it is curled and twisted into small, round lumps* about the size
of a marrow-fat pea.. When,suffered to grow, it hangs on the
neck in hard, twisted tassels^like fringe/ 5 _
The hump, or steatopyga, is a character of the Hottentot
race which has attracted much attention. On this subject,
the following observations by Mr. Burchéll are instructive':-1^^
“ The exhibition of a woman having this peculiarity in the
principal countries'of Europe has made the sübject well-
known to all those who are curious in such matters* and I
readily take advantage of that circumstance to excuse myself
further digression. But I ought not to allow this occasion to
pass by, without endeavouring to correct some erroneous notions,
which the debates of both thé learned and unlearned
have equally contributed to render current. It is not a fact
that the whole of the Hottentot race are thus formed ; ! neither
is there any particular tribe to which this steatopyga, as it may
be called, is peculiar ; nor is it morè common 'ifiRhé Bushman
tribes than among other Hottentots. It will not greatly
mislead if our idea of its frequency be formed by comparing
it with the corpulency of individuals among Europeanriations”
It is true that the Hottentot race affords numerous example's
of it, while on the other hand I do not recollect to havégè'èïL
any very remarkable instance of it in the other African tribes
which I visited in this journey.”
Itmay be worthy of observation that, although Mr. Burchell
did not visit any tribe unconnected with the'Hottentot race
who have this deformity, it is by no means confined to them.
Other nations jn South Africa, as the Makûani of the Mosam-
bique coast, have the same peculiarity, as we shall hâve occasion
to observe in a following section.
The language of the Hottentots is another distinguishing
character of the race. Their utterance, according to Lichtenstein,
is in general remarkable for numerous rapid, harsh,
shrill sounds, emitted from the bottom of the chest, with
strong aspirations, and modified in the mouth by a singular
motion of the tongue. The dipthongs eou, aao, and ouou,
predominate, and the phrase frequently ends with the final
ing, pronounced in a musical tone of voice. In this motion of
the tongue there appear to be three progressive sounds, pro-
.duè'eclvbv the. manner dm-'whiph the back of the tongue is withdrawn
from- thémpper partl«y‘th,e - palaté,, or the point of the
tohgu#cither>from the incisor teeth the upper grinders.
The.peculiar of the di^angffin this :race; facilitates
much1 lth‘e|£®rM^ijion of? -tjietje/ sounds, which, iiyothers would
heWery, difficult-
Theprlcedi.u0dQseriptio,ni beings; to ".th c Hcttentofedtce. gu*-
nerally. The-, follow mgjó’ljpenntioiis by LïaËpffiltein, (.op. the
peculiarities^ ,pf th e pfusb m en prihykóf attentipiï*
ct A wild, ^usi)lqLou^,c\ o, and crafty (expression*,form
a striking?-Contrast to the Trank; :open |)h^siognoffiy ofthe
Hottentot. The uni|prsally/^stinguisrhin;j, features of the
Hottentot, thebrpad, an'I^T^ef- ptbrihncnt cheekbpnes,
are, from therleaune.ss, of the Bushmen,^doubly^re-
jmarkablel? Their figure, thoqgh,small,.is l-prop< irtioned^
and they, would not-bC'U^l'V if they had more /lesje ^ ^*1 lh|i
men may bè call‘ed«h,andsonie in cojnpÉ^on.mi th the womep*
The loose, dong, hanging breusts^and the edi^])roportionat^
thickness of the hinder parts, united with their ugly ^a|qres,
make them,, ggj| Europeans, disgusting.,. The Hottqntot
wom^r, though ^resembling., the Bushmen, .aisé,, from their
greater height and, het'ter^rop(kri,onqd^|iiri^, in- comparison
With them, handsome.” *
It must not be forgotten that this „description,. Jikejmpst
of the delineations' giyea by travgffefg, who attempt to^portray
in a striking and graphical manner the phy^^l'^rajcters of
particular races, are drawn from the.p^osfe#rpjag|y-marked
examples, and would göttvey fi very ideai£.l‘noked
upon as giving $■ general picturev...of the’whpje. racg^-The
Bushmen are thé Ugli^lt tribe of .the Hottentots, and not^-as
Lichtenstein supposed them, a particular jace/$$ but even
amongst the Bushmen there are individuals whpsé,. eoupfe--'
nances are far from repulsive or disgusting. . ^ e are' assured
by Mr. Thompson, and some other travellers, that goAri of the
females of the Bushmen race have pleasing and even handsome
features, h
* Lichtenstein’s Travels, translation, vol, i. p> 117«
•|* Thompson’s Travels in South Africa.