Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 26, 1915.djvu/87

 Some N^otcs on East African Folklore. yj

would be the usual designation. If the father's name is used the charm will not work. Unfortunately, I was un- successful in obtaining the exact words of this conjuration and the one previously mentioned.

A small kind of Hibiscus, with white flowers, is known as mvii!idahuku7n?c { = " rewQvsQ the sentence"), and is carried about the person by suitors in court or people accused of any crime, or desirous of asking a favour of any official. It is supposed to ensure success in all these cases.

A kind of broom, with large pale yellow flowers {vitesi), should never be brought into the house, or there is certain to be a quarrel between the inmates. This belief is pro- bably the result of a " popular etymology," which derives the name from teta, " to scold, wrangle." With regard to some plants which may be really serviceable medicines, it is difficult to verify the information received, as I have been unable to get the plants identified. A very popular remedy for intauibazi (rheumatism .'') and the various com- plaints known as mshipa ^^ is a creeper called inwengele, with delicate, bright-green leaves, in shape not unlike ivy, and piercingly acid in taste — sorrel raised to the «'^. I never was able to find it in flower. One way of using the leaves is as a poultice, together with those of the castor-oil plant,

A leguminous creeper {mpitipiti), with pale blue flowers and scarlet seeds (I think it is Abi'iis precatorius), is sup- posed to be good for an affection of the eyes very prevalent during the north-east monsoon {kaskazi). I could not make out exactly what this is, but fancy it may be a kind of neuralgia. The seeds are taken internally. But they are also supposed — according to the assertion of one woman, who declared she had reason to re<jret taking- this medicine to relieve pain in her eyes, in ignorance of its

'2 Mshipa, lit. "a vein," is a comprehensive term for any disease connected (or imagined to be so) with the veins, and may mean cramp, varicose veins, neuralgia or various other things.