The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-08-15

che University Of North Dakota Min
Ing Engineering department in 1908
is hunting diamonds and gold along
son of Mr.. and Mrs. w. E. Boise of
jamestown and emf the following let
ter describing his search for diamonds
and gold under directions of a big cor
poration in equatorial Africa. Mr..
Boise is now near the northern
boundary Of Angola in Congo state.
about seven degrees south of the
equator and twenty degrees east longi-
tude. The letter was written April IL,
mailed from Kinchasa. Congo Belle,
and reached Jamestown last week.
Tshashimbu. Africa, April II.
Dear Folks:
I got into this village a little early
this afternoon and will take the OPP
p%ortunity to write you of my trip so,
far.
have now been eleven days on
the road. washing gravel in the
branch streams 1 cross in search of
diamonds, making q route map of the
road, or rather trail, and the streams,
inc stopping at some native village
for the night. I have been moving
somewhat slowly, as the streams are
seven miles a day. I am now within
about six miles of Longatchima, a post
of the Companie du Kasai, and will
probably reach there tomorrow. and
shall probably stop there several days
as there is some detailed work to do
in the vicinity of the post.
The first two or three days out I be-
came very weary of always talking
the niger" language, and having no
opportunity to speak English but that
has Worn off as | have come to speak
the "kituba" with less difficulty.
Many Negro Dialects.
In regard to languages. every tribe
has it's own special usages and inflec-
tions. and while one tribe Fan under
stand the language of the tribe next
to it, a week or ten days travel will put
a native among tribes whose language
is so different that he is readily con-
fused. Yet the most notable thing
about all these diabetes is that they
seem to have a common base or origin,
tending to the idea that all the Congo
negroes descend from one tribe. which
tire region. The native language at
Lake Tanganykai nearly across the
continent from here. plainly shows an
origin similar to the dialect spoken
here in the Kasai. The history Of the
spread a probably never be known
for no hushmen know their age. and
their entire history available to the
~ ''NANlJl NOoaS 40 III IiiG
memory of the bic men of the tribes,
for their works are Of such a nature
thai a few years effaces all trace of
wen a large village, If deserted. and
kthere is ne written language. Develop
ment cannot be traced through pottery,
for their clay pots crumble IL exposed
to the weather, and as for implements
Of metal, they make iron implements
today from iron sands and iron ore the
same as their fathers made them. but
the climate Is such that any piece of
iron is oXidized in a short space Of
time.
The tribe through which l am now
passing are known as Badjoks. and
they are probably as intelligent as any
extensively. raise sheep, goats, chick
ems, and an occasional COW or two
(European). They are. however, not
as pleasant Il tribe to travel through
as the above would lead one to believe.
as they are great beggars. close trad
ers, and besides are of rather an evil
frame of mind towards the white man.
Reception Of White Man.
They have some curious customs
which are YER interesting. When n
white man ONE into the village, he
chief does not come out immediate
ly, but waits until the white man is
located, has his tent up. etc.: then
comes the CnleI, OreSScu III all HIS
finery, with a man carrying a rug and
another a small stool, besides all the
available men of the village as hang
ers-on, as 1t were. carrying various
implements of war. such as flint lock
muskets, knives, spears bows and ar
rows. etc. The rug is spread. the stool
placed, and the chief slowly takes his
seat. at which all of his retinue clap
their hands and utter a grunt which
might be called a hear! heart"
is now the white mans move
and he generally saunters over to
the black rascal. shakes hands with
him. says 'moio," which is the native
s%alutation. and then if inclined may
pass a few remarks about the village,
weather, etc. The chief soon retires
to his house, but one of his followers
soon puts in an appearance with a
present (of a goat, as a rule) from the
chief. 1t is a present. but a lear one.
for the white man must make a re-
turn gift, and If acceptable 100 per
cent greater in value than the Gift
from the chief.
The natives here use snuff! Only
it isn't like our American snuff. but
seems to be the powder or pollen from
some flower. 1t is a green color. and
seems to have the desired effect. for
they sneeze vigorously after snuffing
1t up their nostrils. They also grow a
small amount of cotton from which