Notebooks
Story: Dorothea Bleek - Book BC151_A3_028
Title
Dorothea Bleek - Book BC151_A3_028
Collection
Summary
Record of D Bleek's visit to the Hadza of Tanganyika, 1930. Words and sentences and fragmented narratives towards the latter half of the book. Also many descriptions of personal history and rough genealogical diagrams, and comments about things that Bushmen do and eat, especially cutting and tattooing by doctors when people are ill.
Comments
1) Page opposite inside front cover: 'Dorothea Bleek's visit to Tanganyika - to Hadza tribe 1930. Confirmed by Prof. N. Blurtoi[?] Jones'. 2) p.314: 23.5.30. Words and sentences including names (of Makwasha's wife, and Masai) of relations. Note as to 'Werner 1st picture' on p.316. These notes are all descriptions of the pictures shown, with descriptions of personal history and names of relations, ornaments observed, things worn by babies, hunting methods etc. 3) p.333: Tsho'ga. Words and sentences, names and personal history. 4) p.336: Manangwa. Genealogical diagram and personal history, words and sentences, it seems some from a picture in 'Specimens' (se p. 341). 5) p.343: Genealogical diagram of Makangange and personal history, including something about an illness, words and sentences. 6) p.347: 25.5.30. Soki. Food eaten and related tasks. Soki has 3 garments (p.353): a description of her and what she is wearing, she is young and 'evidently a belle' [?]. 7) p.354: Shangini. Words and sentences. 8) p.361: Kitandu. Names and some personal history (brief), a genealogical diagram, some words. 9) p.368: 26.5.30. Msroku. Personal history and names. 10) p.369: Tarvashi. Moon, sun and days counted. The stick game (take ta vita). Carrying a child in a kaross, personal history: some names and relationships. 11) p.382: Soki (old, wife of Kitandu). Personal history. Same page: Shangini. Snakes, arrow poison, tree poion for arrows. Used to shoot guinea fowl, use of its feather. Measurements, descriptions & diagrams of arrows. 12) p.389: Tawashi. Sentences relating to food dug out by women and weather, lions who have not been seen by the informant. 13) p.394: Mwenga. Personal history (death, Germans, the great water, trekking) and names, words & sentences. 14) p.399: 28.5.30. Tawashi. Words & sentences, especially about people who are foreigners (Europeans, Askari etc), a tortoise, food eaten. 15) p.410: 28.5.30. Makangava[?]. Words & sentences including some fragements relating to the other peoples of the region & personal history. 16) p.415: 29.5.30. Mashangwa. Mambu. Tawashi. Description of tattooing, marking, thing worn by boy with medicine in it. 17) p.418: Manangwe. Words & sentences. 18) p.425: 30.5.30. Kitandu. Words & Sentences relating to daily activities such as pounding with a mortar and fetching water. 19) p.440: 1st June 1930. Descriptions of water scene, dance with sticks, rain's things. 20) p.446: 2nd June. Words and sentences describing carrying water, killing flies, lighting fires etc. 21) p.453: Kitandu. Words and sentences including a description of the rainbull, and a fight. There are a few refererences to 'pictures' being shown. Sentences relating to hunting different animals, especially hippo, lion. 22) p.470: 4th June. Much personal information & names, words & sentences including more about weapons and shooting, tortoises also, dancing. 23) p.481: 5th June 1930. Kitandu. An fragmented account of a man who goes out and shoots an unknown animal, the dividing up of the meal, sentences, description of travelling, some geography & history of the region - how the Masai killed the Bushmen, Kitandu's personal history & names of relations. 24) p.494: 6th June. Kitandu. Sentences about seeking game, wanting clothes, Askari guides. 25) p.501-4: Genealogical diagram and personal history of Mekwa. 26) p.505: 8th June. Soki jun. Sentences on the rain, names of scorpion parts, a substance contained in baobab shell put on arrowheads, names & brief descriptions of other plants and insects. 27) p.511: 9th June. Tawashi. Seems that DB was showing 'Specimens' pictures to interviewees. Words & sentences relating to eating and hunting. 28) p.519-21. Buruku [?]. Drawing and specifications of a knife made by informant. 29) p.522: 10.6.30. Buruku. Words & sentences. 