the land of footprints-第29节

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　Kikuyus　are　apt　to　count　the　most　weakly　and　spindly　examples：　though　some　of　these　people；　perhaps　a　majority；　are　well　made。

Furthermore；　the　native　differentiates　himself　still　further　in　impression　from　our　negro　in　his　carriage　and　the　mental　attitude　that　lies　behind　it。　Our　people　are　trying　to　pattern　themselves　on　white　men；　and　succeed　in　giving　a　more　or　less　shambling　imitation　thereof。　The　native　has　standards；　ideas；　and　ideals　that　perfectly　satisfy　him；　and　that　antedated　the　white　man's　coming　by　thousands　of　years。　The　consciousness　of　this　reflects　itself　in　his　outward　bearing。　He　does　not　shuffle；　he　is　not　either　obsequious　or　impudent。　Even　when　he　acknowledges　the　white　man's　divinity　and　pays　it　appropriate　respect；　he　does　not　lose　the　poise　of　his　own　well…worked…out　attitude　toward　life　and　toward　himself。

We　are　fond　of　calling　these　people　primitive。　In　the　world's　standard　of　measurement　they　are　primitive；　very　primitive　indeed。　But　ordinarily　by　that　term；　we　mean　also　undeveloped；　embryonic。　In　that　sense　we　are　wrong。　Instead　of　being　at　the　very　dawn　of　human　development；　these　people　are　at　the　end…as　far　as　they　themselves　are　concerned。　The　original　racial　impulse　that　started　them　down　the　years　toward　development　has　fulfilled　its　duty　and　spent　its　force。　They　have　worked　out　all　their　problems；　established　all　their　customs；　arranged　the　world　and　its　phenomena　in　a　philosophy　to　their　complete　satisfaction。　They　have　lived；　ethnologists　tell　us；　for　thousands；　perhaps　hundreds　of　thousands　of　years；　just　as　we　find　them　to…day。　From　our　standpoint　that　is　in　a　hopeless　intellectual　darkness；　for　they　know　absolutely　nothing　of　the　most　elementary　subjects　of　knowledge。　From　their　standpoint；　however；　they　have　reached　the　highest　DESIRABLE　pinnacle　of　human　development。　Nothing　remains　to　be　changed。　Their　customs；　religions；　and　duties　have　been　worked　out　and　immutably　established　long　ago；　and　nobody　dreams　of　questioning　either　their　wisdom　or　their　imperative　necessity。　They　are　the　conservatives　of　the　world。

Nor　must　we　conclude…looking　at　them　with　the　eyes　of　our　own　civilization…that　the　savage　is；　from　his　standpoint；　lazy　and　idle。　His　life　is　laid　out　more　rigidly　than　ours　will　be　for　a　great　many　thousands　of　years。　From　childhood　to　old　age　he　performs　his　every　act　in　accord　with　prohibitions　and　requirements。　He　must　remember　them　all；　for　ignorance　does　not　divert　consequences。　He　must　observe　them　all；　in　pain　of　terrible　punishments。　For　example；　never　may　he　cultivate　on　the　site　of　a　grave；　and　the　plants　that　spring　up　from　it　must　never　be　cut。*　He　must　make　certain　complicated　offerings　before　venturing　to　harvest　a　crop。　On　crossing　the　first　stream　of　a　journey　he　must　touch　his　lips　with　the　end　of　his　wetted　bow；　wade　across；　drop　a　stone　on　the　far　side；　and　then　drink。　If　he　cuts　his　nails；　he　must　throw　the　parings　into　a　thicket。　If　he　drink　from　a　stream；　and　also　cross　it；　he　must　eject　a　mouthful　of　water　back　into　the　stream。　He　must　be　particularly　careful　not　to　look　his　mother…in…law　in　the　face。　Hundreds　of　omens　by　the　manner　of　their　happening　may　modify　actions；　as；　on　what　side　of　the　road　a　woodpecker　calls；　or　in　which　direction　a　hyena　or　jackal　crosses　the　path；　how　the　ground　hornbill　flies　or　alights；　and　the　like。　He　must　notice　these　things；　and　change　his　plans　according　to　their　occurrence。　If　he　does　not　notice　them；　they　exercise　their　influence　just　the　same。　This　does　not　encourage　a　distrait　mental　attitude。　Also　it　goes　far　to　explain　otherwise　unexplainable　visitations。　Truly；　as　Hobley　says　in　his　unexcelled　work　on　the　A…Kamba；　〃the　life　of　a　savage　native　is　a　complex　matter；　and　he　is　hedged　round　by　all　sorts　of　rules　and　prohibitions；　the　infringement　of　which　will　probably　cause　his　death；　if　only　by　the　intense　belief　he　has　in　the　rules　which　guide　his　life。〃

*Customs　are　not　universal　among　the　different　tribes。　I　am　merely　illustrating。


For　these　rules　and　customs　he　never　attempts　to　give　a　reason。　They　are；　and　that　is　all　there　is　to　it。　A　mere　statement：　〃This　is　the　custom〃　settles　the　matter　finally。　There　is　no　necessity；　nor　passing　thought　even；　of　finding　any　logical　cause。　The　matter　was　worked　out　in　the　mental　evolution　of　remote　ancestors。　At　that　time；　perhaps；　insurgent　and　Standpatter；　Conservative　and　Radical　fought　out　the　questions　of　the　day；　and　the　Muckrakers　swung　by　their　tails　and　chattered　about　it。　Those　days　are　all　long　since　over。　The　questions　of　the　world　are　settled　forever。　The　people　have　passed　through　the　struggles　of　their　formative　period　to　the　ultimate　highest　perfection　of　adjustment　to　material　and　spiritual　environment　of　which　they　were　capable　under　the　influence　of　their　original　racial　force。

