MASHONALAND, A prov vince of Southeastern Rhodesia (q.v.). South Africa, between :Matabeleland and the Zambezi River (Map: Africa, 11 6). It eonskts mainly of a fertile and savanna covered plateau. 3000 10 5000 feet above the sea, intersected by several rivers, affluents of the Zambezi and the Sabi. 1 The elimate is healthful to Europeans. Oold has been found in considerable quantities, and I settlements have arisen around Forts Salisbury and Victoria. Hartley Ilall, and in several other places. The white population in 1901 numbered 1021; the number of natives was estimated at 328,729. A railroad from Beira on the coast to Fort Salisbury was completed in 1899, and an other from the latter place to Bulnwayo in :Matabeleland was finished in 1902. In 1890 Alashonaland was acquired by the British South Africa Company, and in 1893 the company's possession and the peace of the country were se cured through a snecessful war with the Mat:I N-1es. The seat of the administration is at Fort Salisbury.
The ruins of Southern Mashonoland. of which the hest-known are those of the Zimbabwe group, are numerous. Along the gold-benring reefs are thousands of exeavations into the quartz VP ills 11i 11 ell its 111:10y hundred ancient ruins, temples, fortresses, and the like. which belong both to prehistoric and to historie I Imes. Tin- early history of this rerdon was not known by the 3Iashonas who W1•1e living here at the time 0f the advent of the Europeans. The announcement of the find ing of the ruin: by the traveler Carl Mauch in 1871 attracted much attention, and in 1591 Theo dore Bent surveyed and described the ruins of Zimbabwe. He found one portion to be elliptical with a round tower and to cover a considerable area of a gentle rise; below this in the valley lay a mass of ruins; while another structure, ap parently a fort, crowned a bold, rocky hill. The walls are constructed of small, squared blocks of rough-face granite, laid dry, and occasionally having ornamental in herring-bone or chevron pattern. The walls are very thick, in some places standing over thirty feet, and the coursing and broken joints show fair skill in masonry. The elliptical ruin has several gate , ways, the interior is broken by walls into a labyrinth, and in a central space are an altar and two remarkable round towers, the latter built solid. Monoliths of rough, unhewn blocks of granite, set in the occur in these ruins, and in some cases the monoliths are set upright on the top of the wall. The hill fort consists of curving walls built among gigantic granite bould ers, forming a maze above a cliff 90 feet high, and is flanked on the accessible side by a wall 36 feet high and 13 feet thick at the top. Around
the rude altar in the temple ruins were found phallic emblems, birds, and decorated bowls carved from soapstone. Remains of gold smelt ing furnaces with crucibles and pottery blow pipes, and stone ingot molds, were discovered, and glass beads, celadon pottery, Persian pottery, and Arabic glass occurred in the ruins. Spearheads and arrowheads, battle-axes, bells, chisels, spades, and other tools were taken out. The ruins may be ascribed to the pre-Slohaminedan Arabs, prob ably of the Saban-Himyaritic period. so that there is good reason for locating the Land of Ophir in this region.
The Maslionas are a Bantu negro people, whom the Matabeles have driven to live in hill forts overlooking their fields. They are peaceful agri culturists, raising corn, sweet potatoes, rice, to bacco, and Indian hemp. They have herds of cat tle and goats, and a common occupation is hunt ing for gold. The INlashonas are of chocolate brown color, above the average height, slender in build, and the young women have good figures and are graceful. The men wear bracelets of buffalo hide, necklaces of bone and claws of gazelle hoofs, and aprons of leather interwoven with heads of iron and brass. Their headdress is of feathers and their coiffure is elaborate. The two front teeth are filed to a V-shape. The wom en shave their heads, but young girls string beads on their hair. They wear aprons, and their bodies are decorated with raised tattooing. The warriors carry three assaga is, a elub.shield and battle-axe. The bow and arrow are also used. They are skill ful iron smelters and workers, using the double bellows and working out implements and weapon; with stone tools. They also make pottery, wooden di-lies, and hark cloth. They smoke and snuff tobacco and use the narcotic hemp to excess. Travelers remark on their fondness for heat; many are disfigured from scorching caused by sleeping too near the great fires. Their musical instruments are the African harp. jewsharp. and drum. Consult: Kerr, The For Interior (Lon don, 1886) ; Bent, The Ruined Cities of Mashona land (London, 1893) ; Knight-Bruce. Memories of Mashonaland (London, 1895) ; With Rhodes in Mashonalaml, translated by Dr. Waal (Cape Town. 1896) : Brown, On the South African Fron tier (New York, 1899). See MATABELELAND.