Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-08-20
BELGIAN CONGO |
CANNIbAL LAND
Bankutug Are Barbarous Foil
While Neighboring Bstete-
las Are Progressive.

Washington, D. C., Aug. 19-Belgiaa
Congo, in Africa, so frequently men,
toned in European dispatches as a
possible objective point of the Ger.
man troops, is the home alike Of the
most progressive negroes Of Africa
( and of the most primitive and savage
cannibals, according to a statement
! issued By the National Geographic So
ciety, at Washington, D. c.
This African colony is so cut I'D By
rivers and impenesrable forests thzt
the tribes inhabiting the country vary
greatly in their customs and Ian.
guage," says the society's bulletin.
But a few miles distant from these
barbarous savages are endless planta.
tons of millst and grain Of their civ.
ilized countrymen. The cannibal Ban.
kutus of Belgian Congo make a prac.
tice Of removing the upper incisors.
Their dress consists Of pleated skirt,
which does not quite meet on the
right thigh; but the women In the
south wear a hide girdle with deep
fringe of palm-fibre string. Among
this tribe the slaves are compelled to
wear special dress, which Is, in fact.
the ordinary costume of the Akela, TO
which tribe most of them belong. The
Bankutu are great cannibals, as far as
the male members OF the tribe are
concerned, and the victims are always
slaves In fact, all slaves are ulti-
mately eaten, since 1t is believed that
if slave were buried his ghost would
Kill his master.
Their chief weapon is the bow,
poison being used on the arrows;
shields are now obsolete. One of their
most interesting points is their use of
a conventional throwing knife as cur
rency. The Bankutu are almost the
only tribe of this region who have
been successful in resisting the ad-
vance of the white man. This fact is
due to their skill in forest warfare.
The way leading to their village is
defended by poisoned spikes hidden
by leaves. They use bows and arrows
set like traps in the form of primitive
spring guns, and are quite ready, If a
white man is expected, to bait such
traps with a live baby, being sure that
the European will be unable to resist
the temptation to pick up an apparent
ly abandoned child. The poison they
use is absolutely deadly.
'.Not far from the cannibal region
peace and security reign. The end
less plantations, clean villages and
well kept houses make an impression
of general prosperity. The Batetela,
also of Belgian Congo, is an excellent
agriculturist and stock breeder and
very Industrious. He is not at all con-
sentative; any innovation will tempt
him. Rice, Madagascar potatoes and
fruit trees imported by the white man
are found in every village. The peo-
pie are scantily clothed, but this is of
great advantage in their hunting expe-
iitions The havoc of sleeping sick
ness is greatly limited by the native
custom of isolating cases of this dis
ease in the forest. The disease is most
acute along the caravan routes. Here
one finds villages of 10 huts with but
10 sorry witnesses of its once impor-
lance; here are grass-grown caravan
routes, with only the footstep tracks
to prove their once Importance; and
here ones heart is torn by the sight
Of mere skeletons, pulling themselves
about with the light of In
sanity in their eyes, where one should
see the delightful round-bellied native
children. And, to add to the horror
IF the disease, here lions and leopards
lave become man-eaters, since the
aalf-fed sick one, driven from the fear
stricken village, is the easiest game TO
stalk.
"An interesting feature OF Batetela
lies in the fact that SUI
tide appears not to be uncommon and
s regarded as an act of courage.
Descent is reckoned on the male hne'
md children are considered mora
loosely akin to the fathers side.
Young men and women who are in
crested in either bookkeeping or stem
,graphy should write or phone 10
he principal of Browns Business Coz
ege this week. Enrollments are now
,eing made for the fall term, which
tarts Sept. 1.-(Ady.)
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