Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-08-14

cat there is established a firm of
traders-the only one of its kind
whose chief business is dealing in
idols. These strange gods" are made
of ivory, brass, wood iron and cork.
The firm has agents scattered through
out east Africa, from the Natal coast
right away to Delagoa; but it is in the
north of this particular territory where
fetishism is most popular, and 1t IS
there that the Zanguebar firm trans
acts the greater part of its gOd-deal-
ing business.
1t has also a branch in the Senegam-
bia part of Africa, which embraces
Coomassie, Abomey, Benin, LoangO,
Congo, Angelo and Benguela places
where the natives, mostly savages,
carry on extensively the wOrshiping
of sticks and stones for gods.
Now, various sorts of savages have
various kinds of gods, and chiefly their
idols are crude images, fashioned by
crude hands. But a spirit of modern
enterprise has developed even in the
savage breast, and the custom of the
savage making his own fetish or god
which has been observed from time
immemorial, is now giving place to
the newer methods of buying idols in
the cheapest market; hence the rea-
son for the Zanguebar idol-dealing
firm coming into existence.
They are ready to supply to the saw
age tribes gods great and small, loving
or warlike made of paper, wood or
ivory, or the most precious metal, on
terms which pay them and please
their dusly customers. And no credit
is given and no risk is run in worth
less checks or base coin, for the bill
is paid in the local territorial currency
namely, in vans, bananas, rice
palms, maize, dourra, nuts and beans;
or in gold metal, palm oil, ivory, gums
and cOwries or in cattle or slaves.
This merchandise is converted into
money in the capitals.
Some of the idols are dreams of
first class workmanship, for the Fan
guebarians have imported wOrllmen
from various parts of the world, whose
whole labOrs are expended on the
monster upon which the poor savages
look with eyes of tenderness and ven
Grafton. Ivory and certain kinds of
wooden gods are principally made on
African territory-those of the cheap
err llinds-but the more pretentious
and expensive gods are made in
France, Germany and England, in
factories, the existence of which no
body on this side of the world has
hardly ever dreamed
In the heart of the metropolis of the
Midlands is the English factory;
There is another at Mines, in France,
and one at Griez, in Germany.
The orders are sent direct to these
establishments from Zanguebar, so
that there is need for no surprise if
their existence is unknown. The ousi-
ness is unique, since it has no com
petitors and nobody travelling about
Europe for orders.
The very best of the idols come
from the English factory, since it is
situated in the worlds center fer
hardware and nickel stuff, and where
gold and silver articles are made
every week by the thousand, and
where the greater bulk Of the worlds
metallic production is consigned.
The tribes of the Senegambian dis
trict of Africa believe that every mis-.
fortune proceeds from and can only be
averted by their gods, so that in order
to prOpitiate them the poor misguided
souls have their fetishes or idols made
of rich metals; that is the general
practice A chief will readily pay 500
barrels of palm oil (2G pounds a tom
for the native fetish, which may con
sist Of a gold-cased monster in the
shape Of fiendish head with light
eyes, or a serpent with three heads
fixed to a long pole of ivory.
The Solomon islands tribes do not
usually erect their idols in the open:
they are placed inside the houses and
are mOnstrOsities of the more sober
sort than~those of most of tae tribes.
The gods are fishes, snakes and birds.
The natives are good customers of the
godmerchants, who received from
them for an ornamental fetish fish, the
outlines of which are foreign to the
naturalist perhaps two or three
crocodiles, either parcel being worth
about twenty-five pounds. while for a
carved ivory bird, which resembled
more a dog than a bird, diamonds and
gold nuggets to the value of ESQ
pounds settled the bill Of King Ben
jarmassin. of Molucca.
The European-made gods cost any
sum from so to 1000 pounds.
In the valley of the Mombas there
is in every village what is called
sacred house. which contains. among
gruesome objects, many priceless
treasures. though fearfully ugly things
in the way of idols. The natives call
them 'MLungu," and they consist OF
human heads fastened on a pole. with
precious stones and gold and silver
bars or plates ingeniously inserted in
the face, figures os lions and alllga.
tors Of the most outrageous descrip-
ton, but nevertheless made of gold
and smothered in precious stones and