Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-09-30

Schlichter, Feikin, and others
affirm not only that the ancient writers
were dealing with fact and not fable
when they wrote of the dwarfs OF Central
/ Africa. but also that the world derived
important geographical facts from these
nwarfs. They believe, as did the
late Captain Stairs, that dwarfs found
+ their way in ancient times into Egypt,
and that they doubtless gave some intor-
nation about the Mountains of the
Moon" and the sources OF the Nile. The
theory that dwarfs from the upper Nile
regions did reach Egypt is fortified in
striking manner by the recent discovery
on an old Egyptian monument OF the
picture of dwarf with the name Aka
beside it, which is the name Of the most
famous of the Central African dwarf
tribes; but later centuries had No faith
in dwarf tribes; and the testimony OF
more than one recent discovery was
needed before the interesting subject
attracted much attention. Some fifteen
explorers have within the past few years
added many facts to our knowledge OF
the dwarfs, and though our acquaintance
with them is still incomplete, enough
facts have been obtained to enable us to
take a general view of these curious lit
tie people.
One group of these pigulics, the
Dokos, have not yet been visited by any
explorer, aud yet it is certain that they
inhablt, approximately, the region as
signed to them on our map south OF
Abyssinia. 1t is hoped that before long
some explorer will visit them in their
home and tell US more about them.
Avanchers, Krapf and d'Abbadie, all
travellers of authority, have met maoy OF
them, and, independently Of one another,
have borne testimony to their existence.
They were described by these men as
having the same characteristics that
mark the Equatorial dwarfs who were
not known for years after the Dokos mad
excited the curiosity Of ethnologists.
Professor Hartman in 1876 collected on
the east coast trustworthy reports about
the Dokos. confirming the earlier reports.
The Dokos are said to be dark brown in
color, extremely ugly in physique, and
about four feet high. They go entirely
without clothing and build most print
tive huts, which the cover with skins
or leaves. Their only occupation IS
hunting. They change their quarters as
soon as game becomes scarce, use only
poisoned arrows, AND are expert IN catch
inc animals in traps and pitfalls. They
do not know the use of fire and eat the
flesh of serpents and other animals raw.
DR.. Henry Schlichter, who has collated
all the evidence at hand relating to these
perfect savages, says, that although
their country has never been visited, 1t
can safely be said that least OF the Nile
and to the south of KaiTa In the unex-
plored territories to the south OF the
river Ono there exists a pigmy race
similar in size, appearance and habits to
the dwarfs of the upper Nile and Congo
regions" 1t is probable that they are
scattered among other tribes of different
race and customs like their relatives IN
West aud Central Africa.
It is now possible to divide the dwarfs
of Africa into four groups-the pigmies
OF West Africa, known as the Obongo,
Akoa, and Babongo, who were first met
in recent times by Du Chaillu; the
dwarfs of the central regions, known as
the Aka, Wambutti, and Batua, dis
covered and described by GreDfell, Won
Francois, LEM, Wolf, Wiseman, and
Others; the East African pigmies, known
as the Dokos, though they probably
compose several tribes speaking several
different dialects; and the dwarfs south
of the Congo basin vino are the bushmen
and their relatives of South Africa.
Some time ago Mr.. Halliburton reported
the discovery of dwarfs among the Atlas
Mountains of Morocco, but the reports
about these alleged pigmies are not yet
sufficiently authenticated to be accepted
as fact.
Among all these widely separated
dwarf tribes exist resemblances so strik-
inc that these little peoples are now
believed to be the branches of the same
great family that by one cause or another
was separated perhaps centuries ago,
until to-day its parts are divided by
hundreds OF miles of territory in which
no dwarfs are found. They are all mi
rratory, never remaining long in one
place, though they do not often wander
far out OF their own district. Although
all of them arc savages of the very low
est type, their cunning and skill as hun
tiers are most remarkable. They live
among tribes of ordinary stature whom
they supply with dried meat and fish in
exchange for vegetable food, knives, and
other articles. They intermarry only to
small extent with their larger neigh