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Africana; or, the heart of heathen Africa, Volume 1 (of 2)

Chapter 1: AFRICANA.
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About This Book

The author offers a systematic ethnographic account of African communities, detailing material culture, domestic life, food, crafts, and travel, then treating oral literature, trades, and aspects of language. Subsequent sections examine native theology and worship, oracles and offerings, death rites and mourning, and rites of initiation, followed by marriage practices, social organization, governance, justice, slavery, and property norms. Observational chapters are accompanied by practical reflections on missionary encounters and administrative difficulties, and the work is organized thematically to combine descriptive reporting with guidance for those engaging with these societies.

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Title: Africana; or, the heart of heathen Africa, Volume 1 (of 2)

Native customs and beliefs

Author: Duff Macdonald

Release date: June 23, 2025 [eBook #76362]

Language: English

Original publication: London: Simpkin, Marshall & co, 1882

Credits: Peter Becker and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AFRICANA; OR, THE HEART OF HEATHEN AFRICA, VOLUME 1 (OF 2) ***

AFRICANA.

A. KING AND CO., PRINTERS TO THE UNIVERSITY.

I—Frontis.

THE POSTMAN.

“Literature is likely to be an important means of elevating and purifying the native. All Africans, from the lad that writes his Grammar exercise to the postman that conveys a written message in a split wand, have a liking for kalata (letters).”—Vol. II., p. 261.

AFRICANA;
OR,
THE HEART OF HEATHEN AFRICA.

BY THE
Rev. DUFF MACDONALD, M.A., B.D.,
LATE OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND MISSION, BLANTYRE, EAST CENTRAL AFRICA.

Vol. I.—NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS.

“The proper study of mankind is man.”

LONDON: SIMPKIN MARSHALL & CO.
EDINBURGH: JOHN MENZIES & CO.
ABERDEEN: A. BROWN & CO.
1882.

[All rights reserved.]

TO
H. H. M.
THIS WORK IS INSCRIBED
IN REMEMBRANCE OF
THE GREATEST TRIALS PATIENTLY ENDURED
FOR THE GOOD OF AFRICA.