The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-06
TIMIID B-ARBARIANs.
Delegation of the African Nchubba Tribe at
Castle Garden.

Castle Garden.
New York World.
One of the strangest groups Of human beings
that has ever reached these shores sat yester-
day afternoon on the floor in the Castle Garden
Office. These people were representatives Of
the Nchubba tribe, which resides in the Kulahi
dessert, in the interior of Africa. about latitude
8 aud longitude 20. The Africans wore barely
anything except blankets of great warmth and
remarkable gaudiness. The leader of the party,
which mustered six strong. is Congui. He was
the chief of the Nchubba tribe before he aban-
doned that constituency for the show business.
mustache and imperial. His hair, like that
of others, grows in punches. little more
than q quarter of an inch in length,
and suggests small shrubbery which
springs up u~nevenly on poor land. Consui
is only four feet six inches in height, but he was
the tallest man in his tribe. On each side OF his
brow a small sea-shell is fastened to the hair by
way of ornament The ex-Chief carries a long
bow, but lest he should do some harm with this
the string has been taken away from him. He
uses the bow as a staff and also as a c~orrector
for the young of his party. The Nchubbas are
not nearly as dark as ordinary Africans. Their
color, in fact, is almost as light as that of the
Indian. They have fiat. small features, with
high cheek-bones and little dark eyes. Mrs.
Congui, nee Arbecy, is forty-two years of age,
and has an ugly, wrinkled face. Under her
gaudy blanket, however, she wears moro cloth
ing than do the other visitors from the Desert of
AuldL IItE dTiu6 dIC UdE0 II dE0 QulU0
shapelY. The pair have q bright looking, i'm
t%easssing 0 eSSllld, nf like the ar'y rest rE of his hi,
tribe, has a strong passion for tobacco. He will,
when nursing, abandon his mother for a pipe or
cigar. But, although the Nchubbas are all
smokers, they are strict teetotalers. Nothing
stronger than coffee ever passes their lips. In
addition to his own child, Congui has three
young people whom he probably borrowed from
his former neighbors, with the privilege of not
returning them. There are Miss ley, an inter
esting maiden of twelve; Co, a STRIPPING of nine
teen, and Finmon, the dude of the tribe. Fin
mon, although tweney-four years old, does not
appear to be more than twelve. His tastes are
decidedly esthetic. On his brow is a small imi-
tation sunf1ower, which is kept IN position by q
piece of brown string. Finmon shows other ev-
dences of giddiness. Instead Of the conventional
desert smile of his countrymen he giggies and
saucY thing" The Nchubbas, when at
home, wander about in families. Rocks
and trees are their only shelter. They are not
at all particular what they eat. Anything handy
will answer for dinner, no matter what it is, a.
quail, a snake or a few roots. They are not
cannibals. and apparently have not energy
enough to be murderous. When wanted by his
manager to stand up, Congui rises with evident
reluctance, and seems to protest humbly, but.
earnestly against the unusual e~xerti0u, and, as
soon as possible, resumes a sitting posture.
The Nchubbas do not talk like other Africans.
The language seems to be q series of clicks in
the back portion of their mouths. The words,
evidently, have no formation. The people have
only mastered two or three English words. They
were induced to leave Africa and taken to Lon
don, where they were exhibited for three months
in the Westminster Aquarium, where they we're
gazed upon by Oscar Wilde, Mrs. Langtry and
other celebrities, The party arrived on the
Guion steamship Wyoming. Before they were
allowed to land the commissioners of emigra-
ton required their agent to give bonds that his
curiosities would not become public charges.