The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-05
monr DwaRrs DIscorEnrD.
They Have Been Found In the CRmeroons-
Six aroups of PyRmics in Africa.

1850 N
six Groups of PyEnnica in Africa.
Never before has so much been learned
about those strange little people. tho pygmies
OF Africa. as within the past year. The timidity
OF those wandering tribes seems to be wearing
of. and at last they will talk 10 white mon
about themselves. They were .quite friendly
with some Of the latest travellers. They seem
| convinced at last that the white man. after all,
means them no harm.
1t was reported at least ten or twelve years
ago that many dwarfs lived in $40 Interior Of
the Cameroops, south OF tho Niger River. but
no white men ever saw them till last year.
when the German expedition sent against the
Bulu tribe met some of the little folks, They
would not have seon them II the dwRrfs
had had their own way, and only q half dozen
OF them were on view. They were dragged
unwillingly into the German camp. while all
their relations buried themselves deeper in
their forests. They differed In no respect
from tho dwarfs OF other parts OF Africa. 1t
seems strange that the six groups OF piGmies
thus far discovered differ from one another In no
essential except that some OF them average an
inch or two taller than others, They all have
practically the same ways OF life and the sam
mental and physical characteristics, They live
solely by the chase, they never cultivate the
soil. they are tho most skilful hunters in Africa,
they wander from place TO place GLOWING tho
game through the forests, and they sell much
of the meat they kill to the tribos around
them for vegetable food and other things they
desire. They build the poorest huts that are
found In Africa. and with reason enough. for
they occupy the fimsy shelters OF boughs and
leaves only n few days before they move on to
other hunting grounds. It would not seem
surprising II they had developed differing
traits. owing to their remoteness from one an
other and the fact that they probably have been
separated for manv centuries.
DR.. Nirchow maintains that they all have the
characteristics Of the true negro. except that
they are OF shorter stature. He told the An
thropological Society of Berlin. a few weeks
ago, that the dwarfs were TO be regarded as the
sole survivors OF n primitive race from whom
all the negro tribes OF the present day were
derived. He believes that this view should
~supDlant the older theory that the dwarfs are
the remnants Of the aboriginal tribes OF Africa,
who in time were widely DISPERSED by the in
trusion Of larger and stronger peoples.
Mr.. Phillips Werner, has been living for two
years among the Batwa dwarfs south Of the
Congo, who told him stories about their fore
fathers which seem to bear out the older
theory. They have handed down from father
to son the statement that long ago they were
the sole occupants of the country where they
live. Then the big people tBantu tribesl sud-
denly swooped down upon them from the north
and killed most OF their forefathers. but kept
some OF the dwarfs to hunt for them. Others
buried themselves in the great forests. and
thus escaped the general slaughter and per-
petuated their race.
Mr.. Werner says the Batwa have some curious
ideas bearing on the man and monkey ques-
ton. They say that a parrot is a man because
he can talk and a monkey is a man because he
can use his hands and looks like q man: and
they add that parrots. monkeys. and men are
all good to eat. Tho Batwas told Werner that
they had seen men who differed from all
others. who have long hair, small, keen eyes,
and are very wild, never coming into the
towns, but living only in the bush. where they
sometimes try to hold converse with the
dwarfs, who call tho strange beings Kaieke.
He brought some Batwa boys to Europe with
him. one OF whom said he had seen the Kaieke.
When he took his boys to the Geological Gar
dens at Antwerp, where they saw the cele-
brated baboon there go through his perform
ance. the boys declared that he was n Kaieke.
and triumphantly exclaimed. Didn't we tell
you so ?" Werner says these Kaieke may be
balloons. though he has meyer heard Of the
cape baboon north OF the Zambesi or OF the
gorilla south Of the Congo.
| great forest north OF the Congo. which Stanley
was the first to cross. had 10 trouble with tho
arrows. He actually succeeded in establishing
friendly relations with one of their chiefs. who
The six centres whore dwnrfs have now been
found in Africa are ~ in the vest part OF the
the Ogowo River and the Atlantic; I3) among
the Congo's southern tributaries ~ in the
great forest Of the northeast part Or the nConEo
a africa ca, Inc n"0''1' o. inc Du'""'n IN bout"