The unit of government among the Hottentots was the kraal, with its subchieL who. with the leading men, had jurisdiction even to the extent of the death penalty. The tribes were ruled by hereditary chiefs, who were greatly revered and received their pay in kind, being entitled to a share of whatever was killed or produced. Descent was in the female line for sons. and initia tion into the tribe was with ceremonial scarifica tion of the body. Their instruments of music were the gorah, or musical how, a rude fiddle, Pgu-tha, an imitation of European violin, a tomo, a bow rubbed with another bow, and a single head drum.
The religious belief of the Hottentots was in keeping with their social scale and organization. They held to the existence of the soul after death. The ruler of all things is a deified patri arch, Heitsi-Eibib, or a Great Captain, Tsu-goah. who was formerly one of their mighty chiefs, and came from the East. Hence all Hottentots' graves are oriented, and when they pass a cemetery they leave stones on the spot to express good will and ask a blessing. The existence of this practice in former times enables the student to follow the trail of the Hottentot in his wanderings. The
cult of these people is obscure. It has been stated that they had no temples or places of united worship, no altars on which offerings or sacrifices were laid, mad no class with priestly itincti011, yet medicine mail, witch doctors, or sm. (eters, were common among them, called ill to heal the sick by magic. Au immense folklore is based on the primitive conceptions of ghosts, charms, signs. offerings, luck, amid causation by :spirit influences that cram the air.
Accounts of the Hottentots are to he found in the narrative of Francisco de Almeida (1509); also in the ii‘eords of the Dutch East India Com pany from 11;52, and of the British occupation after I7115. t'onsult also: P. Kellen, PITSC111 ,rate of 111C Cape of Good Hope (London, 1731 :is); A. Sparman, I onogc to the Cam of Good llbpe (Perth, 17'46); Sir dolin Travels into the Int( nor• of South .1 friea (London, 1801) ; Emit Holub, serest, rears sn South Africa (Eng. (ran._ hasten. I S:41 )