The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-03-23
THE FANCS,
A Big African Tribe That Fought Its Way
to the Sea.

The French Congo country is five
times the size of France. 1t is believed
that it contains 100000 people, and
more than half of them are Pahouins,
as De Brazza calls them, or Fans, as
Du Chaillu made them known. Those
who know them best say their name is
properly Fangs. They are by far the
most remarkable people in West At
rica, says the n. Y. San.
The Fangs lord it over every people
they meet. Years ago they swooped
down upon the coast natives from the
interior Just as the hordes of barba-
rians invaded western Europe. They
are among the greatest cannibals in
existence. One of the most careful
studies made of the Fangs is that of
the Rev. P. Leieune, missionary,
who has lived among them for some
years.. In most books and records
they are referred to as the Pahouins.
This, however, is the name applied to
them by their enemies. The word
Pahonin is synonymous with savage
or thief, and is perhaps fitting desig-
nation of the race of cannibals who in
yaded all the valleys of the Gaboon
territory.
The single tribe of the Betsi Fangs,
100000 souls. Their most important
villages are from three to ten miles
back from the rivers. Father Lejeune
estimates that along the OgoWe river
from Lambarene to Ndyole there are
10000 Fangs. But all the rivers
forming network through the coun-
try are in the possession of this race.
They are divided into three principal
tribes, whose dialects differ widely
from one another. It is easy to see,
/ however, that their languages came
not long ago from common source
and that the emigration of large bodies
of the great tribe produced marked
dialectic differences.
There are very few whites who know
anything of their language. The diff
! ficulty of its construction, the indis-
tinctness with which it is pronounced,
the nasal tone in which the words are
uttered, and the excessive swiftness of
speech of the Fangs have discouraged
most white men who have tried to
master the language. A small die
! tionary of their tongue, however, has
been made by Father Leieune. He
says he found the task very difficult,
and frequently he was on the point of
abandoning it in despair. He could
find no interpreter among them who
could translate their speech or his
own. The Fangs would not take him
seriously, and gave him much misin-
formation. Finally he found some
Fang children who had taken service
in white factories along the Ogowe
and had learned the Mpongue lam
guage. The priest obtained a large
vocabulary from these children.
The adult Fangs decline to learn
any other language. If they engage
in trade they speak Fang. If they
have any controversy with another
tribe they will discuss the merits of
the case only in the Fang tongue. 1t
is absolutely necessary for mission
aries and merchants and even other
negro tribes, if they are to make head
way and get on with the Fangs, to
learn their language. The commerce
of Gaboon is in their hands. They
alone supply ivory to white traders.
If merchant understands their Ian
guage business is speedily transacted.
If he talks through an interpreter it
sometimes takes days to complete a
sale.
The Fangs have saying that "The
Fang is he who kills the elephant; the
white man is an elephants" which is
their way of saying that the white
man is rather stupid. This expresses
their opinion of many of the traders
and missionaries they meet. A Ger
man trader living at Lambarene, on
the Ogowe river, some years ago be-
gan to study the Fang language. Now
nearly all the Fang rubber and ivory
dealers flock to him, and he controls
the larger part of the trade, to the
great disadvantage of merchants who
have not his attainments.
Other tribes try to conceal the fact
that they are cannibals. The Fangs
are proud of it. If one asks them why
they have left the land of their fathers
and invaded this region near the sea,
they simply reply: "We came here to
eat" Yet they believe in a God who
governs all things. They believe that
thieves and assassins are punished in
eternal fire. They have made some
progress in the forging of iron, but are
not nearly so advanced in their arts as
many less active, acute and powerful
tribes. They are constantly engaged
in war with neighboring villages Of
their own people or with the tribes
among whom they have intruded.
AnSy dIO Will GISG
than complete mastery of the soil.
They eat their prisoners, men who are
killed in battle, unfortunates whom
they catch struggling in the woods,
and boatmen of tribes with whom they
are at war.
But the most of the soldiers now
employed by the French government
in their Congo possessions are Fangs.
They have proven themselves brave
and easily disciplined. The govern
ment is enlisting a large number OF
them to man the various stations.
They form the most of the escort OF
every French exploring party. Quite
a number of them were killed in the
unfortunate Crampel expedition. Can
nibals themselves, they were eaten by
the cannibals who killed the French
officer, Musy, on the Mobangi. They
fought bravely in Frances recent waI
against the Amazons of Dahomey.
Father Lajeune believes the Fangs are
capable of civilization, and that they
will be found most useful allies of the
French in west Africa. Several hun
dred Fang children are now learning