Excerpt from The Bantu Past and Present: An Ethnographical and Historical Study of the Native Races of South Africa This work is no production of art. It purports to be a simple portrayal of the life of the Bantu (or Native Peoples of South Africa). The Great War is quoted to explain everything. It may be quoted as a reason for this work also. There are black races participating on both sides, but particularly on the Allied side. Among these latter are the Bantu, on behalf of Great Britain. So I have hoped that my presenting to the public some facts about my people, the Bantu, would not be out of place, and that it might increase the public interest in them. To the scientist, inquiry into the life and usages of backward races affords a vivid illustration of the primitive conditions of the more advanced races, and of the ascent of nations from this condition. It explains also some of those apparently arbitrary customs that persist even in the most highly-civilised peoples. To members of the governing race, some knowledge of the governed race, their mind and manners, seems necessary. For, knowing with whom one has to deal often decides how to deal. Much of the misunderstanding and contempt between nationalities, too, is largely due to want of acquaintance with each other. In such cases, of course, the weaker nation suffers. This, then, is a story designed for the average English-speaking person, without any great acquaintance with South African people and affairs. To members of the Bantu race I hope this small book may be an incentive to many to collect and record the history of their people. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.