Page:The Past, Present and Future Trade of the Cape Colonies with Central Africa.pdf/23

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Cape Colonies with Central Africa.
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culture, we could, I suppose, export in a few years grain, cotton, rice; instead of importing them, and I believe that in another way we would again benefit these Colonies. Besides these, I observe that agriculture exercises a beneficial and great influence upon all the tribes—if we mention only one, it improves the position of the women among those tribes. Among the Bechuanas we find the following. A man marries two or three wives, only for the reason that they should work for him, and he should do nothing. Among the Matabele a woman is not considered as a human being, and she is not allowed to talk in the presence of the men. But among the Marutse a woman is esteemed, and we find that most of the rulers are queens, and not kings. (Hear, hear.) But, with regard to husbandry, which we should introduce to the Bechuanas, this would change the position of the women in this way. The men do not allow the women to touch the ploughs. He himself says that is his work—(cheers)—and I observed the proof of it in one town, the inhabitants of which are the subjects of the Transvaal Colony, called Linokana, where there are about 800 male adults. They have about 200 ploughs. A man goes out every year and sees the new imports, and increases the value of his property, and the woman dresses in European clothes. She fetches the wood to build a hut, &c., and does small work; but the man takes to the plough, looks after the cattle, and does the heaviest work. And I am sure, as I know the Bechuanas, that they all will become as such. Now, the single town of 800 adults or that, produces several thousands of bags of Indian corn, which they bring round to the Diamond Fields for sale, but between the Zambesi and the Waal River numerous such towns exist. The quantity of corn which they could produce would be enormous. Very often the natives have built towns in the wrong places, where water is scarce. But it is only simply necessary for a man to go and say, “We will build our houses here.” They build a house made of bushes, clay, and grass, in two days. They can move their towns, and in this way, I believe, for I saw the town of Shesheke, a town with 2,000 houses, built up in two months. It was burnt down in 1875, and it was built up in the months of October and November, so that the changing of a residence among the South African tribes is not a great difficulty for them—excepting for those who commence to imitate our houses; but they, again, have generally built these where water is plentiful, and land-cultivation has been started in the true sense of the word. Like the Baharutse in Linokana, like the Batlapins at Kuruman, and the Barolongs at Molemas Town, I believe that all the tribes can become agriculturists, and some planters of valuable tropical