Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/891

* MANGrONI. 797 MANGROVE SWAMP. MANGONI, man-go'nf-, or ANGONI. Zulu intruders into tlie Xyassa region. British Soutli Central Africa. They number about 230,000 and are descendants of a Zulu tribe which migrated from Zululand and crossed the Zambezi about 1S25, founding a kingdom southeast of Lak« Tanganyika.. Thence they migrated west of Lake Nyassa, where they established three separate kingdoms. These military migrations are char- acteristic of the Zulus, who have been the cause of far-reacliing ethnic displacements in Africa. In their movements they eliminated the men, and by marriages with the women of the conquered tribes, themselves became greatly modified, espe- cially in langxiage. The aristocracy of the ilan- goni perpetuate the Zulu customs, while their language is that of their mothers. Thus they wear the apron of cat-tails, and when engaged in Avar, kilts of skins around the waist or over the left shoulder and a headdress of raven and cock feathers, and carry clubs and stabbing assagais, the shafts of the latter being orna- mented with goatskin. The oval shield of ante- lope or cowskin, like that of the Zulu and Mata- beles, is also carried. They wear a profusion of personal ornaments, strips of hide with long hair secured around the leg and upper arm, armlets of elephant toe-nails and ivory, and charms in shells, antelope-horns, or beaded leather cases. The Zulu head ring of plaited hair and wax is sometimes seen and the ears are bored to hold blocks of polished wood or ivory. The Mangoni are fine specimens of men and cany themselves well. The chief oaiis the herds of cattle, while the flocks of sheep and goats belong to indi- viduals. Their villages are large and are com- posed of circular wattle and daub houses sur- roimded by compounds fenced in with reeds. Their vegetable food consists of maize, sorghum, cassava, rice, millet, sweet potatoes, beans, and peas. Cotton, oil seeds, and tobacco are also raised. The rule of the chief is supreme, but there is a nimierous body of idiinas or councilors, whose advice is sought. These councilors are assigned to various districts, for which they are responsible to the chief. The clan system pre- vails. The religion of the Mangoni is the wor- ship of ancestors, and in the cult ceremonies and offerings are made to appease them. Several grades of witch doctors are possessed of priestly authority; the chief is high priest by virtue of his office. The best account of the Mangoni is given by Robert Codington in the Geographical Jniiniri! (London. 18(18). MANGOON, MANGUN. See Olciias. MAN'GOSTEEN (Fr. n-aiiqo.ifnn [the tree], manrjonste [the fruit], froui ^talay manrjonsla, miinijis. the native name). Garritiin ilanfjosiana. <_)ne of the most delicious of all fruits, produced by a tree of the natural order Guttiferae. a native of the Jlolucca Islands. The tree, which rarely exceeds 20 feet in height, has an erect tapering stem, and a regular form, somewhat like that of a fir. The leaves are 7 or 8 inches long, oval, entire, leathery, and shining: the flowers large Avith corolla of four deep red petals. The fruit, which is orange-like, dark reddish-brown, spotted with yellow or gray, has a thick rind, and is divided internally by thin partitions into ses- Dients like the orange. The pulp is soft and juicy, cooling, with a mixture of sweetness and acidity, and delicately flavored. The mango- Eteen is cultivated in Java and in the southenst of Asia, and has been successfully introduced into some other tropical countries. MANGROVE (from Malay mai'igr/i-mauggi, mangiove ; influenced by popular etymology with maiigs, and groie, in allusion to its spreading by the formation of new stems), Rhizophora. A ge- nus of plants of the natural order Ehizophoracea', which consists of trees and shrubs, all tropical and natives of coasts, particularly about the mouths of rivers, where they grow in the mud, and form a close thicket dovn to and within the sea, even to low-water mark. The coast and keys of southern Florida abound in mangroves. Jlost of the species send down roots from their branches, and thus rapidly extend over large spaces. The club-like seeds have the peculiarity of germinating while still attached to the parent branch, a long thick radicle proceeding from the seed, and extending rapidly downward till the fruit falls off, and is quickly imbedded in the mud. Only three or four species are known. They are of little use except for fuel and tan- MAXGHOTE (Rbjzopbora Mangle). ning; the wood of some is hard and durable. The fruit of the common mangrove {Rliizophora Mangle) is sweet and eatable, and its juice, when fermented, yields a light wine. The bark is used in tanning. See Plate of M.gxoli. .xd M.NGI!OVE. MANGROVE-HEN. In .Jamaica, the long- billed rail I. Rallus loiigirostris). of which the Nortli American claiqier rails are varieties. See E.UL. MANGROVE SNAPPER. A fish, the gray snapper (q.v.), so called in Florida and the Bahamas because the young abound in the pro- tection of the mangrove trees which everywhere border the seacoast. MANGROVE SWAMP. A plant formation conuiion on seacoasts and tidal river shores in tropical and subtropical clinuites. The domi- nant vegetation consists of mangrove trees in- tci'spersed with plants of similar habit. The aceiuiiulation of debris and mud among the roots and trunks builds up the land so that bays are filled and river hanks extended until the streams are restricted to narrow channels between dense walls of trees which completely conceal the shores.