Travels Of Richard And John Lander Into The Interior Of Africa For The Discovery Of The Course And Termination Of The Niger By Robert Huish
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They Have Already Been Described As A Filthy Race, But No Words Can
Convey An Idea Of Their Disgusting Nature.
They have long hair, which
it is difficult to distinguish, from being matted together with red
clay and palm oil.
The clay and oil are so profusely laid on; that it
forms an impenetrable shield for the head, and the long tresses,
which descend to their shoulders, are generally in a moist condition.
Although this covering is a complete safeguard to all inconvenience
from without, they still further adorn their heads with a kind of
cap, made of dry grass, ornamented round the border with the feathers
of fowls, or any other bird, carefully stuck into it apart from each
other. Some are so vain as to affix the horns of a ram in front of
this cap, which gives them a most strange and ludicrous appearance.
Finally, the cap with all its ornaments of feathers, horns, shells,
&c. is secured in its place with a piece of stick, which answers the
purpose by being forced through it on one side and out on the
opposite, after passing underneath the hair. Sometimes this elegant
pin, as it may be called, is formed of the leg bone of some small
animal, and is pointed at one end for the purpose of penetrating more
easily. The expression of their countenance, scared and marked as it
is, and surmounted by the cap already described, is wild and
barbarous. They smear their faces entirely over with red clay, mixed
with palm oil, sometimes a kind of grey dust is used instead of the
clay, and this preparation being equally distributed over their whole
persons, renders their presence scarcely tolerable.
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