white men into their country from both
sides at once, augured an intention on our part to take back the
country from them. Believing, as they do, that Africa formerly
belonged to Europeans, from whom it was taken by negroes with
whom they had allied themselves, the Wahuma make themselves a
small residue of the original European stock driven from the
land - an idea which seems natural enough when we consider that
the Wahuma are, in numbers, quite insignificant compared with the
natives.
Again, the princes of Unyoro are called Wawitu, and point to the
north when asked where their country Uwitu is situated,
doubtfully saying, when questioned about its distance, "How can
we tell circumstances which took place in our forefathers' times?
we only think it is somewhere near your country." Although,
however, this very interesting people, the Wahuma, delight in
supposing themselves to be of European origin, they are forced to
confess, on closer examination, that although they came in the
first instance from the doubtful north, they came latterly from
the east, as part of a powerful Wahuma tribe, beyond Kidi, who
excel in arms, and are so fierce no Kidi people, terrible in war
as these too are described to be, can stand against them.
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