Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 25, 1914.djvu/151

 Rev i CIVS. 1 39

with incidents of native tradition without the slightest historical warrant. This is the sort of danger to which a native illiterate people coming in contact with an influence such as Islam in the form current among the Hausas, — an influence partially literary but consecrated by religion, — is peculiarly liable. Thus the names of Abubeker and his successors are historical, but that will not justify us in believing that the transactions in which they are here represented ever took place. Quite the contrary, the religious importance and fame of the first four Caliphs should put us on our guard. Imagination alone plays strange tricks with memory ; and, when religious glamour is added to it, they are together " capable de tout."

The second volume contains an account of customs, arts, and institutions well worth study as being by an intelligent and to a certain extent educated native. Mr. Rattray explains the custom of taking a false bride to the bridegroom's dwelling as "intended to distract the attentions of any evil spirits from the true bride." Is it possible that this is of Mohammedan introduction ? All the Hausa customs have been much modified by Islam. The accounts here may be profitably comi)ared with Major Tremearne's accounts and observations in the book already referred to. Mr. Rattray's malam naturally gives the orthodox rites ; Major Tremearne endeavours to get behind them. And in this connection it may well be remembered that the Hausas have not all accepted the religion of the Prophet.

The author has included a native account of how the famous Benin castings were made, with figures of specimens of the work at different stages which he has been fortunate enough to obtain. The native account, though not without interest, is hardly intelli- gible without Mr. Henry Balfour's explanation quoted in the notes from the Journal of the Anthropological Institute. Each volume has also a frontispiece of other castings. Another hand than the malam who is responsible for the bulk of the work has contributed a collection of Hausa proverbs. His definition of a proverb may be commended to students of that branch of tradition : " This is the beginning of words which are taken and jumbled up (that a man may not know their -meaning), and such is called a habaichi, P''°^'erb." E. Sidney Hartland.