Eureka Reporter | 1906-01-05 | Page 5 | Queer Fashions in Africa

QUEER FASHIONS iff AFRICA recently the british public received bome late fashion hints from the upper nile a returned explorer re port ng as follows the largest tribe in extent ot distribution Is the wh ch covers the greater part 0 the country between the and the victoria nile they are a tine tall well built race and they live in open villages as a rule their arms are chiefly spears and they spend a good deal of their time in the pursuit of game they practically wear no clothes at all except a small piece of skin as an apron or hung over one shoulder married women wear sometimes a small apron made ot beads the men and women also are fond of wearing a crystal or glass spike about three inches long in the lower lip young men are generally very smartly turned out wearing brightly polished metal rings on their arms and legs also a peculiar little conical cap made of felted hu man hair ornamented with beads of glass or ivory they keep their wea pons in good order and always keep themselves very clean and well oiled A peculiar custom in their villages is the building of a common nursery into which all the small children are stuffed at night the small door being closed with a wisp of hay or piece of basketwork these nurseries are usually raised above the ground and are reached with a ladder so as to be beyond the reach of hyenas A lar arrangement on a somewhat largi er scale is made for the young un married girls the huts are beehive shaped generally very neatly and carefully built A wilder and less organized tribe than the achell are the lango the young warriors wear very handsome headdresses made of cocks feathers which resemble a guardsman s bear skin at a short distance another peculiar habit of the lango Is tc pierce the tongue and hang a little piece of brass chain to the tip chii is the highest effort of fashion