The Brookhaven leader., 1888-11-01
Mr.. PAUL.. who lived for some time !.

D
In the CAMERON region. West Africa
tells Of a highly successful Woman:
Rights movement a while ago in tn,
Akona tribe, illustrating the fact that
when women unanimously assert
themselves In savage lands, as we'll as
elsewhere. they are great power IN the
community In that henighted region
women are not supposed to have any
rights, When Il girl is thirteen OF
fourteen years old she Is sold tC any
body who has rVnperty enough to pay
the price her father asks for her, and
thereafter she works like slave for
her board and lodging, and is subject
to all the capriccs Of her lord and mas
ter. Even the bondsman III Tie com
munity Rave more privilege than the
free women, and some OF them in
time are able to support rather extern
sive harcms OF their own.
1t happened that 'here "tft some
rlrrng minded women among tn,
Akona people, and they lifted up thcir
voices in public places in favor oi some
radical social reforms that would make
| the lot of womaukjnd rather more en-
durable. They we're icerrj nj. rs wo-
men rcfOrmprs havr hCrn Ia some OthcI
lands. and were advised by the sure
rior sex to keep on digging in t Hr!ds
and pounding manioc root ana thank
fortune th"t their lOt was rot less toll
cradle Reform was cvidcltly not to
be secured by any amount of feminine
protest, and so these strong minded
women put their long heads together
and decided upon radical and fiT-rrach-
ing measures.
The tribe is small me Nearly all
the adult fn,aaita in 1t enlisted under
Tie banner Of women's rights. One
day there was an cnCrIn3ns NnmctiNn
in that little ''"'rHi,,liiy. II was almost
"EGiiy confined to the male population,
the fact being that there was hardly a
woman there to share the excitement.
The mothers md wives, in . most IN
expected md GcaI'tle5s manr1r, had
suddthiy dropped their implements Of
drudgery. and with tbcil Children in
arms and rna"r.;;. :. eab!e daughters had
.iou them through tn. forest? to the
territory CT another tribe, where, at Il
distance OF eight or ten miles from
their own garden patches, they were
prepared TO bpeu negotiations with the
lordly chaps they had left behind them.
would meet with Il hospitable reccp-
ton in the tribe with which they took
refuge, 1t happened that this tribe
was larger thar the slluna, and did not
like them Very well, and It tickled
lhcm half to death to see the pickle in
which the Akona men suddenly found
themselves The women set them
selves to work earning their daily
bread, and waited without a bit OF i'm
patience for an embassy from home.
1t " as not long before the embassy put
in an appearance,
The Akora tribe Wis OF The opinion
titat they could not continue in bust
ness without the female members
thereof, and they wanted the women
to come home, The particularly
strong-minded spokesman Of the rafu-
gees said she was glad to learn at last
thai Ire Women of their tribe were re-
garded as a desirable element Of the
Akona people. As the women had talIcn
care of all the mon. it was evident they
were able to take care Of them selves.
and they hadn't the slightest intention
of going home. except on certain inn
portart conditions, which she specified.
Then the embassy went home TO CON
suit the chief mon, who, II. their
harems were the largest, were the
greatest sufferers by the fight of the
fair sex.
The women stipulated that they
would come back if a considerable part
of the agricultural duties Of the com
munity ere III future burned over tG
the slaves, if the mothers were per-
mitted to have something to say about
the disposition OF their daughters, and
ii several other conditions were COM
piled with. 1t did not take long fol
the gentlemen of AlIOna to decide what
to do. A day or two later the women
went back in high feather, having
achieved complete victory, and they
have been treated very well over since.