The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-04-25
prepared by the National Geographic
Society WaShinptnn d CT

prepared by the National Geographic
Society. Washington. d. CO
TN HIS hunting trip to Kenya and
Uganda provinces in British East
4 Africa, the prince of Wales, like
most other hunters in that region
of the world. made his headquarters
at Nairobi, capital of Kenya colony.
The largest shops in town cater to the
sportsman, and natives in the vicinity
earn livelihood as "safari boys"
those who bear the supplies for the
hunting parties. Specially equipped
autos now follow the jungle trails
and one may purchase different type
of gun to hunt each variety of animal.
In its early days Nairobi was known
as ''the tin town of East Africa be-
cause of it's houses and shops con-
structed of tin and corrugated iron.
Handsome stone structures have gen.
orally replaced those earlier buildings.
Wide. paved streets have supplanted
dirt roads. Automobiles mingle with
bicycles and jinrickshas drawn by ma
tives. Nairobi is the capital Of Brit
ish East Africa and it's attractive gov
eminent buildings and large hotels
give the city a cosmopolitan touch.
The government of the city is vested
in an elected council. Women have a
municipal vote.
The climate Of Nairobi resembles a
perpetual Indian summer. Therefore
plant life flourishes. Native English
flora transplanted to NairObi grows
hardly. Gardens of hollyhocks and
pinks and masses of roses make the
suburbs resemble an English country
side.
Most of the whites in Nairobi are
English. The native population con-
hammered. agreeable people, and the
Nasal, once the most famous warrior
tribe of East Africa The bulk of the
trade is in the hands of the East In
dams. of whom there are several thou
sand in the city.
Venerable Land.
Though Kenya calls itself the new
est of the British colonies. it is one
of the oldest lands of the earth.
Theodore Roosevelt, in speaking of
his African hunting trip, said that the
Nasal often reminded him Of the pic
lures of the soldiers of Thothmes and
Rameses made by the ancient Egyp-
tian sculptors, in that thier faces
were resolute and had clear-cut fea-
lures. The same noted traveller said
of this tribe that though the women
were scrupulously clothed, 'the hus-
bands and brothers, very ostentatious-
ly wear no clothing for purposes of
decency."
Reports concerning this particular
people have constantly made their APP
pearance in the civilized world be-
cause they persistently pillaged neigh
boring tribes, having decided that they
no longer cared to till their own fields,
but would get their sustenance by TAX
ing the cattle and supplies of weaker
tribes, and in this way have been re-
sponsible for the depopulation of large
districts of British East Africa. To
day, however, they are doing excel
lent work in cultivating the soil.
The greater portion of the Nasal
now live in the districts around Nal
robi. They have perhaps the most
definite religious beliefs of any of the
East African tribes, praying to two
gods, one black and benevolent and
the other red and cruel, but they be-
lieve that when they die. they go out
like a puff. Some of the Bantu tribes,
however, hold to witchcraft and the
witch doctors business is to detect
the culprit so that she-for the ac-
cused is nearly always an old woman
may be put to death.
Still Hunt SACRED Book"
The Galas, though they are now
Of little Importance either politically
or economically, take great pride in
their past. They say that they once
had a sacred book, like the Bible or
the Koran, but COW ate it, and not
being certain about the particular ami
NAL. in their search they are still
opening the stomach Of every cow that
dies.
The most effective weapon of the
Nasal and Andorobo is the arrow
which they poison with the Acocan-
thera Schimperi, small tree. They
boil the leaves and branches until the
mixture becomes thick and pitch-like
in appearance, and place it on sheets
OF bark which they hide high on the
branches of trees away from the chill
dren, until it is needed. When an ami
NAL is shot with an arrow dipped in
the poison, it dies almost Immediately.
The natives cut out the flesh around
the wound as soon as possible and
throw it away. The remainder is
eaten and the blood is drunk. This
love of blood as an article of food is
common among many African tribes,
several of them going so far as to
bleed their cattle and drink the blood
hot or mix 1t with their porridge.
The mixed breed known as Swahilis,
who live along the coast Of the main
land and among the thousand-and-one
representatives Of other peoples of the
world to be found in Zanzibar, have
one claim to prominence among Kanya