Identifier: nativesofbritish00wern (find matches)
Title: The natives of British Central Africa
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Werner, Alice, 1859-1935
Subjects: Ethnology
Publisher: London : A. Constable and Company, ltd.
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
e drystalks are carefully burnt for the same purpose. The universal agricultural implement is the hoe,which, in this part of Africa, has a short handle, sothat the person wielding it has to stoop, but alsogains much more power for the stroke than one haswith a long handle. The blade is leaf-shaped,rounded to a blunt point in front, and tapering toa spike at the back, which is driven into the handle,and, if it projects at the back, hammered down.The blade was formerly made by native blacksmiths,but is now generally bought at a traders store andfixed into a handle by the purchaser, who choosesa stout piece of wood with a knob at the end—either a root of a tree, or a strong branch with apiece of the fork it springs from. Wooden hoes arestill used in some remote places among the hills. Theyhave very long, rather narrow blades, set into thehandle at an acuter angle than the usual iron hoe,but, like it, suggesting the origin of the implementfrom the primitive forked branch with one of its
Text Appearing After Image:
WOMKN WkKOINC. MaIZE-GARDKNNote the pumpkins between the rows of maize To face p. iSi ARTS, INDUSTRIES, ETC. i8i ends cut short. Where hoes are unattainable, as inthe case of refugees cultivating scratch gardens inthe bush in time of war, a still older instrument isused — the sharp-pointed digging-stick of bamboo.There are stories which seem to point to a timewhen this was in general use, and speak of the in-troduction of hoes. Maize is sown in rows about six feet apart, thesoil being gathered into heaps, and three or fourgrains sown on the top of each. I have seen a manand his wife doing this together, one making theholes with a pointed stick, while the other droppedthe grains in. Pumpkins and gourds are sown onthe same heaps with the maize, and spread out be-tween the rows. The garden is then left alone un-less the growing maize-plants require earthing up alittle from time to time, till the rains are over, whenit is time for the second hoeing, to get rid of theweeds which have spr

Note About Images