336 AFRICAN POLITICAL SYSTEMS
regard to any respected and honoured person* Finally, there was no formal appointment and installation of the head of a clan or sub-clan. Only when a leader in warfare was chosen, he is said, among the Logoli, to have been shaved and anointed with ghee in the presence of the elders of the clan and to have been presented by an old warrior with a head-dress of cowrie shells, a ribbon of colobus skin, and a cloak sewn up of pieces of the skin of various animals, a ceremony which, aside from lending distinction to the war-leader, had a magic significance. Finger-rings, rare feathers, wristlets, ivory armlets, and spears are similar 'insignia5 of this kind which were ceremoniously given to a man recognized as a war-leader. They were kept by the person upon whom they had been bestowed, and when he had reached old age Were passed on by him to his oldest son or to another worthy successor within the clan. Such insignia of leadership seem, however, rather to have been charms than proper regalia implying a clearly defined status, as they were not outwardly distinguished from similar ornaments worn by ordinary elders. They were neither limited in number nor clearly graded in importance.