Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 15, 1904.djvu/250

 226 Reviews*

Unkulunkulu ; finally we have an Unkulunkulu common to all the Kafirs. Although certain creative functions are assigned to Unkulunkulu, Mr. Kidd accepts Theal's statement that the races with whom he deals had no single Supreme God.

The contention that the memory of the Zulus fails them after a few generations is a surprising one. Not only is it quite inconsis- tent with the results achieved among the Papuans by Dr. Rider, but Mr. Kidd himself on an earlier page (41) tells us that the Pondos carry back the genealogy of their chief about twenty-three generations, i.e., till about the early sixteenth century, without difficulty and practically without difference of opinion, although the old men who gave this information had probably not thought of the order for fifty or sixty years. One does not see why the average memory should be so much worse. Probably if the state- ment is correct, the real reason is that the chiefs power in the after life is regarded as considerably superior to that of the ordinary man.

Magic and the witch-doctor, the life of the individual from birth to death, war and hunting customs, the arts of peace, and the native legal code are among the other chapters of Mr. Kidd's book, which winds up, so far as folklore is concerned, with a selection of Mdrchen. In dealing with anthropological questions Mr. Kidd is not always very happy. His account of Hlonipa — avoidance — customs is not improved by the inadequate discussion as to its origin \ nor is one's faith in the author's knowledge increased by reading that under a system of polyandry men are at a premium (p. 220).

On the vexed question of cattle marriages Mr. Kidd is in favour of retaining them in the case of non-Christian marriages, and regards them as a real safeguard to the women.

N. W. Thomas.

Gold Coast Native Institutions. With Thoughts upon a Healthy Imperial Policy for the Gold Coast and Ashanti. By Caselv Hayford. London: Sweet and Maxwell. 1903.

Mr. Hayford, being himself a native of the Gold Coast, is an unimpeachable authority on native institutions, while his legal