St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1897-04-24
THE. KINGDOM or nuPE.
Natives Who Have Been Causing Re
cent Disturbances for the English.

Natives Who Have Been Causing Res
cent Disturbances for the English.
The Fulahs, with whom it is said that
the recent difficulty has arisen, are d
most remarkable people, and the differ.
ence between the true-born Fulah and
the negro in the western Sudan is strik.
ing. The former is light-skinned and
almost comparable tosome of the dark
er Inhabitants of southern Europe:
their features also differ essentially
from the negroid type, and nose I'D
lips being well-forned and the hair
straight. These are chiefly to be found
scattered throughout -Nupe and the
Hausa states in little settlements, where
they carry on their principal occupa.
tGon-that of herdsmen. They speak
thg~Ihlah language, and except for
trade do not seem to mix much with the
races by whom they maybe surrounded.
The Nupe princes, however, who are
spoken of Ill the present instance as the
Fulahs, are not of this type. They are
probably descendants of Fulah adven-
turers, who by treachery and insurrec-
ton managed to usurp the throne OF
Nupe at the beginning of this century;
but by frequent intermarriage with the
people Of the country they present no
apparent difference from the negro.
These princes speak chiefly the Nupe
language, though most of their Off.
cial business is transacted in Hausa:
they also know certain amount OF
Arabic, but few of them know much OF
the Fulah language. The princes, who
share the highest positions of the state,
the first four of which are amir, shiaba,
kpotum and makum, are generally rep.
resentatives of rival dynasties who
have held the throne in succession, but
owing to the intense rivalries that exist
all these offices are rarely held at the
same time. Each prince has town
house in Bida, and the three chief houses
have attached to them large market
and amosque. The largest OF these is the
residence of the late Amir Maliki (who
by the way, was not a leper, as has been
stated) ) and the mosque close to this Is
covered with corrugated iron and is the
most conspicuous object in town al
viewed from distance.
The market also which takes place in
the large open space between the
mosque and the late amir's residence
is sight not easily forgotten. There,
for one hour before sunset, every kind
of wares-from manuscripts, ink and
paper to leathern goods, including
shoes, horse trappings, etc.-are ex,
hlbited for sale, while several thousand
purchasers might be counted at one
time, gathered from the town itself and
the villages around. In one corner OF
this is the slave market, where about
200 slaves are exposed for sale each
evening. Yet all this great concourse
of people does not come together till
about five p. M, and by GAS p. m. the
ground will again be cleared.
Connected with each of the great
houses is a circle of Mallams or Mohadn-
niedan teachers who hold schools
throughout the town and are the con-
fdential advisers of the particular
prince with whom they may be found.
Besides, however, possessing a town
house the princes have large farms in
the ncighborhood of Bida, worked by
their slaves. 1t is for this purpose
that slaves are required, but perhaps
more important reason is that the
princes have to pay tribute in slaves to
Soloto, to which Nupe IS only yassal
kingdom. In order to procure these
slaves the princes have divided the
country between them and it is only in
their own territory that they are sup
posed to raid for slaves The system is,
in fact, much the same as obtains in
England i'll the case of nobleman's
shooting preserves, though in Eupe the
animals to be sought are human beings.
By this foolish policy the Nupe princes
have brought about reign of terror
throughout their dominion, SO that
trade and cultivation OF the soil alike
have been paralyzed. They have, how
ever, gone too far and at last the Royal
Niger company, which has long been
waiting for the right time to strike,
has given them check from which
they never likely to recover.-London
Times.