WOMEN KILL THEIR BABIES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 89, 13 April 1916, Page 2

WOMEN KILL THEIR BABIES.

JOHANNESBURG, January 22. The story of the savage and only half-explored region of Ovamboland, which constitutes the northern area of eoncuered South-West Africa, and as s'-di was for nearly half a century under German sway, is dealt with in a Blue Book just published by the Union Government,

Major Pritchard, the officer in command of the recent expedition, shows that the Germans were detested by the natives, and that, fearing reprisals for their own brutalities, they never ventured among the Ovambos unless protected by a display of force. Major Pritchard ’s expedition, on the other hand, found the Ovambos extremely friendly.

Owing to the fact that the country Poe, heen three years without a drop of (rain, the women, from inability to find food, wore killing their infants. The chief stated that his people had no love for the Germans,, and had always wished that the English would come to the country. He added that no German officer had ever entered hi I? house. The report goes on to deal with trouble that has occurred between the Ovambos and the Portuguese on the Angola border. This, it is stated, was mainly due to the violence of a cruel sub-chief, whose records are appalling. The chief in question surrendered himself unconditionally to Major Pritchard. The country is suffering from the awful drought already mentioned, and al'so from a terrible plague of caterpili Jars. The latter eat all growing ithings.—Central News. (The Ovambos (A Bantu word signif ‘rich people”) arc a large tribe i atm biting the plateaux of South-West Africa between the Kunene, Okavango. and the 10th degree of south latitude. Their chief occupation is agriculture, but they are also skilled in | copper-smelting and various native arts.)