The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-12-03
Some Curious African customs


There are other curious things
abOut these people besides dress.
THeIr houses have walls of clay OF
reeis, aud shsrp-pointed roofs Oi
straw. The furniture CONSISTS main
ly Of wooden piatters aud stools, which
are oOlOred black by long burial in
the mud, and their only light is burd
ing pine knot.
Before the house is usually q post,
on which are hung the trophies of the
hunt, such as horns OF antelopes,
skulls of auimals and men, and hOrri-
bic to say, dried hands and feet.
These proclaim to the world how
great q warrior the owner is, and In
part, answer the purposes that fine
houses aud clothes do with us. When
NISm-Niam pays u visit to his
ueighbOr, he carries his own stool tO
sit ON, aud when he goes into mourn
lug for a friend he shaves his head,
and scatters his precious braids, puffs
aud twists to the wind, which Ger.
taiuly shows sincere grief on his part
When two friends meet they do not
shake hands, but they join their mid
die fingers in such a way that their
pints crack, while they nod at each
other, mUre as il in disgust--as it
looks to u white man--than in friend
ly greeting.
II they fiud hollow tree In which
wild bees have laid up honey, they at
once smoke the bees stupid, and eat
honey, wax, bees anu all. Indeed,
they eat things that We would not
like. The children in some parts of
Africa est rats and fsld-mIee, which
they catch by means of baskets WOW
en- 10 the form Of long tubes. They
are laid fat on the ground, near the
mouse-holes, and then the little szva-
yes begin a gre It stamping, shouting,
and siapping of hands. Tue poor lit
tie animals are frightened, and run
IIts the traps for safety, and are easi-
iy taken. They are then tied by tue
tails ia bauches OF dUzen or 80, as
you have seen children tie cherries,
and bartered with each other as
choice morsels. Sometimes they use
them as bait to Catch cats-rOast cat
being q fzvOrite dish. They build
small huts of twisted reeds, put the
mice 10, and cats are attracted TO the
trap, of Course.
LAC 6ADh PCORAC ACa1S C1 blAAA
stranger diet-such as the bodies of
their enemies killed in battle, ele-
phant meat, dried till ft looks like q
log of wood, dogs and the termites, or
white ants, OF which you may have
read, aud whose immense eoue-shap-
ed houses are so Common in Aries.
No important thing Is begun with
out CONSULTING certain signs u see if
it will be successful. SOme Of these
are very curious. Que il 70 put few
drops OF water on q smoOLh-tOpped
stool, then take a smooth block and
rub 10 aernss the stool a. though To
plane it of. II the block moves easi-
ly the sign is good If hard, ths sign
Is bad. :
Another trial is to dose some unfor-
tunzte iIsn with q certain greasy IL
Quid. II she dies the sign is bad II she
gels we'll, il is good.
But the hens are not the only suf-
ferers. Another way TO try ones iucz
is IN seize q wretehed cnck, duck him
under water many times till be Is
stiff and senseiess, and then leave
him alone. Tue fate is decided ny his
recovering or dying. The guilt OF
any one accused or suspected Of crime
Is tried in the same way, and DO one
dreams OF suspeeting one whose signs
have shown favOTably.
To protect themselves from the dan
ger and loss Of fires, they provide No
6re-engines and Insurance companies
as we do, but hang an amulet made
for those who are MOhammedans-Of
q few verses OF the KhOrAn, or Mo-
bammefan billie, wrapped in ikiD,
over the door, which must be admit
ted is a much simpler and cheaper
way than ours