THE NEGROES OF THE EQUATORIAL BELT 343 



seemed to me to be a kind of village feast. 

 At length, wearied out with the noise, and 

 being unable to see any meaning or any 

 change in the performances, I returned to 

 my hut." 



b. THE NEGROES OF THE EQUA- 

 TORIAL BELT. 



SCATTERED along the Equatorial zone between 

 Mount Kenya on the east and the Gabun 

 on the west is a group of isolated Negro 

 tribes, intermediate in character between the 

 Bantu and the Nilotic Negroes. The typical 

 and central tribe is that of the Niam-niam, 

 of the north-eastern corner of the Congo 

 Basin; their allies probably include the 

 Kikuyn of British East Africa and the Fans 

 of the Gabun. 



THE KIKUYU. 



On the southern slopes of Mount Kenya, 

 and extending south-westward to the edge 

 of the great Rift Valley that traverses British 

 East Africa, is a belt of undulating volcanic 

 country, once densely covered with forests. 

 This is the home of the Kikuyu, one of the 

 most powerful and successful of the agricul- 

 tural tribes in British East Africa. 



They are a powerfully built, muscular 

 race, brave, but excitable. In general physical 

 characters they resemble the Masai. Their 

 colour is a dark chocolate-brown. They have 

 somewhat round heads, wide noses, thick lips, 

 small pointed chins, oval eyes, and high cheek- 

 bones. " The Kikuyu," says Lugard, " are a 

 fine, intelligent-looking race, with high fore- 

 heads and well-formed heads." The dress of 

 the warriors consists of a flap of skin hung 

 over the shoulders to protect the lungs. 

 The rest of the body is smeared with ochre 



and oil. The elders wear a long leather mantle; the women usually have on an apron of 

 untanned leather hanging from the waist. 



The ornaments of the tribe are earrings including rings, studs, and short wooden rods in 

 the upper ear and disks, and elaborate coils and rings of metal, by which the lower lobe of 

 the ear is greatly distended. The men have strong ivory or metal armlets on the upper arm, 

 which are said to strengthen its muscles. The warriors wear elaborate feather head-ornaments 

 like those of the Masai. Usually most of the head is shaved, but, as with the Niam-niam, 

 a patch of hair is left on the back of the skull; the hair, if not shaved, is twisted into long 

 tags, which are lengthened by plaiting in vegetable fibres, and the whole is plastered with 

 red clay and oil. 



The Kikuyu weapons are leaf-shaped spears about 9 inches broad, with long wooden 



Photo by Richard Buchta. 



A NIAM-NIAM WITCH-DOCTOR. 



