File:Mangbatu woman by the fire. Water-colour by E. M. Heims.jpg

Identifier: fromcongotoniger02adoluoft (find matches)
Title: From the Congo to the Niger and the Nile : an account of The German Central African expedition of 1910-1911
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Adolf Friedrich, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 1873-1969 Deutsche Zentral-Afrika-expedition, 1910-1911
Subjects: Africa, Central -- Description and travel
Publisher: London : Duckworth
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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re nevertattooed; the women, on the other hand, tattoo them-selves all over. The men despise tliis kind of adorn-ment, and it is only on rare occasions that they rubinto their skm a mixture of palm oil and red dye. The womens dress consists of a narrow, dark-brownstri)) of the same bark material, covering them in front,but leaving their backs bare, and fastened round thewaist with a tliin cord. A Httle apron made of driedbanana leaves hangs from this cord, and is known asthe legbe. It is often richly ornamented, and decoratedin various ways. The better class women wear cuffsof spirally wound copper ^vi^e, as well as bead necklacesand bracelets. But their cliief characteristic is theirvery striking coiffure, wliich is begun in infancy. The curious custom prevails among the Mangbettusof lengthening the skull by means of a bandage firmlywound round the head of an infant from the foreheadupwards. (Illus. 18.) As the head developes, thisbandage is loosened from time to time, and the result
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>- o u ^ o o 3 o m « c =; THE MANGBETTU COUNTRY 51 is that the top of the skull acquires a conical shape.It is a remarkable fact that this deformation of theskull does not seem in any way to affect the intellect,and it certainly improves the physiognomy by raisingthe upper eye-lids, so that the Mangbettu womenappear to possess larger eyes than other negresses.They twist their hair into numerous thin plaits whichare arranged on a tliin wooden erection resemblingan oyster-basket. (Illus. 19, 20.) This hair-dressingnaturally occupies a great many hours, and is conse-quently worn for several weeks at a time. The womenpush various articles into their erection of hair : bleachedmonkeys bones, or long steel needles with flattenedpoints. These things do not serve the purpose ofhairpins, but are used for manicure, since the womentake great care of their nails. The Mangbettu women, at any rate those of theupper classes, wash themselves several times a dayfrom head to foot, preferably with w

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