Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1886-08-21
AFRICAN CANNIBALs.
The story Of White Man Who Lived
Fifteen Months Among Them.


Fifteen Months Among Them.
About year ago report was telegraped
over the world that the whites in some of the
Upper Congo stations had been killed and
eaten by cannibals. The report was not be
lieyed, because few white men had trav-
eled up and down The river for year or two
without discovering evidences Of cannibal-
ism except in one tribe. SANKEY'S recently
published book threw no light on the subject
of Congo cannibals, though it did record the
appalling rumor aAoat among some of the
tribes that the whites were very fond of eat
ing black people. The reports that the
whites on the Upper river had become food
and recently good deal Of information has
been brought back about the cannibal tribes
whose numerous villages line the river for
distance Of about eight hundred miles from
its mouth
The Congo State is on good terms with
this tribe, the Bangallas, and has station in
the midst Of them. 1t was the Bangallas
who sal lied out in their big war canoes and
gave Stanley the hercest reception he en-
countered when he first forced his way down
the river. As is usual with cannbal tribes,
they are superior in courage, physique, and
mental ability to the surrounding peoples,
and they lord it over considerable area.
Mr.. Westmark, who has lived among them
for fifteen months, has just lectured in France
on their peculiarites, and chiefly on the
practice Of anthropophagy asst exists among
them.
According to him they engage in the prac-
tice only upon the death of wellto.do or in
huential men, whose slaves are killed at the
graves Of deceased persons, so that they
may accompany their masters and minister
to- their wants in the other world. 1t has
been the custom to sacrifice at least twenty
victims at the death of every important per.
son. Bound hand and foot the poor wretches
are beheaded, and half of them are buried
in the grave of their master. The bodies of
the other ten are reserved for the big fete
that concludes the funeral ceremonies. Ma
tive beer is prepared in great quantities days
in advance of the feast. The flesh of their
murdered slaves is placed in great earthen
pots full Of water and boiled until half the
water is evaporated, and then the banquet is
ready TO begin.
The orge continues for day or two until
all the refreshments are exhausted and a
large part of the male population is dead
drunk The Congo missionaries appear to
think that the Bangallas are sadly in need OF
reformatory influences, and they intend to es
tablish astaion among them. Mr.. West
mark makes the interesting statement that
although cannibalism has been practiced to
large extent among the Bangallas, it has now
considerably diminished on account of the
influence of the whites, and he believes that
after Europeans have lived in the country
little longer it will disappear.
Among the many millions of savages in
Africa there are very few cannibals. Schwein-
furth found that the large Moubutu tribe on
the Welle Makua were addicted to the prac
tice. 1t also exists among the Mucelis of
Angola, among the Bangallas of the Upper
Congo, and was formerly practiced to small
extent in some parts of South Africa. As
rule, the natives who indulge in the horrid
custom try to conceal it from the whites who
visit them, and nowhere does it long survive
the growth of white influences in districts
where il has hourshed.