The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-07
THE WEALTHIEST NATIVE WOMAN OF THE IGBWARI
TRIBE WITH HER SERVANTS.
Exhibitionof African In.
dustries Throws New
Light on Natives.

wishes IL use his left hand he pushes the brace
let further III, on his forearm and the knife j.
out of his way. On the instant that he needs
1t his right hand sraSl'> the hilt and tears the
knife from its case. The custom il simpler
and handler than carrying IA bowie knife In tl"
lelt or II pistol In the hil. pocket.
The hilt of this knife l. east after the pattern
Of the Christian cross. although its kind was
introduced to the pagan negroes by the Ma
Arabs. Missionaries to Nigeria spec.
ulate.i long over this phenomenon. hui the in
PRODUCTION of the cross probably was due I"
u company Of Christian monks who settled about
the ninth century in tn" region of the NIGER In
the far south Of Morocco nt the edge of the
desert. They chung tciIacion>ly To their pur-
pose there and claimed some converts. but in
time were eXterminatal by the Mahommcplau>.
The personal habits If the natives If northern
Nigeria are not %lrimltiv" ar crude. They
spread Il cloth upon the ground when they eat
ANA their plates are Of woven grn>>, mad" lay
the women. Bowls are the hard shells # 4
Cuurl or n calahash. They Use knives. forks
aud spoons hammered out Of brass or tin. \
popular dish i chicken boiled in palm oil and
set upon the table in the dish In which ii was
cooked, Palm oil is thicker than olive oil aud
l. consumed in great quantities, although biz
expectations are mad" to Mar>"illc>, Trieste,
Hamburg ana London.
With the boiled chicken goes a side dish II
the >tickicst kind Of pudding. For this the
women take the root of III" tapioca plant, boil
1t until ii is soft ana mash, l"und and beat II
until it i n thick, -lutin"u> mass. This l.
served winming in more palm oil. They drink
goats milk AMI Il kind Of wine made from IN"
juice nf some If the native palm trees. When
they kill II goat or n Kid for its meat they drink
III" blood, Vans, sweet POTATOES and onions are
ground for the table ana tropical fruits and
nuts ar" eaten.
II great extent, Their hssls are piles If brush.
wood in II sheltered corner aud covered with a
blanket in the warm sea snn and In the ,Uld
season. which begins in October ana lasts unit
February, there is II stone bed with u charcoal
fire burning in its interior. When the fire has
thoroughly heated the stone the native crdwl>
on IL and goes Ia sleep.
christianity has had m uphill struggle In
this country If iniisputah,r aStutrnc>S lnd in
genuity. For every nue convert Ia thriSt'>
teaching there have lssu forty or fifty t. Mo
hammedaniSln among the pagan negroes Of zen
trail Africa. Charles To"thak"r. curator If III"
commercial museum, adds that this, which
Christian missionaries of every determination
admit. is not hard 10 understand. for the
Arab who brings Mahomct'> cr,-sl j. more
nearly akin Ia the savage than any white
missionary can ever he. Their views are .I.k"
their n~'c II living much the same. 10th l"-
liere In spirits, good and bad. and IA" n"sr"
has no particular objection tn one more Call,Sl
Allah. Each has n l~#Hchant for amulcr>, The
Arab, unlike the missionary. does not >ay ~
the native: "'iive rp your wives: Girr rp your
had habits He cannot condemn customs that
are like his own.
49, ~ - Ni'iN ' u wv ''
hammrlaniSm among the more remote tribes
IN" pagan beliefs are not wholly Intellectual
III" devil dancers in Nigeria with their hide
"ls h"'lhpiec"S nchirv" good 10y inStillin. fear
mt" the hearts of evillorr>, and the secret So
~ci"ties, which indulge IN fetish Worship, serve
I" enforce law by Furnishing men for their wan
ton deeds.
Such ordinary things rs the money used by
the natives are included IN the exhibition. Conn
age was frSt expressed in shells, which men
carried on n string. Later the negroes heated
brass rods and hammered aud beat them mt"
shapes that could he carried over "A string. l'f'
f"reit lengths denoted different values, The
British Introduced II series Of coins with holes
III the middle, 50 that the Ni.crian purse may
stu lr Il string, after the manner Of the Chinese
The Philadelphia Commercial Museum, "t
which the director is DIR. W. l.. Wilson Of the
University ~ Pennsylvanin, II the only com
mercial museum in the United States, and the
new Nis"rian exhibit l. only one uf srNcra.
IN II that cannot he duplicated in rthuulu.lcnl
ana trade interest In any part If the world