A Journal of a Tour in the Congo Free StateDorman, Marcus R. P.
History
A Journal of a Tour in the Congo Free State
Dorman, Marcus R. P.
Congo (Democratic Republic) -- Description and travel
Sunday is always an interesting day in a State Post, for the Chiefs with
many followers come in for a friendly chat and to ask advice. October
2nd was particularly exciting for a new Chief had been elected in a
village near Banzyville, and great rejoicings consequently followed.
Singing, shouting, dancing and a general hubbub, went on from morning to
night, and if the desire to make a noise is any criterion of happiness,
these people must be the happiest in the world. There are many forms of
dances; sometimes each one shuffles his legs without moving more than a
foot or two and then swings his arms, head and body solemnly backwards
and forwards; sometimes a number will form a ring, and one after the
other will leap into it and rapidly rotate themselves; but whatever the
form, all seemed to be keenly excited and to enjoy it thoroughly.
The natives near the Ubangi have a very distinctive tatouage. It
consists of five elevated knobs of skin which form a straight line
continuing the line of the nose up the forehead. These are formed by
making for each knob two parallel incisions in the skin about half an
inch apart and lifting the flap between. A piece of ivory is then
inserted under the flap and left in until the wound has healed, the
result being a knob of skin elevated above the level of the rest of the
surface. All the tatouage in the Congo consists in raising the skin in
this manner, but in each district the design is different. Simple
tatooing by pricking in colours does not appear to be practised at all.
Fishing here is very simple and very effective. Large baskets tapering
to a point and open at the broad end are fixed by ropes, or rather by
the strong vines which function as ropes here, just at the top of the
rapids and the water rushes through with great force. The fish are
carried into the baskets, but cannot pass through or return against the
current, and are then simply speared and lifted out. They have firm,
white flesh and are good eating.
On October 3rd the Chief of the Banzas comes to the Post to call. He is
a fine, intelligent-looking man and rules his people, who are very
numerous, admirably. In this part of the Congo, the chieftainship
descends from father to son, but in some districts the succession passes
through the family of the wife of the Chief.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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