DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49272#0310
294
HARVARD AFRICAN STUDIES
Resident Magistrate at Blantyre, told me of a case where the grave of a well-known Euro-
pean hunter was opened and his trigger finger removed, the reason being obvious. The
same thing is said to have occurred in regard to the heart of a brave man. In the former
case the finger was probably worn as a charm; in the latter, the heart partly eaten and
partly made into medicine. I have found human fingers and skulls among the outfits of
witch-doctors. Such practices seem akin to those of cannibalistic societies found in other
parts of Africa.
The natives insist that wasawi are banded together in some sort of society. There are
numerous discrepancies in the evidence brought forward about usawi, but such would
necessarily arise and they do not, therefore, disprove the general belief in the actuality of
usawi. Be that as it may, it seems probable that though there may be little or no cannibal-
ism at the present day, the beliefs about usawi have arisen in consequence of common
cannibalistic practices in the past. There are individual cases of cannibalism well known
and one has only to call to mind that of Kamtukule of Malemya’s village. This man more
or less openly killed and ate a number of people. On one occasion after a fight, he was seen
looking over the dead bodies of the slain foes and in answer to an enquirer, he denied that
he wanted any spoils but said he was just marking the bodies, “ that would be his share.”
Later on, his own son, who tells the story, brought an Angoni man into the village who
wished to settle under Malemya. It was evening, so he was introduced into his father’s
(Kamtukule’s) house where Kamtukule gave him food and later a mat on which to sleep,
the son meanwhile having gone to a beer drinking. In the morning, he returned to take
his Angoni friend to the chief, but his father said he had gone away. Entering the hut, how-
ever, the son came upon the Angoni’s snuff-box, and said to his father, “ No Angoni w’ould
go away and leave his snuff-box.” But the father said, “Well, he has gone.” The lad being
suspicious again went into the hut and found the place where the Angoni had been sleeping
drenched with blood. Going out again, he noticed blood dripping through the bottom of
Kamtukule’s grain-store and looking inside, he found the body.
This man Kamtukule was a great friend of the reigning Malemya’s headwife, Kung’-
ando; after the death of Malemya and after his wives had passed to the present Malemya,
circumstances arose in the village which cast suspicion on Kamtukule and the woman.
One of two brothers was ill and, it appeared afterwards, that the woman had said to Kam-
tukule, “Won’t you finish him off?” It is supposed that Kamtukule thought she meant the
brother who was not sick; for it so happened that both died the same night. It was sup-
posed they were killed in order that Kamtukule and the woman, his friend, might eat
them. Malemya had the woman turned out of the village. She now lives near Zomba and
has once come under my care. The man, who was also turned out, took up his abode near
a highway where he is reported to have killed several Angoni porters whom he said he pre-
ferred, because “being travellers far away from their homes, no one would bother about
them.”
HARVARD AFRICAN STUDIES
Resident Magistrate at Blantyre, told me of a case where the grave of a well-known Euro-
pean hunter was opened and his trigger finger removed, the reason being obvious. The
same thing is said to have occurred in regard to the heart of a brave man. In the former
case the finger was probably worn as a charm; in the latter, the heart partly eaten and
partly made into medicine. I have found human fingers and skulls among the outfits of
witch-doctors. Such practices seem akin to those of cannibalistic societies found in other
parts of Africa.
The natives insist that wasawi are banded together in some sort of society. There are
numerous discrepancies in the evidence brought forward about usawi, but such would
necessarily arise and they do not, therefore, disprove the general belief in the actuality of
usawi. Be that as it may, it seems probable that though there may be little or no cannibal-
ism at the present day, the beliefs about usawi have arisen in consequence of common
cannibalistic practices in the past. There are individual cases of cannibalism well known
and one has only to call to mind that of Kamtukule of Malemya’s village. This man more
or less openly killed and ate a number of people. On one occasion after a fight, he was seen
looking over the dead bodies of the slain foes and in answer to an enquirer, he denied that
he wanted any spoils but said he was just marking the bodies, “ that would be his share.”
Later on, his own son, who tells the story, brought an Angoni man into the village who
wished to settle under Malemya. It was evening, so he was introduced into his father’s
(Kamtukule’s) house where Kamtukule gave him food and later a mat on which to sleep,
the son meanwhile having gone to a beer drinking. In the morning, he returned to take
his Angoni friend to the chief, but his father said he had gone away. Entering the hut, how-
ever, the son came upon the Angoni’s snuff-box, and said to his father, “ No Angoni w’ould
go away and leave his snuff-box.” But the father said, “Well, he has gone.” The lad being
suspicious again went into the hut and found the place where the Angoni had been sleeping
drenched with blood. Going out again, he noticed blood dripping through the bottom of
Kamtukule’s grain-store and looking inside, he found the body.
This man Kamtukule was a great friend of the reigning Malemya’s headwife, Kung’-
ando; after the death of Malemya and after his wives had passed to the present Malemya,
circumstances arose in the village which cast suspicion on Kamtukule and the woman.
One of two brothers was ill and, it appeared afterwards, that the woman had said to Kam-
tukule, “Won’t you finish him off?” It is supposed that Kamtukule thought she meant the
brother who was not sick; for it so happened that both died the same night. It was sup-
posed they were killed in order that Kamtukule and the woman, his friend, might eat
them. Malemya had the woman turned out of the village. She now lives near Zomba and
has once come under my care. The man, who was also turned out, took up his abode near
a highway where he is reported to have killed several Angoni porters whom he said he pre-
ferred, because “being travellers far away from their homes, no one would bother about
them.”