The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-12-05
TIE CONGO COUNTRY.
Customs, Habits, Lsnguas. and peeu,,.,,
ties of the <afgv>~

| a Boston gentleman. who has spent
about fourteen years of his life on the
east and west coasts of Africa, but most
OF that period on the east coast, in con-
versation the other day. gave some
points in regard to the Congo country
twhere he spent some three years, and
about which public curiosity has lately
aroused which are not covered in Mr..
Stanley's latest book. and may there
fore be interesting.
The language of the natives of the
Congo country is called Fayott. and is
so very difficult to acquire that he
knows Of only one European who had
mastered it sufficiently 20 understand
it, though he can speak but very little
Of it. 1t appears to be composed of
short words which, in the rapid manner
of speaking, seem to be run together.
and each sentence to consist of longer
or shorter compound word. 1t is capa-
BILE of strong emphasis, and is quite ex-
| pressive, but the natives are not given
| to gesticulation even when talking
exeitedly. excepting always the feticharo
or fetch man when dealing out damna-
ton to transgressors. The trouble in
| acqu ring the language appears to be
the general unwillingness of the
natives to teach it TO white men. 1t is
said, however that some of the Portu-
guese who are born and raised there
have acquired the language. and speak
it as fluently as natives. In their inter-
course. the blacks are generally polite
toward one another, and have great
respect for old age. This is as true of
the people of the East as of those of the
West Coast of Africa. But the coast
people of the Congo are neither indus
trious nor sober. When the Portuguese
first established trading stations on the
Congo. they taught the people to drink
rum. and this is now universal habit
among them. In their native villages
and settlements the men will not work
in cultivating the soil, but spend the
time in hunting. war and such amuse-
ments as their country affords oppor-
tunties for pursuing-and drinking rum
or gin, when they can get it.
When they hire out to the European
traders, the natives are good workers.
but certain proportion of their
monthly pay is stipulated to be rum or
gin. They hire out, agreeing to stay
year, at the end of which time they re-
turn to their tribe. where they have 8
grand jamboree. They bring home the
liquor by the cask, two or three men of
the same village frequently combining
together in the ownership and when
they arrive it is the signal for all their
relatives to receive them with JOY and
gladness. When the liquor is landed
the King or chief is first served with his
share or tax of it. Then a certain
amount is sold to procure meat and rice
or perhaps more frequently these arti-
cles are purchased with other COM
modities brought from the factories,
and the feast begins. When the re-
turned men and their friends drink and
gorge, gorge and drink, until their en-
tire store of earnings is exhausted-th
orgies lasting longer or shorter. accord
ing to the amount brought home and
the number of helpers that aid in con-
suming it-then they return once
more to the monotony of hard work
at the factories. The men of two
tribes-the Cavindas and the Kroboys
are prime pally employed by the
Dutch. English and Portuguese factors.
They are physically strong and hardy
race of men, and make splendid sailors,
and barring some drawbacks, good
servants. The Cavindas are employed
as sailors, domestic servants, washer
men and cooks. while the Kroboys are
employed only as sailors and laborers.
Nearly all the natives are inclined to be |
fhiayioh 10, tbai,. 81
best and most Trustworthy, if tempted |
too strongly, will yield at times, the
only safe plan being to put no tempta-
ton in their way.
Like all aboriginal people the Congo |
blacks are very superstitious, but to |
what extent they believe in a future |
state can only be conjectured. They |
believe in the existence of good and bad |
spirits, which they believe are all the |
time lowering around, and when one of |
them dies they believe that his spirit or |
soul is seized by either the good or the |
bad spirits, and carried away to become |
one of them Hence, when native is
dying. his friends come around, fire off |
guns and make horrible noises, for the |
purpose of frightening off the evil |
spirits What effect this may have on
the good spirits is not stated.
Their religious ceremonies are not of |
a very high order, being mostly of a
propitiatory nature, or for the purpose of |
warding off danger, disease, etc, and |
here the fetch plays an Important part.
They do not make human sacrifices like |
the Ashantes, but when they want any
favors from the invisibles they bring q
goat or a chicken to the fetch man to |
be sacrificed. and are given in return
an amulet or charm, or fetch, as they |
call it. The fetch is the terrible. the |
unknown power, at once the prosecutor
or the avenger, according as its power
is invoked or rejected. This the present
informant illustrated by an anecdote
The Dutch have factory at Banana
point which is approached by two
roads. one on each shore side of the
narrow peninsula. On the boundary line
of their property. on each road,
watch-honse was established, to regu-
late admittance from the outside.
But the laborers, servants and
sailors from outside came in
in such numbers. and gave SO
much trouble by getting drunk and
creating disturbances that the agents
finally thought it best to make Fetch as
it is termed, on the boundary line. They
employed fetch man to make fetch.
This consisted first in bringing his fetch
or idol on to the line, making figures in
the sand around it, and flourishes or
signs around and above it with his
hands and arms, and then taking a
chicken, cutting its head off and sprink-
ling the blood around. This ceremony