The Eastern Congo 



and the Anioto sect of Human Leopards are amongst their 

 savage customs. These are as singular as any to be met with 

 in Africa to-day. 



In spite of these natives being the wildest savages and 

 using nothing but bark cloth to cover themselves with, they, 

 nevertheless, old and young alike, present a rakish (not to 

 say " nuttish ") appearance, wdth a strut on them that might 

 possibly put an old time hussar in the shade. The said 

 appearance is obtained by the men adorning themselves 

 with brass armlets and anklets, snake and monkey-skin 

 belts, bags, bandoliers and other trinkets, but principally 

 by the bobbed, plumed and furred head-dresses they wear, 

 set on the head at a rakish angle. Some of these hats are 

 works of art, mostly made out of parrot plumes and monkey 

 skins, and sometimes held on with ivory pins ; others again 

 have a bunch of plumes dangling at the end of a piece of 

 springy bamboo. The resemblance of these headgears to 

 the whimsical Paris fashions is so striking that one is 

 led to believe that the latter must have originated on 

 the Congo ! 



Regarding the curious customs of the Wabali, the following 

 notes on the Mamhela ceremonials and other customs are 

 interesting. They were very kindly supplied by my friend 

 Monsieur R. d'Aout, the Administrateur of Bafwasende, a 

 Belgian official of much intelligence and much liked by the 

 weird Wabali. 



Some Customs of the Wabali Tribes. 

 Amongst the various tribes which inhabit the Oriental 

 Province of the Congo, the Wabali are remarkable for their 

 famous religious rites called the Mamhela, characterised by 



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