Pygmies of the Congo.

Manawatu Herald, 7 May 1904, Page 3

Pygmies of the Congo.

Dr. David, of Base , who is exploring the north-east of the Congo Btate in the interest of a Belgian association, has sent to friends in

Germany an interesting account of a tribe of pygmies he has encountered. These diminutive people are known as Wambutti, and inhabit the district of the Upper Ituri They hide in the dense undergrowth on the approach of strangers, but Dr. David often came across their tent-like dwellings in solitary places where game is plentiful, and on the banks of rivers and streams. The men, says Dr. David, are good looking. Their clothing consists of a cap of leopard skin, ornamented with wild boar bristles, monkey’s tails And feathers, diminutive leather aprons and a narrow strip of leopard fur around their legs just below the knees. They are mentally and physically active, and are rarely seen sitting down Their lips are thin, and all have the usual curly hair. A few have beards, but the chests of most are covered with wavy hair. The women, adds Dr. David, are inferior to the men. The usual height of the men is about 4 feet 7 inches, and that of the women about 4 feet 6 inches. In colour they resemble the ordinary natives, but, unlike these, they seem to possess no fetish houses. Their arms consist of arrows, with wooden points tipped with deadly poison, and with a leaf let in the other end. The number of the Wambutti is estimated at several thousands.