Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/146

 themselves from other tribes, and extracting the incisors of the lower jaw. Nearly all of them shave the head, but the dandies paint their hair so as to make it resemble that of Europeans, and give it a reddish hue by moistening it with animal matter. The natural complexion is of a fine bronze hue ; but to prevent it from changing they take constant care to rub the skin with greasy substances and smear it with ashes, which gives them a bluish-grey appearance. Being accustomed to kindle large fires every evening, round which they pass the night with their herds to protect them from mosquitoes, their villages become strewn with large ash-heaps, on which they delight in rolling. The Denka of the eastern region are one of the tallest African races, men often being found amongst them over six feet in height. The Kij are especially tall, but westwards, in the Bahr-el-Ghazal basin, their stature is scarcely superior to that of the average European. They possess generally great bodih' strength, although they eat but one meal a day, towards sunset. Their legs are long and thin, and as they live, like the Nuer and Shilluks, in marshy regions, they walk as if on stilts. Seen from a distance moving slowly above the reeds, raising the knee and cautiously advancing their large flat feet, they might easily be mistaken for storks. Like the birds of the swamps, they are accustomed to stand motionless on one leg, resting the other above the knee, and remaining in this position for an hour at a time.

Although living in the iron age, as shown by their preference for implements of this metal, the Denka have no smiths, their alluvia being destitute of iron ores; still they show themselves to be skilful workmen in various industries. Sarcastically called "men of the stick" by their neighbours on account of their favourite weapon, they make ingenious elastic bows and carve curious walking-canes with shell guards to protect the hands from blows. Their houses are larger than those of the neighbouring tribes, and as cooks they possess rare skill, in this respect being unrivalled in Africa. They are great cattle-breeders, possessing vast herds. When an animal falls ill it is separated from the rest, and taken to a well-appointed infirmary for treatment. They never kill but only occasionally bleed them, to drink the blood mixed with milk, and eat the flesh of those alone which die of disease or are killed by accident. In spite of their care, the bovine race appears to degenerate in the country, owing probably to climatic conditions, or else, as Schweinfurth believes, because of the total lack of crossing with other breeds, and the want of salt in their food. Amongst one hundred beasts, scarcely one could be found strong enough to travel from one mura/i, or enclosure, to another, or to carry burdens such as those of the Baggara cattle. In appearance, however, they are handsome animals enough, with slender horns and delicate heads, and might be almost mistaken for antelopes. The bulls have a mane covering the shoulders, neck, and breast, the body and tail being clipped close, giving them the appearance of small bisons. The Denka also breed goats, the only animals they kill for food. A nation of pastors, living in small groups on the plains, the Denka have no public or private form of worship, although many of their local practices are supposed to recall a cult resembling that of the primitive Aryan Hindus. Like the Shilluks and Bari, they respect the cow, and have a remarkable veneration for snakes, which