Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 20, 1909.djvu/360

310 hand a tabu put by a nganga on a person for his benefit. Sometimes, through much sickness in a town, or on account of bad luck in trading experienced by the inhabitants of the town, or on account of drought, or on account of many pigs or goats dying, the whole town is put under certain restrictions, such as "that nothing tied up" is to be carried into or through the town, and consequently all bundles and parcels must be undone outside the town and carried loosely into it; or the restriction may be that no water is to be carried into the town on the head of the carrier, and thus every woman as she draws near to the town must take her water bottle off her head and carry it in her arms. Such restrictions are removed when they are supposed to have served their purpose. In the case of the short-time tabus the nganga does not receive his fee until he goes to remove them.

Men are not allowed to speak to their mothers-in-law. If it is necessary for a man to hold communication with them a messenger must be employed. If a man meets his mother-in-law in the road by accident no fine is inflicted, but, if he sees her coming and does not attempt to evade her by going into the bush or round the houses, then public opinion will so strongly condemn him that he will be compelled to send her a goat and beg her pardon. A man must respect his mother-in-law, and the natives say that the only way he can do that is never to speak to her, look at her, or be in her company. I have asked several intelligent men the reason for this custom, and the invariable answer has been "my wife came from her womb." My own opinion is that the custom was made, and is enforced, to avoid incest.

Women out of respect for their husbands must never mention their names. There is no punishment if they do beyond the fact that other women regard them with surprise, talk about them, and consider they are very disrespectful.