Chap. XVI. CUSTOMS OF THE ASHANGOS. 331 



the tribes nearer the coast, namely in the ampHtnde 

 of their clothing. All are well clothed with the 

 beautiful grass-cloth of the country. I did not even 

 see any naked children. The deugiiis or robes of 

 chiefs are of unusually large size, and are worn gene- 

 rally very gracefully. They seem to tattoo them- 

 selves rather more than the Ishogos do ; and the 

 women do not pierce their ears for ear-ornaments ; 

 their head-dress is the same as that of the Ishogo 

 women, but they do not seem to take so much care 

 of it. Although the streets of the Ishogo villages 

 were broader, the houses of the Ashangos are larger 

 than those of their neighbours. Both tribes adopt 

 the custom of taking out their two middle upper 

 incisors, and of filing the other incisors to a point ; 

 but the Ashangos do not adopt the custom of filing 

 also the upper incisors. Some of the women have 

 the four upper incisors taken out. They submit to 

 this process, in order to be considered the leading 

 belles of the village. All of them, both male and 

 female, shave off their eyebrows and pluck out their 

 eyelashes, and both tribes smear themselves with 

 ntchingo, or red powder. 



Beating the women is here of very rare occur- 

 rence, I am told ; and I have not, myself, seen a 

 single case of woman-beating. In fact, the women 

 have their own way, in many things. Almost every 

 Ashango carries a sword, made by the Shimba and 

 Ashangui tribes. When a sword is sold, the business 

 is always transacted enfamille. Their other weapons 

 are spears and poisoned arrows. They do not make 

 any iron here, but get it from tribes further east. 



