AFRICAN HONOURS

Hokitika Guardian, 17 December 1928, Page 8

AFRICAN HONOURS

ACCORDED THE riffNCE QUAINT CERE.MtINIES.

I'vom Sir Pcrcivul I*liillijjs. ‘‘Daily Mc.ii” correspondent with the Prince

of Wales. HOIM.V. Uganda Protectorate. Oct 29 .Another African potentate did honour to the Prince* of Wales to-day according to the peculiar traditions of hi.-. Court. I'he Milkman, or King. of the State

H jJnnyoro, which adjoins Buganda, met him here on his way to Lake Albert and invested him with the insignia of an order of chivalry— the highest compliment in his power, lining nothing less than the cr|nivalent of the English Order of the (iartev—lor which the appropriate Western name would he the Order of the Long Whits Heard.

Tlie principal article of this regalia is a set of whiskers made of cololms (Mack and white monkey) hair attached behind the ears on occasions ol Stake and I lowing gracefully almost to tiie waist of the noble knight. Witnesses .of his investiture were greatly disappointed that the Prime dwi not don the heard and enable then: to welcome him not only as an hononrary Privv Councillor of Pnnvoro Imt rl- -() as an ex-otiieio member of the R-> •

Eamiiy like other recipients ot the heard of the first class. 'I hi- ceremony was tin* Primes la*i odioia! function in Wesrern l ganda. To meet the Mokunm lie Imbed for half an hour on his journey by motorcar of 1(10 mi!oa from Enieb’e to Bulk aha., on the shore ol the lake. At tlm boundary between BngamU ■ind Pmiiyoro a rcrenmpv Look place as

posing as that at any Irontier I

I tween European Matos vhen a rov-a! ! Prince parses. On the Biiganda side jof the lit.tie stone bridge which lone--tlie actual boundary were three arclmhciiealh which waited the T* abul-m (King’s) Prime Minister, leoliro Kw i osiikuole. and (.'hie! -Justi-e. Aiidd'eya Kiwanuka. with an official er-nv-pou ing to the lord-lieutenant of the i-oni; , ty and local clnels. j On tlm other side of tin* bridge ww eleven Piiniyoro arches and Hags. ; i" ina kind of procession;!.! tiinnei int l i the Milkman's principality. The Biiganda dignitaries ignore*! 1 wiiii >!(■!i gin fill superiority the preseiv■ ‘ -)i Peter Dwakaikara. Cliiel ol the ; So g.hern Previneo of Hunvore. anct , oilier notables clustered round b in onl’ I |",ft. aw;;v. with a large crowd mmweil ! the read behind. ELEPHANT TiIUM PETS. ! The .Muktima awaiti'd the Prince at 1 lb;, vsidonee of the District CoinniisI inner at Meima. Tin* scene ol the inI ve-l itiire was the verandah of that lit- | (I** bungalow, looking out on a broad. level lawn, like a plateau above tlm j surrounding countryside, dotted in tlie | dL'.nnce with many conical hills er v«*ml w : ,h grass and trees. I pound the side- ol the lawn were the i !•■>• a! natives, including boys and gud- ! from tlie mission s •hotd.s—the former’a j -!"::rr military unit, with a drum and 1 bogle band and a Union Jack, under the super,sivion of three cheerful ! [•'reueh missionaries with beards almost j ; a.- long as those of the Miikumu’s priv j ewiueillor.s. anil white cassocks. Under one large tree squatted a ; j corps of 30 native musicians with drum j 1 and long trumpets of elephant tusks, j kitchen"chair throne. ! Under another sat in .solemn state j ! tlie Queen Mother of Runyoro. Eliza- i I hesi Tabasisa. a severe old ladv with \

