Page:On the Central South African Tribes from the South Coast to the Zambesi.pdf/13

 land West, but they also form a small independent kingdom, ruled over by a king called Mankuruane. Next to these we find a Betchuana tribe called the Barolongs, next to them the Banquaketse, next to them the Bakwena, and next to them the Bamangwato, eastern and western. With regard to their appearance, the Eastern Bamangwato and the four most southerly tribes seem to be most similar, but there is a great difference between the eastern and the western Bamangwato or Batowana. The eastern are brown; the western are quite black. The language which they speak is Betchuana. There are only three dialects, hardly worthy of notice. The Betchuanas employed themselves formerly as hunters and agriculturists, but at present, as no more guns and ammunition are introduced into their country, they are obliged to turn their attention almost entirely to agriculture. I regard the abolition of the sale of guns and ammunition to the natives as the best thing that could have been done, and as a great blessing to those tribes. The Betchuanas are peaceful tribes, but lately, like the Basutos who were also formerly peaceful, they have grown warlike. During the last fifteen years they have become so, until they considered themselves equal to the white men. We have had a very severe dispute with one of these tribes. That would never have happened had they not been possessed of ammunition. This suppression of the supply of guns and ammunition to the natives has improved them in many ways. It improves the social position of the women. We know very well that the little agriculture that has been carried out among the Betchuanas has been done by the women, and the men were accustomed to buy two or three women simply to plant Indian and African corn sufficient to supply their households while they themselves employed their time in killing elephants or ostriches, and selling the tusks and feathers to traders, and lying otherwise idle. With the proceeds of the sale they bought more ammunition or European clothing. Some of them have attempted to imitate our houses, and I was very pleased to see it. Now, although no more ammunition is supplied to them, they cannot leave off using European clothing, and they have to try and gain in a different way the means of buying those things. They are therefore obliged to take to agriculture. Some of the tribes among whom ploughs were introduced became rich. I know one Betchuana tribe, called the Baharutse, from which all the present Betchuana tribes have risen by sub-devidationdeviation [sic] (banding off) with about eight hundred paterfamilias households, which has two hundred ploughs. When the village grows rich the other tribes see that the men can build small cottages and other necessary things, and they like to imitate them. But among the Betchuanas the men never allow the women to touch their cattle.