Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 3.djvu/285

 INHABITANTS OF THE IVORY COAST. 283 sloughs of pythons over thirty feet long and twenty inches round in the middle. But notwithstanding their size, these animals are little dreaded by the natives. Inhabitants. The populations in the western districts of the Ivory Coast are still classed as Kroomen. The Glebos (Gleboe), as they are called, belong probably to the same stock as their western neighbours, the Grebos, and the two names are perhaps fun- damentally one. Cannibalism is said to have only recently disappeared, and mention is made of a tribe in this district with such a limited vocabulary that their speech requires to be supplemented by continuous gestures and play of features. On the banks of the Gle lagoon report speaks of a colony of fetish women, vowed to celi- bacy, and governed by a queen, who by means of certain herbs develops a kind of artificial elephantiasis. All male children born in these Amazonian villages are at once put to death, but girls are carefully trained for their future profession of fetish women. East of the Glebos follow numerous tribes, scarcely better known than the fore- going, and speaking dialects of which very incomplete vocabularies have hither- to been procured. The leading people appear to be the Avekvoms or Avikoms, who occupy a part of the Adu country to the west of the Lahu river. For over two centuries these Negroes have been commonly known by the name of Kwa-Kwa (Quoa-Quoa), from their salutation, which Bosman compares to the quacking of ducks. The trading station of Great Lahu on the outer coastline west of the Lahu mouth is inhabited by Avekvoms. The tribes farther east about the Ebrie Lagoon are generally known by their English nickname, Jack-Jack. They are active traders, playing the part of agents or middlemen for the inland populations, and dealing directly with the European shippers of palm-oil, nuts, and other local produce. In 1884 they thus disposed of five thousand tons of oil, chiefly consigned to Liverpool and Bristol houses. The villages are very numerous about the Ebrie Lagoon, which has an estimated popu- lation of eighty thousand, largely engaged in fishing. Grand Bassam alone owns ever five hundred canoes. The whole population of the Ivory Coast inland to the Niger water-parting cannot be less than five hundred thousand. The tribes dwelling to the north of the French territories of Grand Bassam. and Assini appear to belong to two distinct stocks — the Agni, the original owners of the land, and the Oshin conquerors, who according to their tradition, arrived towards the end of the eighteenth century. The Agni are shorter, more thickset and robust, the Oshins slimmer, with longer head, and more projecting lower jaw. In some villages the women go naked, while the men wear a sumptuous robe or blanket of many-coloured strips. But whatever their origin, all the tribes on this coast are alike noted for their mild disposition and trustworthy character. All business transactions are carried on exclusively by verbal contract, and although at times lasting for months or years, they are always scrupulously fulfilled. At present their territory may safely 79-AF