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Specimens of Bushman Folklore, by W.H.I. Bleek and L.C. Lloyd, [1911], at sacred-texts.com


THE ADHESIVE SUBSTANCE USED BY THE BUSHMEN IN MARKING ARROWS.

It is |kwae[1]; it is ||kuarri juice. It is like a pumpkin, it is round. Its juice is white; it is like water. Its juice is not a little white; its whiteness resembles milk. It is poison.

We make an incision(?) (and) set it (the ||kuwarri) down; and then we hold a tortoise (shell) underneath it; because we wish its juice to be upon the tortoise (shell), that we may make ||kuae of it. And we warm (it) by the fire, making it hot; and we beat(?) it, when it is hot. Then, we beat(?), cooling it. And we take it up in this manner,[2] with a "Driedoorn" stick; we do in this manner to it, with the "Driedoorn" stick, as we make it round; while we think that we intend to make little springbok arrows.

[1. The later spelling of this word has been followed in the translation, as probably more correct.

2. The narrator here imitated the manner of taking lip the |kwae by means of rolling it upon a stick.]

 


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