PREPARATION OF THE FEATHER BRUSHES USED IN SPRINGBOK HUNTING.[1]

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

They roll the feather brushes, binding the ostrich feathers (the body feathers) upon the "Driedoorn" stick. They become numerous; and they (the Bushmen) pound red stones,[2] they paint[3], the feather brush sticks. And they make ready the (dried) skin of a springbok's chest; they thread little thongs[4]

[1. I used to see my grandfather (Tsatsi) roll the feather brushes.

2. The red stones here meant, are ||ka; not tto. At the "Philadelphia Exhibition," in November, 1875, Dia!kwain recognized red hæmatite as ||ka.

3. Paint them red.

4. Thongs (they) are. The "children of thongs" (they) are. The Korannas call them !Ya.]

into (it); and they put away the feather brushes. They put away the feather brushes; they dig ||kuain,[1] they roast (the stem of) the ||kuain, they lay the feather brushes over the ||kuain's smoke, while the ||kuain's smoke ascends into the feather brushes.

First, they dig[2] [with a stick pointed with horn], making a little hole; they put live coals into it. And they put ||kuain upon the live coals, while they wish that the ||kuain may smoke quietly, and not flame up; for the ||kuain would set the feather brushes on fire, if the fire were to flame up, if they (the stems) flamed up, when roasted.

They (the Bushmen) put the springbok skin[3] over (the fire); they put a stone upon the place where the feather brush sticks are for they intend that the smoke should only go out through the ostrich feathers.

[1. Its stem is that which the people call ||kuain, because it does not a little smell. Therefore, the people smoke the feather brushes with it. The people call the stem of the !Ywa-kau, which is in the earth, ||kuain.

2. Men dig with sticks which have no stones (upon them); they are those with which men dig.

3. They turn the skin, into which the feather brushes have been put, upside down, over the hole into which the live embers and the ||kuain were put.]