30) p.532: Tshsmboni's [?] genealogy and personal history. 31) p.534: 11th June. Tawashi & Makwasha. Words & sentences. 32) p.539: Moshangini. Words & sentences including some vague personal history. 33) p.549: Kitandu. Words & sentences to do with rain, stars, names & descriptions of poisons & trees, effects of the poison, seasons, fetching water, plant & animal life, moon & river. 34) p.555: 13th June. Words & sentences mostly animals at the river. 35) p.562: 15th June. Tawashi. Waterpool & rain, words & sentences, work done there, times of the day. Description of an arrow used for shooting birds, drawing of it. 36) p.567: Boruku (see p.77). Personal history. 37) p.570: Makwasha (see 75). Personal history. 38) p.572-6: 16th June. Kitandu. Personal history. 39) p.577: Shangine. (see p.79) Personal History. 40) p.579: genealogy of Tsngi and personal history. 41) p.581: 17th June. Ngoshangini [?]. Personal history & death of relations (vague). 42) p.584: Shangine. Descriptions of birds and animals (shot). 43) p.587: 18th June. Ngoshangini. Words & sentences. 44) p.588: Kitandu sen. Words & sentences. Fragments of songs. 45) p.594: 19th June. Makanyange. Description of a day, words & sentences. 46) p.599: Buruku [?]. 47) p.601: Msruku & Kitandu sen. Tawashi. Description of a hunt, words & sentences. 48) p.604: 20th June. Buruku. Words & sentences, description of a bird & its call, working, sugarcane. Askari's shot zebras which vultures ate. 49) p.609: what Bushmen call things. 50) p.611: Nsshangini. Words & sentences, use of the castoroil plant, hollowed out for smoking[?], pressed out then rubbed on people. 51) p.614: Tawasha. Words & sentences. 52) p.617: 21st June. NsSangini. Words & sentences, could also be fragments of song sung when it rains. The next pages contain contributions from any number of informants: names are not clear: all words & sentences with odd bits of personal history, names and relations with others in the region. 53) p.631: 22nd. Kitandu. Words & sentences, 'Misai's' personal history, working a flywhisk/knife[?] with a wildebeest tail. 54) p.640: Mbsga [?]: personal history, p.643-6: about tattooing & cutting , dancing - a ritual. 55) p.647: 23rd. Kitandu. Shooting a boar at dawn/night 'sweetness sweet it was good fat food'. Other meat enjoyed, hunted. 56) p.659: Kitandu and various others. Words & sentences. On Tawashi's [?] tattoo marks made by his mother when he was ill. Other tattoos and cutting, marking. p.663: burial of a Bushman. 57) p.665: Tuesday 24th June. Mbsga and Ma:to. Tattoo markings & cutting of the informants. Medicinal purposes, cuts rubbed with herbs, leaves, personal history, sugarcane. 58) p.668: Nsshangini: personal history, when the English came. Flowers after rainfall, words & sentences. Tattoomarks cut when someone was ill. 59) p.672: Bushmen don't have any goats but others there do, and cattle, description of region & place there (Dundu). Bees & honey, words & sentences. 60) p.675: Various informants including Tawashi. Personal history, work done, words & sentences, artefacts & food, descriptions of aprons. 61) p.685-91: 25th June. Kitandu & Makanyange. Cutting, dancing, recollections of an old doctor, people who died: a detailed description of the event with a diagram of the dance. 62) p.693: Personal history more about cutting at Dundu. 63) p.694: Words & sentences including buying, trading or selling artefacts, beads, skins. 64) p.697: Kitandu & Makanyange. Words & sentences, cutting when ill, doctors cut, all are cut, doctors wear headdresses, don't go to school to be circumsized. Dancing, perhaps related to rain. When women see the moon they are ill. 65) p.702: Sima alias Mwenga. All Bushmen have 2 names. Personal history. 66) p.705: 26th June. Baladza & Tshsmbone (Tawashi & Kitandu). Names for different people (married, old etc). Words & sentences. 67) p.709: Corrected by Moshangini. Most unstarnslated but names and descriptions of animals mostly.
Contributors
Tawashi (Tavashi), Buruku, Makwasha, Soki, Kitandu & sen., Baladza, NsSangini, Tshsmbone, Manangwa, Shangini, Ngoshangini, Nsshangini, Tsho'ga, Msruku, Mbsga, Makanyange, Ma:to
Date
May - June 1930
Categories
Words and sentences, History (personal), Custom and daily life
Story Pages
314-713
