THE KINGDOM OF ANKOLE IN UGANDA 131
consideration often modified the strict rigour of the rule. A Muhima chief or cattle-owner without sons by a Muhima marriage would make an illegitimate son his heir. In time entire lineages were formed from such unions. These half-caste sub-clans the Bahima distinguished by calling them the people of a certain man instead of the children of a certain man, which is the name given to a sub-clan of pure Bahima stock. The effect of concubinage is quite noticeable when one compares the physical types of the chiefly class with those of the ordinary herdsman of districts more remote from the agricultural sections. One finds a markedly larger percentage of dark Bantu types among the chiefly class.
The military organization, we have seen, was in the hands of the Mugabe, who instructed certain chiefs to form warrior bands for the protection of the borders. No band could be formed without the express wishes of the king. While every Muhima was liable for military service, the Baini were, on the contrary, barred from serving in these bands. The Bairu thus lacked the military training and discipline necessary for effecting any change in their status.
High official positions were likewise barred to the Bairu. No Mwiru, for instance, could become an enganzi or an omugaragwe. The abakungu, however, appointed Bairu assistants who aided them in the collection of tribute in the various districts. These assistants were also called abakungu and were considered by the Bairu as district chiefs. The Bahima, however, claim that these individuals never had chiefly status.
Perhaps the most outstanding characteristic of Bairu serfdom was the rule that under no circumstance could a Mwiru kill a Muhima. The right of blood revenge which was exercised by the extended families of the Bairu among themselves could not be extended to the Bahima. If a Muhima killed a Mwiru, the extended family of the murdered man could not claim blood revenge, although it sometimes was able to exact compensation through the agency of the Mugabe. The Bahima, on the other hand, could avenge the death of a kinsman if he were murdered by a Mwiru without consulting the Mugabe.
The Bairu had no political status. They had no recognized means by which they could alter the inferior legal rank imposed upon them. The exploitation of the Bairu by the Bahima took the form of tribute payment in food and labour, and for this