These tribes had a peculiar mode of drawing the hair out into small cords a foot in length and entwining the inner bark of a special tree round each separate cord. The substance for binding the cords was dyed a reddish color, and the whole arrangement of the hair reminded Livingstone very strongly of one of the ancient Egyptian fashions.
This great mass of dressed hair reached to the shoulders usually; when, however, the natives were about to travel over the country, the mass was drawn up into a bunch and tied on the top of the head.
The people of this section along the shores of Lake Nyassa were found to be very industrious; they combined agriculture and hunting with nets, with various other pursuits; of these blacksmithing was the chief industry.
The sound of the hammer was heard constantly in the villages. This instrument was most primitive in its construction. It was simply a large stone bound around with the strong inner bark of a tree, with loops left to form handles. Two pieces of bark formed the tongs, while the anvil was merely a large stone sunk in the ground. Two goat skins furnished with sticks at the open ends, which opened and shut them at every blast, comprised the bellows.
Primitive as these tools were, yet two native workmen could make several hoes a day, and turn out other work of a wonderful degree of excellence.
The people had quite a Grecian cast of features, and their limbs and feet were delicately moulded. Small hands and feet were the rule. Many of the men were disfigured by having large slits in the lobe of the ear, while each tribe had its own distinctive tattoo. The head man of each village was distinguished from the others by a large ivory bracelet.
DR. LIVINGSTONE NEAR THE CLOSE OF HIS LAST JOURNEY.
The women were more elaborate in their manner of tattooing than the men, probably because they had so very few ornaments. The following of such a fashion among them must have been a most painful luxury, when we consider how slow and tedious the process of tattooing must be.