Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 20, 1909.djvu/56

42 days. These are called Nkenge Nkila (held in French Congo), Konzo Makwekwe (held near Wathen mission station), Konzo Kikandikila (held about three days south of Wathen), Konzo Kinsuka (held near the boundary of the Portuguese and Belgian Congos), and Nkenge Elembelo (held in Portuguese Congo not far from San Salvador). There is thus a line of these important markets held every eighth day, stretching from San Salvador through the country across the main river into French Congo. It is very probable that they run well south and north, and are only limited by the boundaries of the old kingdom of Congo, which included Landana on the north and Bihe on the south. In the old days these eighth-day markets were the chief places for "mbadi" (the native-made cloth) and also the materials used in its manufacture.

There was a firmly established law that no force of any kind should under any circumstances be used on the markets, and no raiding, no thieving of goods, and no capturing of people. In the old days weapons were not allowed on the markets. The infringement of these rules would bring down the vengeance of the whole country side on the offender. There are traditions of such offenders, but their punishment was such as to deter others from following in their footsteps. Sometimes rowdy, reckless, rascals would meet small unprotected parties on the way to the markets and would rob them of their goods, and even steal some of the people and sell them at a distant market or on the coast.

Before the coming of the white man the articles of barter used on the markets were,—"tika yambadi" or native-made cloth in very small pieces from 2 to 3 inches wide and 6 to 8 inches long, "mbele za mfudila " or native-made knives, "nsengo" or hoes, and various other small things made with the hands. After the arrival of the white man the currency changed to red beads (mbembe), thick black