Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-05-13
Gtstotttol.
From the american Missionary.
Africa,


Sd LETTER-ToWNs-HoUs g. DRESS.
My DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS The people do
not live here scattered all over the country
For fear of war they all collect together into
towns. Tine more war-like the people, the larger
the towns generally are. The towns in this
country are much smaller than those in the Men
|dl country They are almost always built on
some river or creek so that they are accessible by
canoes. They are built without any kind of re-
|gularty There are nothing that can be called
streets. The houses are frequently not more
than two feet apart. Between most of them,
however, the space is much wider. Somewhere
in the middle of the town there is usually an area
of greater or less dimensions for the purpose of
dancing, &c.
The houses for the most part are circular
They are built by planting posts in the ground
some three feet apart. Half way between these
posts another stick, some two or more inches in
diameter is placed, around which wattles are
woven like basket work WattIes here are made
of bamboo, from which they are easily made
When house is waited it resembles in look an
enormous large basket After it is waited it is
plastered or 'daubed as it called The plaster
is made of the soil dug up in the most convent
ent place and moistened with water. The roof
is most generally matched with the leaves of the
bamboo but sometimes with grass which is OBJ
tanned from the grass fields or prarles. The
chiefs houses are superior to those Of the other
people, though built in the same manner, with
the exception that they are usually oblong instead
of round The ends, however, are not unfre-
quently semi-circular. The house is usually
,Ic<l A g,
ents them from building as good houses as they
otherwise would do. They say if they build
them fine houses, the other chiefs would be ieal-
Gus of them and bring war upon them. Gener-
ally the largest building in town is the kitch-
en-. In a small town there is usually but one
At this all the families cook. In large towns
there are more. Every man who is able to have
several wives and number of slaves, has his own
yard as it is called, in which is a kitchen The
kitchens are large oblong buildings, entirely open
on one side In them the women cook and do
their work, such as spinning, making mats, &c.
They sometimes work under the shade of trees
The bush is suffered to grow close to the town.
This they consider protection in time of war
1t affords them a shelter to which they can run
In the dry season when the grass is kept cleared
out and the whole town is swept every two OF
three days, it has an exceedingly neat appear
ance.
Their food consists principally of rice and cas-
sada. This they do not make into fool foo as il
Sierra Leone, They simply cut it into small
pieces and boil it. After it is cooked they wasl
it in cold water to get out the starch, when it is
ready for use.
They cook their fish and meat usually in the
most simple manner. They make of them wha
they call soup, but this is what we should cal
broth, with the exception that it is cooked will
Palm oil. They frequently make what is callet
'PaLaUa sauce This is made by cooking som
mucilagmous vegetable with the fish or meat
There are several vegetables they use for thi
purpose, of which they consider the ocra tn,
best They cook it with Palm oil and general,
season it highly with Cayenne pepper, | hav
become so used to it that | am now very fond o
it. though | have it made without much pepper.
During the present famine when there is Meth
er rice nor cassada in the country, the people ar
compelled to eat the Palm cabbage as it is cal
led. The Palm cabbage is the bulb so to spcal
of the palm tree. 1t is only taken from youn!
trees. 1t is called cabbage from the fact that it
taste very much resembles that of our cabbage
1t is cooked and eaten very much in the SAM
way as cassada Had it not been for the abund
ance of Palm trees in this vicinity hundreds woul'
have died of famine this year.
Their dress is as simple as their food. Th
children universally go naked. The men whel
at work have simpl y piece of cloth around thei
B middle, called tc-tarya;' when not at worl
they usually wear a country cloth wrapped aroun'
their bodies, extending from their loins to below
their knees. Sometimes it is thrown over tn
left shoulder, leaving the other arm and shoulde
bare.
The chiefs usually wear the European dress a
far as shirt and trowsers, and many of the prin
cipal men do the same Many wear what is cal
led country shirt, which is kind of irocl
without collar or sleeves. There is also anothe
kind of shirt or robe made very loose with larg
sleeves. 1t is worn by the chiefs over their shir
and trousers.
Girls, until they are married are not Above
to wear any clothes except narrow strip c
cloth which is hardly sufficient to cover thei
nakedness. 1t is an indispensable part Of thei
dress, however, to have belt of beads from tire
to six inches wide around their loins. Ate
marriage they wear either country cloth or
piece of English cloth wrapped around their body
VIM RAYMOND,