The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-03-21
A GREAT CURIOSITY.
The Sensation Which the First
White Women Made Among
the Duallas.

1t is a queer sensation to those not
used to 1t to be the centre of attrac-
tion to hundreds of people, to be sur
rounded by a sea of faces, and all
staring hard at you with different
expressions of wonder, curiosity and
amusement. But then | was the first
white woman that the Duallas OF the
Cameroons River, West Africa, had
ever seen, and so it was no wonder
that they were astonished at my APP
pearance in their village.
Everybody left of their different
occupations and followed us wherever
we went, shouting and laughing aud
all struggling to get near me. Crowds
of them ran on in front, and then,
turning round to stare for a few Sec
onds, would rush on again to keep up
with us.
But nv embarrassment at being
the cause of such excitement soon
wore off, for | in my turn had much
to see and wonder at in a West African
village. The people were about the
same height as Europeans, their skins
very dark and sometimes nearly
black. Neither men nor ONE wore
anything but a waist-cloth, which in
the case of chiefs was of a rich ma
terial and bright color. Most of the
people were tatooed, especially the
Young girls, whose cheeks, noses and
foreheads were strongly marked and
thought very beautiful.
The most fashionable of these girls
wore her hair (Which was crisp and
woolly) cut into the shape Of circles
cul minating at the top OF the head,
- - 800 " 4hA @au
W ere bright colored beads and brass
o rnaments. Huge brass pins were
stuck into the wool just behind the
ears. They also wore very long and
la rye brass earrings, and quantities of
colored beads round the neck and
W rists.
The streets were straight and spot
lie ssly clean, and the little bamboo
h ouses with palm-thatched roofs on
either side the road were very neat
and pretty; and here and there were
| ovely palm-trees and huge cotton
woods.
THE families cook and eat under
these trees, - said Mr.. A, who acted
as our guide, '.for you see the houses
have neither windows nor hreplaces.
Just peep in here and you will see tn Q
only furniture is the bamboo bed and
these few stools and calabashes."
Just then a slim, good looking girl
broke through the crowd, and rush
ing up to Mr.. A, seized hold of his
arm and began talking very fast and
earnestly, as if begging some favor.
Her great black eyes looked so sac
and wistful that my heart went out
to her, and l felt so glad to see Mr..
A smile as if willing to do what
she asked. She just gave him n
look of thanks and then was gone.
"Who is that girl; and do tell me
what she was wanting you to dor" L
asked.
''She says her mother is very i'll,
and she wants me to make her well.
You know / have studied medicine for
some time, and the people here think
l sure by magic. The Duallas have a
horribly cruel custom with their sick;
if the patient does not get well in a
week or two, he or she is taken out
into the bush about four o T live miles
from the town, placed upon a rude
bamboo bedstead, and left utterly
alone, a woman coming once a day to
give the patient food and water. and
to light a fire. The poor wretch of
course soon dies of fright at being left
W INC MERCY VI NC VIM CCaotSs "AO9O
growls and yells alone break the
monotony of the long, dreary night.
But the Baptist missionaries have
nearly got the people to do away with
this wicked custom, and the more hof-
rible one of beating to death the UNI
fortunate person who is said by the
n'gambi man (fortune teller to have
bewitched the sick person. When we
Europeans are kind and unselfish, it
is wonderful how much influence We
get over these people. Bnt the Dual
las have some sentiment in them, for
they bury the dead under the houses
which they occupied when alive, and
they wouly think it most cruel and
unfeeling to cast the deceased out of
their homes.n
A large, fat important looking man,
with a stripped waist cloth, now
came up TO US, and asked us if we
would like to see q dance. He
possessed four European chairs Uor
he was a great chief, and We sat
down under the shade OF a beautiful
cottonwood, and the dance began.
A ring was formed of boys of all
sizes, who, with their elbows drawn
close to their sides, walked slowly
round, twitching every muscle of the
body. while the women and girls,
forming an outer ring, stood around
clapping their hands to a sortof meas
ure. This dance was curious, but
neither beautiful nor inspiriting.
We were next shown a big wooden