Page:George McCall Theal, Ethnography and condition of South Africa before A.D. 1505 (2nd ed, 1919).djvu/84

60 With all this evidence to the contrary, it would be rash to assert that the Bushmen were strict monogamists. Circumstances would appear to have governed them in this respect. If the number of females in any locality was much greater than that of males, polygamy would be the natural result, for of course the men would have no qualms of conscience about the practice. But when the sexes were equal, or nearly equal, monogamy was the rule.

It is certain that in modern days the instances of a man living with more than one woman at a time have been exceedingly rare. Miss Lloyd, after long inquiry, could learn of but one such case, and Mr. Dunn and other investigators could hear of none whatever. That is not to say that one male and one female attached themselves to each other for life, though this may often have occurred; but that as long as they lived together a second man or a second woman was not admitted as a member of the family. Their passionate tempers prevented the presence of rivals in the same abode. Chastity, however, was unknown and uncared for, and any disagreement was sufficient to cause the separation of the man and woman, when new connections could immediately be formed by both. In general there was no marriage ceremony, the mere consent of both parties being all that was needed, but in some of the communities a youth who desired to take to himself a girl was obliged to prove himself a man by fighting with others for her and winning her by victory.

The Bushmen possessed several musical instruments, but all of the crudest kind. The most common was a bow, with a piece of quill attached in the cord, with which by blowing and inhaling the breath a noise agreeable to their ears was produced. Pieces of reed of different lengths were used as flutes, and a drum was formed by stretching a dried antelope skin over any hollow article. To their persons when dancing they attached rattles, made of hollow globes of dried hide containing pebbles, which added to the noise of the rude chant and the stamping of the feet.

They were fond of dancing by moonlight, after abundance of flesh had been obtained by the slaughter of some large animal.