Liberia '^ 



common trait still in some parts of the Zambezi Basin and in 

 Eastern Equatorial Africa. The great explorer, I.. G. Binger, 

 however, in his remarkable journey which revealed for the first 

 time the absolutely unknown countries separating the basin 

 of the Upper Niger from the Ivory Coast, described a tribe 

 which seemingly offers affinities to the Mandingo stock, known 

 as the Bobo-fing. In this tribe he noted that the men were 

 absolutely nude — possibly the women also. They were the 

 inhabitants of one of the most remote parts of the Niger Basin, 

 three or four hundred miles to the north-east of Liberia. It 

 is probable that at the present day even the most secluded 

 and primitive of the Liberian tribes have conceived the idea 

 of decency as regards the male ' if not the female sex, and that 

 some slight covering is worn, even if it only be a piece of bark- 

 cloth. All travellers who have as yet penetrated into the far 

 interior of Liberia, however, either report the widespread use 

 of cotton-cloth or give evidence of the same in their photographs. 



Dressed skins, though reported to be in use amongst some 

 of the coast tribes of this country by early Portuguese and 

 Dutch explorers, seem to have gone out of fashion as clothing 

 or covering at the present day anywhere within seventy miles 

 of the littoral. But in the eastern hinterland of Liberia (Cavalla 

 Basin) the skins of monkeys, cats, antelopes, and goats are used 

 by the men as short aprons. 



Of course the children of both sexes in all parts of the 

 country go perfectly nude till the age of eight or nine years," 

 though they may wear amulets round their necks, or necklaces 



' In the part of this book dealing with the Iiistory it will be found mentioned 

 that absolute nudity amongst the men — possibly of the Km stock— was observed 

 on the Liberian coast by Europeans who visited it during the sixteenth century. 



' Among the Vai, girl children at this age assume the iere, which is a narrow 

 strip of cloth passed between the legs and brought up between the waist girdle 

 behind and before. 



9S6 



