ABSTRACT
AMONG the Amandebele, as everywhere else in Central South Africa, the position of women in society is a very unenviable one. So many of the other sex fall from year to year, either in war or as victims to the jealousy of their fellow-countrymen, that their number is continually reduced and kept lower than that of the women. Add to this that brute force is often the law, that the way to honour there is always stained with deeds of cruelty and the shedding of human blood, the little chance a woman has in such a country of assuming or retaining her original rights and lawful privileges, will at once become apparent. As it is, her position in life, from her childhood to her grave, is that of gloom, discouragement, and disgrace. She seems happy enough when as a child-too young to realize or understand her sad lot-she plays with her brother. But as she grows older, and discovers her real position in society-that she is regarded as a slave and the property of others-her mind is saddened. And sad, indeed, is her position in life, for she is the slave of her own father; nor has she any hope of
being delivered frOln her bondage, for she is 11ever to enjoy freedom, or to be ller own. Her children even, should she ever becolue a mother, will not be hers, while her brother, who is much younger than she, and born of the same parents, is to inherit all her father's property connected with that particular house to which he and his sister belong. Slloulc1 she remaill unmarried until the death of her father, tIlen sIle becomes the propel"ty of her OWll brotIler. Her motller also, shares the saIne unnatural alld nlost repulsive f~te. To cOlnplete the sadness of her life-portioll, there is no llope of her ever gaining the ,vhole affection and sympathy of evell a ~ingle heart. At tIle best, she can only expect to enjoy a portion of the attention of some man. This was the state of things in respect to the condition of a woman's life as lately as ten years ago, when Umzilikazi, follOWIng the cruel and degraded examples of Tjaka, and his brother Umtigana, prevented the soldiers from marrying Ulltil they had distinguished themselves as warriors. III this way more than one half of tIle men died without marrying at. all, while the best days of the few who were allowed the privilege had passed ere they entered the matrimonial state. Even then it was very seldom that either the man or the woman had the person of their choice, especially in relation to the latter, for slle was generally young and he ,vas old. Indeed, I Ilave seen some cases in which the poor young girls of twellty were dragged by old men of sixty or seventy into tIle matrimonial life, as sheep are dragged to be slaughtered. In this respect tIle Alnandebele had ilnproved wondel~-
fully before Unlzilikazi's death. The wearing of the head-ring, or isihlohlo, which was a sign of the king's approval of the past service of the young man, and also of the latter's right to marry, became very general. Those who had much regard for an old custom, continued to ask the king's permission before taking wives, while others scarcely sought that of their own parents ere doing so.
