Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-17
Copyright, 1908. by Frank G. Carpenter.)
cia1 of Tha TAR

Copyright, 1908, by Frank G. Carpenrer)
Special Correspondence of The Star.
BUKOBA. German East Africa
HAVE just made big bargain in
clothes. I purchased the wardrobe
of a girl of eighteen. and have 1t
u packed away in my trunk. The sale
was made in the midst of crowd
and the price for the whole was equal to
Just 16 cents of our money. The coinage
was in cowry shells. about as big as my
thumb nail, and had to pay 500 of these
for the costume. The dress had all the
swish of silk petticoat. and it rustled.
as the young lady walked along with me
to the town of Bukoba where my silver
money was changed into shells
Among the Bazibas.
This maiden was Bahia. and a very
good looking. type of the people who in
ha bit this part of German East Africa.
took her out of the crowd in which she
stood and before she delivered the goods.
had a photograph made She stood just
about four feet in height, and was as
straight an arrow. Her dress began
at the waist and reached to her ankles.
Above il she had on only two strings
around her neck. The dress was made of
the long fbers OF the raphia palm. and
il looked for all the world like so much
timothy hay tied on by a string. There
were so many strands of the fiber that
they hid all of her person below the waist
and they swayed this way and that as
she walked
Walker the famous Uganda missionary.
and il was through him. an interpreter.
that she made the trade. When l point
ed TO her dress and held up the silver
coin her eyes frightened. and when the
archdeacon told her that I was willing
TO pay cash she gladly assented. She
borrowed piece of red calico about the
size of a dinner napkin which one of her
sisters was wearing as shawl, and loos
ing this fiber skirt little at the waist
she slipped in the napkin and wrapped it
around her person. 1t was long enough
10 fall to the middle of her thighs. and
she fastened 1t over the left hip with a
thorn. She then took off her skirt of
long fringe and handed il to me; and
went on together TO the village to change
our money to shells. On the way there.
the archdeacon talked with the girl. He
told me she was trembling with excite
ment and delight at her bargain. and
ventured she had never made as much
4 cents a day in her life and probably
cot over 3. Here she was selling her old
.kirt for 500 shells equal to six or eight
Gays of hard work When I gave her
the shells she trotted off laughing and
then thanked us again and again for my
great generosity. In the whole trans
action she displayed not the slightest
.mmodesty. and at the close. although
almost nude. was not ashamed.
Clothing Of Grass.
These aZibas are all clad in grass
clothing. The men have grass fiber
coaks which they wear around their
shoulders. Some have shirts of grass fas-
tened 10 ring at the top through which
the neck goes and the unmarried girls
lave fringes OF grass or rapphia fiber
when they wear around their waists. Out
side this the girl may have a bracelet or
two and some anklcts OF wire.
This matter of dress. however. is en-
tirely governed by custom. On the other
side of Lake Victoria among the kavi-
rondo ! saw thousands who go naked
from one years end To the other and who
In their manners quite modest as
our people at home. In Uganda. whence
j came here. the women are clad from
their chests TO their feet in robes of bark
CLOTH and il is impoite for man TO lift
mp his gown above the middle of the calf
Nevertheless. the uganda are said to be
much less virtuous than the naked kavi-
rordo, and l venture they Will not rank
higher in that respect than these grass
clad BaZibas.
Indeed of all the inha bitaats around
Lake Victoria these people are about the
most rigid in regard to such matters,