The weekly Butte record., 1861-11-02
The Cannibal Fans and Neam Mans.


/ The recent explorations of tropical Africa
| by NJ. dl Chaillu on the west, and Mr.. Pet
herick On the east, have given US much infor
nation in regard to that singular region
About $50 miles from the coast NJ du
ChaiIlu found tribe Of naked brown-colored
negroes who had never seen a white man
before. At first they believed him to be a
spirit, and were filed with superstitious dread
by his appearance. This tribe is known as
the Fans the men. are tall. finely formed and
warlike, and are the terror of the surrounding
tribes, but the women are exceedingly ugly.
The Fans are cannibals, purchasing the bodies
of the negro tribes around them for food, and
selling the bodies of their own dead in return.
The price of human body among them is
generally a small tusk of an elephant NJ. du
Chailu saw woman carrying piece of the
thigh of human body just as we would carry
a piece of beef from market.
The Fans are as superior in intelligence to
the tribes around them as they are in military
proves. They understand the art of smelling
and working iron, and manufacture their own
knives, spearheads, axes &c, which are re-
markable for their excellent temper, and are
often beautifully ornamented with artistic de-
signs. They also make jugs of kind of reed
tightly woven and afterward coated with a
kind Of gum. They make pans and pipes Of
clay, and quite a complicated musical instru-
ment Of reeds and gourds. The cloth manu-
factured by this tribe is not extensive in
quantity or variety, but is sufficient for the
demand, which is very limited, as the clothing
of the men consists of darrow strip around
the loins, while the women have literally
" nothing to wear" The cloth worn by the
men is made from the inner bark of trees. The
women go naked, not from poverty, but from
choice. As NJ. du Chaillu walked along,
woman grayely asked him why he did not take
of his clothes, telling him that she was sure
that they must be great hindrance to him,
and that if he would take them off he would
walk easily.
The eastern part of tropical Africa has been
explored by John Petherck, T. R. G. s, who
has Travelled in that country for 16 years. He
found tribe very similar to the Fans described
by NJ. du Chaillu. These were the Neam
Mans, a warlike and formidable race Of canni-
balls They cultivate in gardens, cotton veg
etables, melons gourds and pepper, and in fields,
maize and beans. The work is performed BY
slaves-one person sometimes owning hundreds
of them. If a slave runs away and is canght,
he is invariably killed and eaten and slaves
are frequently purchased expressly for food.
The state of the mechanic arts among the
Neam Mans is about the same as among the
Fans They use the same sort of bellows in
smelling iron 1t is made of two cylinders
formed from hollow trees and covered with
loose skin. Their hammer, like that of the
Fans, is an iron cone held like pestle by the
little end.
The Neam Nam women arc in advance Of
their sisters among the Fans, in the article Of
clothing. They wear garments of green leaves
fastened to girdle around the waist and fall
ing all around the body down to the knees.
AS they are scrupalously neat in their persons,
and as the leaves soon wilt, they change their
clothing very frequently. The Neam Nam
women probably have more new dresses in the
course of a year than any other women in the
world.
The marriage relations of those tribes are
very curious. The men purchase as many
wives as he can afford, paying the parents Of
the brides, sometimes as much as hundred
head of cattle. Among the Hasenyey tribe
the girl is sold to the highest bidder, las in
some of our own fashionable crcles,) but the
marriage holds good only certain number of
days in the week, the remainder of the time
the wife being free from all matrimonial obli-
cations NJ. du Chaillu witnessed one Of those
sales of a girl, and described long series of
chaffcring in regard to the proportion Of time
during which the women should be bound by
the marriage contract.
In another tribe-tbe Apingi-if man
falls in love with bis neighbors wife, and his
affections are reciprocated, be has only TO
tender the husband the amount which was
paid for the wife in the first instance, when by
the custom of the tribe, she must be passed
over to the new lover. There are no old maids.
Mr.. Petherick found no girls over Is years
who were not either married or betrothed.-
Savage life has some advantages over civiliza-
ton
The geographical societies are making efforts
to have the great region explored which lies
between the two tracts examined by NJ. du
Chaillu and Mr.. Petherick, when many other
matters of interest will doubtless be developed.
-Saenhfc Aner'cdn.
New PASTE FROM WooD.-A new paste,
designed to take the place of glue and starch
for many purposes, has been lately manufac-
tured in London by G. Stevens. Ii is made
as follows: The wood is first reduced to fine
shavings, then these are boiled in a strong lye
of caustic soda Or potash until all the fbres
are separated. The best woods used for max