The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1906-09-20
TO STUDY The PYCMIES
Purpose of Professor Starts Ex-
petition to Africa.
CAREFUL RESEARCH WILL BE MADE

Intends to Camp With the Batva
Pygmtes In Their Forest Retreats.
Their Entire Life Is Given Up to
| Hunting and Fishing.
Professor Frederick Starr, the enthu.
Hastic anthropologst of Chicago uni
versity, sailed from New York the 9th.
er day for Africa on what is thought
! to be one of the most important ethno-
logical expeditions Of recent years, his
| especial mission being a years So
| journ in the wilds of the central AZ
! rican jungle to investigate the habits,
customs, ETC., of the pygmies, the vel
| low men and the cannibals of that re,
gion, says the New York Tribune. The
remarkable black lilliputians of Africa
| form one of the enigmas Of the dark
continent Professor Starr hopes to
throw new light upon their origin and
ancestry by making a series Of plas-
ter casts, physical measurements, pho
nographic records, moving pictures and
hundreds of Photographic negatives Of
them. For this purpose he takes with
him an expert young Mexican photog-
rapher, Manuel Gonzales
When asked for an outline of his
! plans, Professor Starr said: 81 shall
study the little Batwa pygmies and
camp with them in their forest re,
treats. The pySmies are in no sense
apish, as popularity supposed. The re-
| suit OF my Investigations will, NO
doubt, so far to prove that they have
| been an unchanged race from their
creation and not a degenerate people.
I shall also make an investigation OF
the strange yellow and copper hued
race Of Africans recently made known
| by Samuel Werner, the missionary sci
| enlist now in that country. He says
that the traditions Of these yellow men
! indicate nc white ancestry. They have
q traditional testimony of an unmiXed
descent for hundreds Of years. They
are superior in handicraft and culture
| to the native blacks and do not like to
marry dark women.
|
yellow men in Africa as there are ne
groes in the United States. They are
scattered through many different tribes,
| It is believed that they are the last sur.
vivors OF a migration Of peoples cen
! turtles ago into Africa from the region
of the Nile and the Red Sea- Mr. Yer.
ner's preliminary account, both Of the
Batwa pygmies and the yellow negroes
| practically an unknown race Of man
kind, has awakened widespread de.
| sire among scientists for a more eX
tended knowledge in regard to them
which can only come from careful anc
| prolonged research, such as 1 propose
making. The field is a rare and fas,
chatting one for the ethnologist. The
results may open up new chapter OF
life on the dark continent"
/ Professor Starts headquarters will
| be 1,100 miles in the interior, at Ndon1~
be, in the Belgian Kongo protectora,e
| the capital city of King Ndombe, WIKI
! 7~ill aid him in carrying out his investi-
/ gator Large bands of the Batwa
| pygil3ies live in his territory. They pay
| him tribute by furnishing meat and
| game to supply his large Household
King Ndombe is Of a copper color, over
| six feet six inches tall and Of herculean
| build. He has a face expressive OF
1 kindly intelligence and searching pair
Of brown eyes, each said to be as
! large as quarter Of a dollar. King
| Ndombe's domain is about as large as
the state Of New Jersey and contains
some 100000 inhabitants. The king IS
credited with possessing thirty-onc
wives and forty children p
| A band Of some 800 pygnics lives CD
the edge Of King Ndombes town.
They dwell in beehive-like huts, formed
Of bent sticks covered with leaves ana
| palm fbers, with an opening in the
| bottom just large enough for them to
crawl through. The inside would be
about the size Of two good sized dry
goods boxes. This cramped place sheI-
| tiers a man. wife and half dozen chill
dren. A full grown native cannot
stand erect CT lie at full length in oll,.
/ Of these structures. The more print
tive pygmies are to be found far in the
forest interior, where the tree DWELLING
tribes exist. Here cannibalism is me-
with, and some more or less dangerru-
| and thrilling experiences may result
With pygmy guides and armed native
attendants Professor Starr will pitci.
camp and carry on his observations
within range of the deadly poisoned
| arrows Of the tree hiding dwarfs, nc1
yet introduced to white men.
Samuel Werner, now awaiting Pro
lessor STAIRS arrival to introduce him
TO King Ndombe, and who was for man>
months practically a next door neigh
Dor to the little black dwarfs, says the
entire life Of the little people is givesl
UP to hunting and fishing. They neve}
ill the soil or become agriculturists
Their principal weapon is the primitive
bow, with poisoned arrows. The pyg
mics are often shorter than their bows
The poison they use is one of the most
fatal known It will cause death IL
from two to five minutes. Sometimes.