‘ short grey (tail’ and jmrst'd lips. who | siit holt upright, with ;is groat dignity i as though her kitchen clniir 1 ’a< 1 been a . throne of state. She is distinctly a ! grand dame of the old school. who : iiily does not hold with the newfangled ideas nmi’ .so obviously rooted i - tiie kingdom. j peside her was a younger woman, I the so-called Queen sister, Gendiana, ; Fulyoto. like her arrayed in simple ! roues, ami looking with more liveliness j on the members of the Government j grouped round the verandah, j Quite apart, sitting in graceful ease | under a grassy canopy, was a girl win i "as as convincingly representative of j the modern women of Bunyoro as Imr | older relatives were of the days 'that | have passed. | This shy young girl—for she was j nothing more whose smile was charm- ! ing to see. "as the Prim-ess Ruth, j daughter of the late “King’’ Andrea J j liisoreko. She wore a white afternoon I J frock with a picture hat. and her alien- i ; dents, among whom was a complacent j Xegro clergyman wearing an Anglican i collar, were also in European dress. The drums rolled as the Prince, who. like all the members of his party, wore safari dress. including khaki shorts, seated himself on the verandah I with , c !ir \Y. F. Growers, the Governor 1 of ’’ngamla. beside him. j Then the AlTvuma's oflieials. kneeling ; before him. spread on the floor the re- : galia of the White Beard. There was ! :T > 1 card itself, solemnly held no; tlem | ;he leonard skin which was to be pla.e•ei on ihe ground as a carpet for the ceremonial .stool of the knight; a spear | 'S; ilh v. hit hto defend his countrym a ! shield, and a conical helmet of blue I a nil white heads in a lozenge-simp, d ! 1 eaitern, surmounted hv a t lit t of gav ! .■ ■ | i red parrot feathers. Willi the regalia were given half a ; dozen metal ewers, and from the royal ] ladies a bracelet of giraffe hair. to | inch a single tooth of leopard was j attached as a bangle hv a hand of col- j oared heads. The Afakuma’s words of investiture j were heard in grave silence by his j Court. They conferred on the Prince the J peculiar nrivilogo of all councillors possessing the order, equivalent to that of remaining covered before the .Sovereign : hut in this case the Prince will ■

| henceforth he able to ilrink milk in j the preseiu-- of the Milkman. I HE JESTER. | AlVr the eereiivmy the Court Jesier ! apiiroaolied the verandah. He is a I faiiKni.s eharaeter in Eunyoro—an old , man with a wimkled lace. i|i.izziiai | brig.bt oy<'-i. and a whimsical grin Tu j Id- very nppeurnneo he was a ».1-own, j will, Ins i,m;'.. i .-tentationsly iai.teivu | (l-ijik nf leopard-skin, lull of holes, i winch when he was seat erf cove red him rrmphuob .Alter nr-ostrat ing himself in obeisance, he emerged with stilting effect lYem ;iic eoenon. surrounded by a herieu of battered trumpets, a sack containing bones and other iinpleasont material for creating native laughter, ami a broken ride. His assistant, an impassive had ol ten, fed him with quips and was generally the hint of rough jokes. 'lhe jester crowed like a cock, harked like a dog, ami gave an agonising realistic imitation of a passenger on a had Channel crossing, and showed a propensity to stand on his head ratin', than on his feet.

lit' stalked and shot an elephant (- show the Prince what lie would do oi safari, and would have capered am mowed for the rest ol the alternoon i ineuroii.s attendants standing by Inn imt suddenly. on a signal Irom tin Mukimia. boated him into oblivion. Then the Prime walked round tin long lines of natives, praised the mission iio vs' hand, and eon versed it French with the jolly priests, whost demeanor all the time gave the int pre-sion that years of exile in the lone’v IsiUs is the happiest life in ihe world. Tin- Prime drove oil amid Ik 1 sin tel salules of his host and arrived at 7 p.m. at Jluliaba cam]/, where he slejit. innight. Me leaies: early tii-morrow by ihe lake steamer Laker, transhipping I i river .xD’amer laigard. in wiiich lit will louri'ey to .MiirHii-on j*alls. I here hr will spend the night, returning Saturday to Lake Al ert. I'rem tierin' will go to K itoya ea inn. aerompanie ! by Sir YU. K. Cowers, where he wi 1 ! slay nniil V/ednesday, when he return' to Entebbe. yjTrcr.M.'Cf rriX4.7*c?i err rrrrsn ~znzxi rv/ nrtz.rrzf:r.r; rMr.-r' , .z r rrrr ■>