Parenthetically；　it　is　now　a　question　whether　or　not　an　added　impulse　can　be　communicated　from　without。　Such　an　impulse　must　（a）　unsettle　all　the　old　beliefs；　（b）　inspire　an　era　of　skepticism；　（c）　reintroduce　the　old　struggle　of　ideas　between　the　Insurgent　and　the　Standpatter；　and　Radical　and　the　Conservative；　（d）　in　the　meantime　furnish；　from　the　older　civilization；　materials；　both　in　the　thought…world　and　in　the　object…world；　for　building　slowly　a　new　set　of　customs　more　closely　approximating　those　we　are　building　for　ourselves。　This　is　a　longer　and　slower　and　more　complicated　affair　than　teaching　the　native　to　wear　clothes　and　sing　hymns；　or　to　build　houses　and　drink　gin；　but　it　is　what　must　be　accomplished　step　by　step　before　the　African　peoples　are　really　civilized。　I；　personally；　do　not　think　it　can　be　done。

Now　having；　a　hundred　thousand　years　or　so　ago；　worked　out　the　highest　good　of　the　human　race；　according　to　them；　what　must　they　say　to　themselves　and　what　must　their　attitude　be　when　the　white　man　has　come　and　has　unrolled　his　carpet　of　wonderful　tricks？　The　dilemma　is　evident。　Either　we；　as　black　men；　must　admit　that　our　hundred…thousand…year…old　ideas　as　to　what　constitutes　the　highest　type　of　human　relation　to　environment　is　all　wrong；　or　else　we　must　evolve　a　new　attitude　toward　this　new　phenomena。　It　is　human　nature　to　do　the　latter。　Therefore　the　native　has　not　abandoned　his　old　gods；　nor　has　he　adopted　a　new。　He　still　believes　firmly　that　his　way　is　the　best　way　of　doing　things；　but　he　acknowledges　the　Superman。

To　the　Superman；　with　all　races；　anything　is　possible。　Only　our　Superman　is　an　idea；　and　ideal。　The　native　has　his　Superman　before　him　in　the　actual　flesh。

We　will　suppose　that　our　own　Superman　has　appeared　among　us；　accomplishing　things　that　apparantly　contravene　all　our　established　tenets　of　skill；　of　intellect；　of　possibility。　It　will　be　readily　acknowledged　that　such　an　individual　would　at　first　create　some　astonishment。　He　wanders　into　a　crowded　hotel　lobby；　let　us　say；　evidently　with　the　desire　of　going　to　the　bar。　Instead　of　pushing　laboriously　through　the　crowd；　he　floats　just　above　their　heads；　gets　his　drink；　and　floats　out　again！　That　is　levitation；　and　is　probably　just　as　simple　to　him　as　striking　a　match　is　to　you　and　me。　After　we　get　thoroughly　accustomed　to　him　and　his　life；　we　are　no　longer　vastly　astonished；　though　always　interested；　at　the　various　manifestations　of　his　extraordinary　powers。　We　go　right　along　using　the　marvellous　wireless；　aeroplanes；　motor　cars；　constructive　machinery；　and　the　like　that　make　us　confident…justly；　of　course…in　that　we　are　about　the　smartest　lot　of　people　on　earth。　And　if　we　see　red；　white；　and　blue　streamers　of　light　crossing　the　zenith　at　noon；　we　do　not　manifest　any　very　profound　amazement。　〃There's　that　confounded　Superman　again；〃　we　mutter；　if　we　happen　to　be　busy。　〃I　wonder　what　stunt　he's　going　to　do　now！〃

A　consideration　of　the　above　beautiful　fable　may　go　a　little　way　toward　explaining　the　supposed　native　stolidity　in　the　face　of　the　white　man's　wonders。　A　few　years　ago　some　misguided　person　brought　a　balloon　to　Nairobi。　The　balloon　interested　the　white　people　a　lot；　but　everybody　was　chiefly　occupied　wondering　what　the　natives　would　do　when　they　saw　THAT！　The　natives　did　not　do　anything。　They　gathered　in　large　numbers；　and　most　interestedly　watched　it　go　up；　and　then　went　home　again。　But　they　were　not　stricken　with　wonder　to　any　great　extent。　So　also　with　locomotives；　motor　cars；　telephones；　phonographs…any　of　our　modern　ingenuities。　The　native　is　pleased　and　entertained；　but　not　astonished。　〃Stupid　creature；　no　imagination；〃　say　we；　because　our　pride　in　showing　off　is　a　wee　bit　hurt。

Why　should　he　be　astonished？　His　mental　revolution　took　place　when　he　saw　the　first　match　struck。　It　is　manifestly　impossible　for　any　one　to　make　fire　instantaneously　by　rubbing　one　small　stick。　When　for　the　first　time　he　saw　it　done；　he　was　indeed　vastly　astounded。　The　immutable　had　been　changed。　The　law　had　been　transcended。　The　impossible　had　been　accomplished。　And　then；　as　logical　sequence；　his　mind　completed　the　syllogism。　If　the　white　man　can　do　this　impossibility；　why　not　all　the　rest？　To　defy　the　laws　of　nature　by　flying　in　the　air　or　forcing　great　masses　of　iron　to　transport　one；　is　no　more　wonderful　than　to　defy　them　by　striking　a　light。　Since　the　white　man　can　provedly　do　one；