Afro-independent. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. ;) 1888-1???, 1888-09-22
AFRICAN DWARFS.
Facts Concerning the Smallest
People Extant
Interesting Accounts by Explorers Their
Varied Peculiaritles aud Mode Of Life
- skiIlful Hunters and savage
Fighters.

None Of the remarkable discoveries
made by explorers in the depths OF
Africa has ever excited deeper interest
than Schweinfurth's vivid description
OF the Aka dwarfs whom he found In
the northeastern part of tho Congo
basin. Living among tribes OF SPLEEN
did physical development, these little
people, from four feet To four feet six
irashes in height. are noted for their
courage and agility, for their prowess
as hunters and for their unusual dex-
terity in the use Of the bow and spear.
In "a recent lecture In London Prof.
Flower, director OF the Natural History
Museum, described them rs the small
est people in the world. and expressed
the opinion, now generally held, that
they and their relatives south Of the
Congo are pigmies who were known
TO the Greeks. and of whom Herodotus
and Aristotle gave descriptions that
were long believed to be fanciful.
The industry OF four great travellers,
who took up the work Of exploration
where Stanley left IL. mas now supplied
us with considerable information about
the remarkable Betwa dwarfs, who are
spread in little communities through
the densely wooded regions south Of
the great northern bend Of the Congo.
They have been found In districts
about four hundred miles apart and IN
much Of the intervening regions that
are still little unknown They have
been studied by Wolf. near the Lulua
river, still further cas-. by Wissmann
in the interminable forests which sun
light hardly penetrates north Of the
Sankuru. by Grenfell and Won Francois
on the Bussera and Tchuapa rivers.
and by Grenfell on the Lubilash. south
west Of Stanley Falls. These discoy-
cries were made in the years 1885 and
1886, but the explorers were too busy
accommodating facts 10 prepare them for
public perusal. and we have had only
the most fragmentary illusions 10
these unique and interesting little
folks until the writings Of Wolf. Wiss-
mann and Won Francois were published
In Germany this summer
One day DIR. Wolf was pushing
through the forests east Of the Lulua
river. when he suddenly came upon
little glade in which were about twenty
tnmbledOwn beehive huts. the homes
Of the Batwa. He had seen "A few Of
these little people, kept as hunters at
the towns Of big chiefs. bat this was
The FIRST time he had met them In their
own poorly cared for villages. Some
OF them could speak the language Of
the Bakuba. the great tribe which
claims this region. bat they we're so
awestruek by the white mans sudden
adyent that they would hardly utter a
word A crowd Of nearly a hundred
coiEee-brown little folks. none Of them
larger than children tgo-thirds grown.
stood tImidiy al a distance and sur
yeyed the visitors In wonder. DIR. Vol
won their confidence 70 far at last
that they permitted him 70 approach.
and, unobseryed By the natives, he
took the heights Of many Of them on a
spear shaft There and later measure
iuents b. DIR. Wolf of fulLgrown adults
vary from four feet ahree inches 70
four feet seven and one-haH inches.
The average height. according 10 the
seyeakl authorities. seems 70 be about
four feet Eve Incbs@ Unlike the