BASUTOLAND, AFRICA by S. N. H.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 13, 1896

BASUTOLAND, AFRICA.

By S. N. H.

Basutoland is a small tract of country, as may be seen from the map of South Africa, bounded on the north and west and southwest by Orange Free State, Cape Colony just touching on the south, on the northeast by Natal, and east by Griqueland East. It contains about 10,000 square miles, and 250,000 natives. The Drakensberg range of mountains runs through the eastern portion, and the entire country is very mountainous, with the richest valleys I have ever seen in any country outside of some portions of Illinois and Iowa. It is rich black loam for a number of feet deep, and will respond to the slightest and most superficial cultivation. It seemed strange to go through a heathen country and see the natives plowing with the latest improved American plows, and also to see huts of all shapes and sizes with dooryards inclosed with a brush fence about eight feet high, and as clean as a brush broom could make it; also to note the entire absence of the red mud or yellow ocher paint so common among the natives of all tribes. It is a characteristic of the heathen natives to build their huts round, covered with thatch or mud, and no windows. But here there were more huts built of brick than anything else, and some of stone, with windows as in European houses.

There are no other natives in Africa that have such a thirst for knowledge and education as these. They are not so very brilliant, but are fast gaining intelligence, for they are determined to have an education. In all of the mission schools they have found it absolutely necessary to have them work at some laborious work at least two hours a day, for their health. I have seen them in every place where their schools were established, as soon as it was light, walking book in hand studying their lessons. They are natural linguists, and so are all natives. The French missionaries from the Paris Evangelization Missionary Society are the principal missionaries there. They have 14 regular mission stations and 141 out-stations. At Morija, where is located the head mission, they have a normal school, where over one hundred boys are in attendance. In all of their schools, missions and out-stations, they reckon over ten thousand in attendance. Considering that these are continually changing, especially at the out-stations, it is estimated that at least fifteen thousand are annually taught to read and write.

At Thaba Bosiga there is a training school for girls, where they are educated to sew, wash, cook, and do all kinds of domestic work. At Quintin, on the south, there is also a training station for boys, who learn how to build houses of stone and brick, making the brick and taking the stone from the quarry, hewing and squaring it ready for building. At these training stations they learn to read and write, but do not receive advanced education as at the regular mission schools. These out-stations are conducted by the native converts, while the regular mission stations are in charge of Europeans.

Another feature of the natives is that nearly all of them wear European dress, in part at least, but in some way they will have the blanket on the outside. That much of their old customs clings to them, like some of the fashions on our sisters. In nearly every village there are those who can read and write, and usually there can be found those who speak English. So a person could get along with them quite well if he knew a few words of the native language.

The French first began mission work among them in 1833, and about 1863 the Roman Catholics went there and began work, and since then the English Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. These are all of the different denominations in that field. The Romanists claim 2,000 converts, while the French missions claim 10,000 or more enrolled church members. It is through these missions, especially the French, that the effect of civilization is seen all through the country. Judging from what I saw and heard, this is a field ripe for our work. It is far in advance of any other tribe in South Africa. Why our attention has not been called to it before is a wonder to me.

Already some of our publications are being translated in the Susuto language, and if we had some one who could go with one of the natives who was converted, from village to village, and take the truth to them, and live right with them, without stopping to establish a mission, I believe we would gain the favor of the masses, and many would be led to embrace the truth. Then publish a paper in the Susuto. There is one paper now published in that language, with a circulation of about eight thousand, mostly among the Basutos themselves. It is issued fortnightly, at Morija, where they have a publishing house. Many of the natives are competent translators.

They are not idolaters in the sense in which we use the term, but are worshipers of their ancestors, or of the Shinto belief. They think there is no need of even worshiping these unless it be in time of drought or sickness, or when they have hard storms; then they send for their witch doctors to prescribe. The prescription is usually after divining with the bones or examining the entrails of an antelope or other animal. The antelope must be of a peculiar color, and be caught in some peculiar way, and the stomach taken out, and the contents strewed upon the dead ancestor's grave, together with a ceremony asking him to be still and let them alone, or something of like nature.

Polygamy is also believed in and practiced among them, which is more general among the chiefs. This is one of the greatest hindrances to the mission work.

There is a heavy fine for importing liquors into the Basuto country; so the common people do not drink; but the chiefs get smuggled liquor in some way, and they drink. The people are principally vegetarians, living on wheat, kafir corn, and mealies, which are ground and make nice bread. They also eat flesh when an animal dies of itself. They make kafir beer from meal with hot water poured upon it and left to sour; this is both food and drink. When it is very strong, it will intoxicate.

In many of the heathen villages they set out trees so they present a cozy appearance. They have no bridges. The common way of traveling is on horseback, and a Basuto pony will climb where any cow will, and is seen sometimes where any goat can go. They never sell any land, so there are no Europeans in the country save those who go there as missionaries or tradesmen. These first get a permit from the chief, and then, if for trade, they obtain a license from the English. They are under the Home Government. The people were once under the colony which delivered them from the Dutch Boers, but the colonial authorities tried to force them to put down their arms, or rather deliver them up to them, and this made another war, when they defeated the colonials and became free. They then appealed to the Home Government and obtained protection. They are a social people, and they like nothing better then to be visited, when they will sit down and talk in a sociable manner.

S. N. H.