The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-02-04
SOME CURIOUS AFRICAN OUsT0Ms.

There are other curious things about
these people, besides their dress Their
houses have walls Of clay or reeds, and
shar pointed roofs of straw. The
furniture consists mainly of wooden
platters and stools, which are colored
black by long burial in the mud,
and their only light is burning pine
knot.
Before the house is usually post, on
which are hung the trophies of the
hunt, such as horns of anteiopes, skulls
Of animals and men, and, horrible TO
say. dried hands and feet These pro-
claim to the world how great warrior
is the owner, and, in part, answer the
purposes that fine houses and clothes do
with US.
When a Niana-Niam pays visit to his
neighbor he carries his own stool to sit
on, and when he goes into mourning for
a friend he shayes his head, and scatters
his precious braids, twists and putfs to
the wind which certainly 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 the
joints crack, while they nod at each
other, more as if in disgust-as 1t looks
to white man-than a friendly greet
ing.
If they find hollow tree in which
wild bees have laid up honey, they at
once smoke the bees stupid, and eat
honey, wax, bees, and all. Indeed they
eat several things that we would not
like. The children in some parts of
Africa eat rats and feld-mice, which
they catch by means of baskets woven
in the form of long tubes. They are
laid fiat on the ground near the mouse
holes, and then the little savages begin
a great noise of stamping, shouting and
slapping of hands. The poor little ami
mails are frightened, and run into the
traps for safety, and are easily taken.
They are then tied by the tails1n punches
of dozen Or SO, as you have seen chill
dren tie cherries, and bartered with each
other as choice morsels. Sometimes
they use them as bats to catch CATS
roast-cat being favorite dish. They
build small huts of twisted reeds, put
the mice in, and cats are attracted to the
trap, of course.
The grown people feast..on still strang
er diet,-such as the bodies of their
enemies killed in battle, elephant meat,
dried till it looks like log of wood,
dogs, and the termites, Or white ants, of
which you may have read, and whose
immense cone-shaped houses are so COM
mon in Africa.
No important thing is begun with
out consulting certain signs, to see if it
will be successful. Some of these are
very curious. One is to put few
drops of water on a smooth-topped
stool, then take smooth block, and
rub it across the stool, as though to
plane it eff If the block moves easily,
the sign is good if hard, the sign is
bad.
Another trial is to dose some unfor-
nate hen with certain greasy liquid.
IF she dies the sign is bad /; If she gets
well, it is good.
But the hens are not the only suffer-
ers. Another way to try ones luck IS to
seize wretched cock, duck him under
water many times till he is stiff and
senseless, and then leave him alone.
The fate iss decided by his recovering or
dying. The guilt of any one accused
or suspected of crime is tried in the
same way, and no one dreams of sus
pecting one whose signs have shown
favorably.
To protect themselves from the danger
and loss of fires, they provide no fire.
engines or insurance companies, as we
do, but hang an amulet made-for those
who are Mohammedans-of few verses
of the Khoran, or Mohammedan Bible,
wrapped in skin, over the door, which,
must be admitted, is much simpler
and cheaper way than ours.
IF a horse OF a donkey is i'll he is dosed
with raw cork, but human being has
made soft in water.
l.