The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-09-10
QUEER LANGUAGES.
kRTICULATE WRESTLING PRACTlCED
BY THE GOMERO ISLANDERS.

The "Drum Language" Used by the
Natives of the Cameroons-A West
African Travellers story-The "Finger
Speech" of Oriental Traders.
At the last meeting of the Berlin An.
thropolOgical society, Lieut.. Ouedenfeldt.
a German officer who has lived on Gomero
island, one of the Canary group, described
q whistling language which is used by the
Inhabitants. The language does not con-
sist of any arbitrary series of signals or
sounds; it is described as ordinary speech
translated into articulate Whistling, each
syllable having its own appropriate tone.
The GOmero uses both fingers and lips
when whistling, and Lieut. Queden-
feldt asserts that he can carry on
q conversation with a neighbor q
mile off, who perfectly understands
all he is saying. The practice is confined
to GOmero island, and is quite unknown
In the other islands of the archipelago
The adoption of the whistIing language is
said to be due to the peculiar geological
construction of Gomero island. 1t is
traversed by numerous gulies and deep
ravines, running out in all directions
from the central plateau. AS they are
great difficulty, hence man living within
a stones throw of another in a straight
line has often to go round many miles
when he wishes to see and speak to his
nelghbor. This, it is cOnjectured, led to
the adoption of whistling as q useful
means of communication, which has
gradually assumed the proportions of a
true substitute for speech. 1t is described
as being anything but unpleasilg to the
ear.
THE "DRUM LANGUAGE"
This reminds one of the drum language
Of the natives of the Cameroons, men
toned in Buchholz' book on west Africa.
by means of which the most complicated
messages can be conveyed to villages at a
distance when occasions necessitate it.
For this purpose peculiarly shaped drum
IS employed. By dividing the surface
into uneven halves that instrument, on
being struck, may be made to yield two
distinct notes. By these, and shortening
and frightening the intervals between
each note, a code is established, with q
regular sequence of taps, strokes and in
tervals capable Of expressing every sylla-
BILE in the language. ALI the natives un-
derstand this code, and so highly elabor-
Rted is it that chief can by its means
summon to his presence any villager
whom he desires to see, intimating to the
latter at the same time the purpose for
which he is required. In this way, too,
messages can be sent from village to vii
lage over wide stretches of countryside
drummer in one hamlet transmitting to
the next the signals he hears-and with
extraordinary rapidity.
Buchholz had proof on one occasion of
the utility Of this drum language and it's
capabilities as a medium of communica-
ton. The negro who had charge of his
canoe obtained leave one morning to at
tend to some private business of his own,
which took him to the other side of the |
river. The man remained away an I'M
reasonable time, and Buchholz got very
angry, as he was waiting to leave the i
place. Another negro suggested that they
should drum for him. The drummer was
sent for and instructed to inform the miss
ing servant that his master was very
angry with him, and that he was to re-
turn at once. In few minutes the man |
returned with the inevitable apologies for !
the length of time he had been way.
He had perfectly understood the message
drummed out to him. as Buchholz ascer-
tanned by inquiring of him.
ORIENTAL GINGER SPEECH"
Equally curious is the so called sign
language, or finger speech, of oriental |
traders, largely employed on the east |
coast of Africa, in the direction Of Zanzi-
bar. Walking through a market place in |
this region of the world, the traveller will |
often witness a strange sight. A couple |
Of grave, long bearded Arabs will step
aside, each will put his hand ND the |
others capacious sleeve, and the pair will |
then begin apparently to pinch each |
others fingers for few minutes. Often |
the performance will be varied. One will |
unroll his long turban cloth, or perhaps |
lift up his long mantle and then cover his |
hand, and concealed beneath this the |
of the fingers will proceed as be- |
fore. The initiated know that this is q |
method of bargaining by means Of a code |
Of finger speech, understood by eastern !
traders from southern Arabia and north
ern Africa to the borders of Persia.
It has been adopted in the first instance |
Tor simple reason. In the east, espe-
cially along the coast Of the Red sea,
Zanzibar and southern Arabia, all bust |
ness is transacted in the open air. And |
In all such transactions the bystanders,
idlers, riff-raff and meddlesome busy |
bodies generally contrive to have good |
deal to say, rendering their advice to both |
buyer and seller. The unWritten etiquette |
Of the east requires that such friendly |
counsel should not be resented. But as |
the merchants and dealers find it an I'M
nuisance and a great hindrance |
to business, they have adopted a certain |
code of finger signs, which they exchange
when bargaining, with their hands con-
cealed under their sleeves or turban cloth. |
Each finger and each joint Of a finger rep
resents certain figure. So the pair can |
bargain by the hour-as they often do |
to their hearts content, and none of the |
noisy and gaping busybodies around them |
be any the wiser for it.-St. James Ga
Eette
About Fifty Cent Cigars.
ECnIh;e @o1I- oIoo--4