Among the People in Northwest Rhodesia by S. M. Konigmacher

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 9, 1916

Among the People in Northwest Rhodesia

By S. M. Konigmacher

S. M. KONIGMACHER

This is a beautiful morning (November 11). There has been a shower, which has cooled the air a little. The last few weeks have been very hot in the middle of the day.

I have just come in from Fufwa, where I went to help the native teacher start some village schools. On account of the cattle, the sheep, and the goats, the boys who ought to be in school are busy herding, and many prefer to be with the cattle rather than to learn to read and write. We think we are quite fortunate if we can get ten or fifteen boys to school, whereas I thought a school of twenty in Nyasaland a very small one indeed. There is no school building, so we hold the school in the shade of an old hut.

The village is usually built in a circle, with the cattle inclosure in the middle. In many of these villages there is a smoldering fire of manure near each hut, and near this fire we gather for our first lessons in reading. Many times during the session one of the boys will go to see if the meat roasting in the ashes is done, and once we had to stop school till they had eaten. If a stranger comes, they will stop and ask him if he has arrived well, if the children are well, although the person addressed may not be married at all; then they ask where he comes from, and what is the news.

I usually am seated on an old drum, while the boys sit on pieces of wood, or on stools carved out of a solid piece of wood. After a little while the girls quit playing, and I call them to come and join us in the fun. They come, all nicely greased with butter; and when I hand them a book, they usually turn it upside down. When I ask one what a certain word is that I tried to teach them the day before, she will turn to her companion and ask her what it is. She thinks she is doing her friend a great favor. But the strange thing is that when I ask the one who has just given help correctly, she does not know, but will ask the one whom she has helped, and that one will tell her.

There is one thing that is very encouraging, and that is that the natives like our songs. Many times when we have finished a service or a school session, they will ask us to sing again.

It is also very amusing to watch the people when they kneel for the first time. We tell them to bow down and close their eyes, and each will tell the one next to him to keep quiet. Some will place their hands over the eyes of small children, who often then cry loudly. They do not know what "Amen" means, and when we have finished we must tell them so, and then there is a good laugh at those who did not do it right.

Sometimes the boys come to school with seeds pasted over or around their eyes, to show they are accustomed to the manly art (as they consider it) of smoking lubanja, which is a sort of opium. Even small children smoke, and in the evening they sit around the fire with the older ones, smoking their little pipes. The women and girls also use tobacco. I often think that if in learning of Christ the natives had to endure the hardship of learning to smoke, of wearing those heavy anklets, or of having the teeth knocked out to beautify themselves, they would think they were very much abused; but when custom demands it of them, they obey without a word of complaint.

About the first thing the natives ask me is, "Have you brought the pictures?" They enjoy the magic lantern. It aids in the difficult task of keeping them quiet so that I can tell them the story of salvation. They especially enjoy the slides showing fishes.

It was in this same village at Fufwa that I dressed a man's leg which had been broken three years before, and for want of proper care had rotted away, so that it was all gone but a small part near the hip.

One evening a little herdboy brought in a deer that his dog had killed while he was out with the cattle. This makes me think of a rather interesting experience I had when I was on my way home from the Zambezi River. It was very hot, and after walking and climbing the mountain, I came to some native gardens, where I hoped to find water to drink. I sat down under a tree to rest, and presently I heard something pushing its way through the tall grass by the side of a dry stream bed. In a few moments a little deer came in sight. I sat perfectly still, and the graceful little thing did not know what to do. It would first put its head on one side, and then on the other. It could not decide whether I was a friend or an enemy. But after a little it decided it would better not stay any longer, and away it bounded over the tall grass in graceful leaps. It will be a beautiful experience in the kingdom of heaven to have all these animals come close to one, instead of rushing off for fear of death by a rifle shot.

The government is picking out the strong men among the natives of the district, and sending them to the front as carriers for the soldiers. When I went to Lusaka there were two carloads of natives from the Manenga district on their way. This may affect the schools.

All the workers here at the station are well, and the boys in the school seem anxious for an education.

During the dry season the natives burn off the grass. There was a big fire at Fufwa on Sabbath, but it did not come toward the pool, so the grass was saved for the cattle. In some places great patches are burned clean, while in other parts some of the stalks of grass remain after the fire has passed through it. This made me think of how it will be with us; how it is even now. The fiery trials burn out all that is not alive. The grass that had life in the stem was spared; so all in the church who have the Spirit of Christ in their hearts to keep them alive will remain standing, while those who have lost the Spirit and are practically dead, will be consumed. In some patches there were a number of these live stalks together, and in others they were scattering and stood alone. It is my desire that I shall be found among those who are alive and standing after the fire has done its work.

Surely time cannot last very much longer. The signs are fulfilling all around us, and no one knows what is coming next. We are surely blessed in having such a timely message. No one need be found sleeping, if he will only obey the truth.