The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-08-06
THE SMALLEST MEN.
CHARACTERISTICS AND ANTIQUITY
OF AFRICAN PYGMlES.


In 1SG5-Queer Features of the obon-
gos of West Africa.
The smallest race Of mankind are the
pygmies of Africa. They are probably, too,
the Oldest. They exist at the present timo
scattered throughout the forests of the
Loango const and thence northward be-
yond the equator. They haunt the forests
of central Africa - the terrible fighters
that did so much damage to Stanley and
the Emin expedition. They lie hidden in
the southern Businesses of Abyssinia. They
are the bushmen who skulk as wandering
hordes in Griqualand, Namaqualand and
Bechuanaland. They roam in the Kala-
hari desert. North of the Kalahari they
dwell In the German possessions. Before
the Dutch colonization in 1850 they pos
sessed all the region from the cape to the
Zambezi river and beyond
The antiquity Of the pygmies is shown
by the illusions to them on ancient monu-
ments and in literary works There Is a
figure Of pygmy on one of the earliest Of
extant Egyptian monuments, dating prob
ably as far back as 5000 or 5000 years.
By his side is to be seen the inscription
"Akka," the name still applied to one of
the most numerous tribes of this race now
existing In central Africa. An Egyptian
inscription of 5000 years ago records the
facts about an exploring expedition that
brought home a Denga dwar, noted for
his dancing.
Du Chaillu's discovery in 1865 of pyg-
mics In the region of the Ogowe river
| (west Africa) made great stir in Europe
when the story first came out. One hun.
dred and forty miles south of the equator
and to the east of a southern tributary of
the Ogowe, Du Chaillue in June, 1865,
suddenly struck in the savage forest on a
village of wild dwarf negroes, called
Obongo. The village, whence on the APP
proach of Du Chaillus party all the in
habitants had fed, consisted of cluster
of extraordinary little huts, each of low,
oval shape, like that of n gypsy tent,
about feet wide, and the highest part
about feet from the ground. The huts
were each made Of the flexible branches of
trees, arched over and fixed into the
ground, the whole covered with large
leaves. Inside these huts there were three
or four sticks laid down at each end for
the man and woman to sleep on, and in
the middle of the earth floor smoldered
the embers of fire.
A little farther to the east Du Chaillu
| Not to alarm them, he made for their set
| Element on tiptoe, accompanied only by
three of his men and two guides. In a
retired nook of the forest he counted 12
huts of the same slight make as in the
case of those already described. Yet the
villagers had caught the alarm and every
household was truly mot at home" En-
tering unlimited, Du Chaillu found the
abodes very filthy, and the intrusive WIS.,
itors were stung out of the place by
swarms Of heas Another quarter of a
mile through the forest they approached a
third village, and again with the utmost
caution, the Ashango guides, moreover,
dangling bunch of beads before the eyes
of the retreating Obongos. Their fears,
though, were not to be allayed; they
scampered off in quaking hurry. But
Du Chaillu managed to surprise three old
| women and one young man. One of the
three hays, touched by the beauty of the
beads he gave them and plucking up heart
of grace, rated the runaway men, saying
they were as frightened as squirrels that
cried "Quel que" and while so speaking
she twisted her body in such odd contor-
tions as to make our travellers party all
laugh outright When, however, Du Chail-
lu proceeded TO unroll his tape In order to
measure the bold shrew, her fears returned
to her. The unwinding tape was mys-
ferrous snake she had never before clapped
eyes on, and she trembled all over. Still,
by magic of presents and batteries, her
nerves gradually Gained, and she at last
let herself get measured--4 feet AZ inches.
The young man stood feet 6 inches.
In color the Obongos are of dirty vel
low, lighter than the Ashango negroes
amid whom they dwell; their eyes look
restless and untamable Their foreheads
exceedingly low and narrow, cheekbones
raised; legs short in proportion to the
trunk; palms of the hands white. The hair
of the head grows in short, curly tufts, In
marked contrast to the bushy hair of the
neighboring negroes, who dress their hair
in mass of plaits, q fashion impossible
to the Obongos. The young man had on
his legs and breast also an unusual growth
of hair, distributed likewise in short, curly
tufts. All accounts witnessed to thick
tufts of hair growing on the legs and
breasts of the Obongo men. Their cloth
ing consists of pieces Of wornout cloth,
which they either buy or get from the
Ashangos. Such rags, by way of cover tc
their nakedness, and a few bent sticks, by
way of house, constitute their whole de-
Tense against the heavy rains and winds
and storms of the year.
So shy in their intercourse with other
people, the Obongos are yet brave hunters,
and very skillful in the use Of the bow and
poisoned arrows, as also in trapping wild
animals and catching fish, the surplus OF
which, fresh or dried, they barter with
their neighbors for plantains, iron nipple
ments, etc. The woods around their vii
lagos are planted thick with traps and pit
falls, in which they catch not only smaller
game, but also elephants, pythons, goril
las, etc. Buried in the almost impenetra
BILE forests between the Ogowe and the
Kongo, the Obongos shift their camp
whenever game begins to grow scarce.
Knowing nothing Of tillage or pasture,
they are people of purest gentry that
from ages immemorial have never done a