The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1874-06-04
THE PIGMY PEOPLE OF AFRICA.
representatives from Strange Land-A
Puzzle for DarWinians,

The hhedlve spoke of race of pigmies
which had been discovered in the very
heart Of Central Africa, beyond the land Of
the Mann Nyams, and advised us to look
at two natives of the tribe which had re-
Gently reached Cairo. On leaving the
palace Of Abdeen, therefore, we drove i'm
medlateiy to the palace of ~the Nile, near
Boulak, where they are now kept. On max
ing inquiry the soldiers in the inner court
Immediately pointed out two small BOYS
(apparently), wearing the fez, and dressed in
Jacket and trousers of white wool I should
have taken them for children of some
Ethiopian tribe at the first glance, and was
not satisfied, until after close inspection,
that one of them was full-grown man.
The soldiers brought the pigmies for
ward for our inspection. They came. half
willingly, half with an air of defiance. or of
protest against the superior strength which
surrounded them A tall Dinka. from the
White Nile, blacker than charcoal, who ac-
companied them, spoke little Arabic. and
| was thus able to get a little additional in
formation through him. He assured me
that the pigmies were called Mann that
their country was journey of a year and
half from khartoum (probably the time
occupied by trading expedition in going
thither and returning), and that the place
from which they came had the name of
Iakkatlkat The taller of the two pigmies,
Tubbel by name, was 20 years old the
younger, Karal, only 10 or II.
The little fellows looked at me with
bright, questioning steady eyes while l ex-
amlned and measured them. Tubbul was
&c inches in height, the legs being % in
ches, and the body with the head "a Head
and arms were quite symmetrical, but the
spine curved in remarkably from the should
ers to the hip joint, throwing out the abdo-
men, which was already much distended,
probably from their diet Of beans and ban
anas, Yet the head was erect, the should
ers on the line of gravity, and there was
no stoop in the posture of the body as in
the South African bushmen Tubbul !
measured 26 inches around the breast, and
% around the abdomen his hands and feet
were coarsely formed, but not large, only
the knee joints being disproportionately
thick and clumsy. The facial angle was
fully up to the average; there was a good |
development of brain, fine, intelligent eyes,
and nose so fattened that, in looking down |
the forehead from above, one saw only the |
lips projecting beyond it. The nostrils |
were astonishingly wide and square the |
was that of a dark mulatto
The boy Karal was forty-eighty inches
high, with the same general proportions
Both had woolly hair, cut short in front, but |
covering the crown with a circular cap of |
crisp little rolls. Tubbul's age showed it
self on nearer examination in his hands, |
feet, and joints, as we'll as his face. He had
no beard, but was evidently of virile years.
| lifted him from the ground, and should
not estimate his weight at more than sixty
five pounds. The soldiers related that
neither of the two had learned more than
a few words of Arabic, but that they talked
a great deal to each other in their own
language. At a recent meeting at the
Egyptian Institute it was stated that the
language of these pig1nies has no resemb-
lance to that of any other in Central Africa.
The country of Mann, or Takekaticat,
or whatever may be its correct name, is re-
ported to be an equatorial table-land COW
ereu Win low, uenSe InlckeJS, IN WHICH the
Digmies hide The Khedive told me that
hey are quite warlike, and by no means
lespicable foes to their larger negro neigh
1ors, since they are active and difficult to
ind among their natives jungles. Dr.
supposes them to be the
Digmies mentioned by Herodotus. The
Darwinians viii hardly find an intermediate
ace between man and monkey in them.
Their curious physical peculiarities, especi-
lily the curvature of the spine, the wide
mouth with fat but distinctly Unmarked lips,
md the squareness and breadth of the nos
riIs, are not Of simian character In
act, they look less like the chimpanzee
han several of the tall and athletic negro
Of Boyord 1dykor