ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH OUTSIDE AMERICA. 15 



Perhaps the most urgent needs in Europe are for the study of the existing 

 cultures of Lapland in the north and of the countries of its southeastern 

 corner and especially of Albania. The former task could, however, be most 

 suitably undertaken by one of the Scandinavian countries, while political 

 conditions make the present an unsuitable moment to attempt the study of 

 Albania or other countries of the Balkans. 



AFRICA. 



The reasons which make Europe a field in which there is no urgent need 

 for external help apply also to the more northern parts of Africa. Morocco, 

 Algeria, Tripolitania, and Egypt are so close to Europe that it is possible for 

 European experts to combine archaeological and ethnological investigations 

 with the performance of academic or other duties at home. Even apart from 

 this accessibility, however, these countries excite so much interest that they are 

 already the seat of many agencies for scientific work. Most of these agencies 

 are devoted to archaeological research, but existing cultures are not neglected. 

 Those of Algeria and Morocco have been the subject of several valuable 

 studies by French authors, while for several j^ears Professor Westermarck 

 has been carrying on inquiries into the religious and social institutions of 

 Morocco, combining this with academic work in England and Finland. 



On passing further south in Africa there is much scientific activity which 

 may also be ascribed to the nearness to Europe. Thus, it is probably the 

 frequent visits of its officials to Europe and consequent bringing into touch 

 with the modern movement of thought which have led to the employment of a 

 government ethnologist in British Nigeria and the undertaking of an anthro- 

 pological survey of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan by its government. Many 

 officials of the governments of northern Africa employ their furloughs in 

 obtaining a training in ethnological methods, and such training has now been 

 made compulsory for its probationers by the Sudanese government. From 

 Uganda we have now a large mass of intensive work of the highest order from 

 the Rev. John Roscoe and much excellent work from officials of British East 

 Africa. Though there is still much to be done, there is reason to hope that 

 the British possessions in northern and central Africa may become one of 

 the most thoroughly worked regions of the world from the point of view 

 of the ethnologist. 



In the Belgian Congo a government official is now employed to work at 

 ethnology, and much has been learned by the work of officials, missionaries, 

 and special expeditions, but there stiU remains a vast amount to be done, 

 especially in the way of intensive work. We know very little at present of 

 the details of the social organization and religion of the people. 



In the German possessions in Central Africa the conditions are much 

 the same as in the Belgian Congo. Though no direct encouragement to 

 ethnographical research is given by the government, this is counterbalanced 

 by the larger mass of work produced by residents and expeditions. Much 



