File:Africa (1884) (14595694679).jpg

Identifier: africakeith00john (find matches)
Title: Africa
Year: 1884 (1880s)
Authors: Johnston, Keith, 1844-1879 Ravenstein, Ernest George, 1834-1913 Keane, A. H. (Augustus Henry), 1833-1912
Subjects: Africa -- Description and travel
Publisher: London : E. Stanford
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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them, the direct representatives of a common but nowextinct mother tongue. This aggregate of languages isnow conventionally known as the A-bantu, or, morecorrectly, the Bantu linguistic system. The morecommon term Kafir, from the Arabic Kafir = infidel,really represents but a small section of this great family,and being otherwise a term of reproach imposed uponthem by strangers, is of course unknown to the peoplethemselves. All the Bantu tribes are distinguished by a dark skinand woolly hair, which varies much in length and quality,but is never sleek or straight; the complexion of indi-viduals also differs greatly, from the deepest sepia to ablue-black hue ; the body is of a robust build, the craniumdolichocephalous and high, the featm-es, when pure, neverof the European type. Their languages belong exclusively to the so-called Pronominal Prefix order, which, besides the Bantugroup, comprises only the far less important Mena andGor families. According to its geographical position the
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wm yi-Uy-^i m!>Mm/m m^JifJf^^^^-. A BECHUANA WARRIOR. To face. page. 459. THE SOUTH AFRICAN RACES. 459 Bantu system is divided into the Eastern gioup, from itsprincipal representatives known as the Ama-Ziilu andAma-Khosa or Kafir proper, the Central or Be-tchuanagroup, and the Western or O-va-Herero, or Damara group. 2. Tlie Ama-Khosa and Ama-Zulu. Physically speaking, the Ama-Khosa, i.e. people ofthe Khosa, may be taken as the most characteristicrepresentatives of the whole Kafir group. The firstwriters about this people represented them as a typicalrace of almost ideal beauty, in fact living statues, adelusion completely overthrown by the accurate measure-ments of Dr. Gustav Fritsch, perhaps the most thoroughanatomist of the South African races. Not only thecranium but the whole skeleton differs materially fromthe European standard, bearmg the same relation to itthat the osteology of a wild beast does to that of a tamespecimen of the same species. Owing to his socialcondition the

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