THE first number of the Zeitschrift für Ethnologie for 1873, opens with an interesting, paper by Dr. George Schweinfurth on the Monbutta Tribes of Central Africa, whose name and existence have hitherto been unknown to us. Dr. On and M. Jules Poncet had shown that there were important streams south of the Miam-Miam Territory, which took a westerly course, and that the banks of the must considerable of these rivers were occupied by a brown-skinned race differing widely from the contiguous negro tribes, both in colour and in civilisation. These are the Monbuttas, known also to the ivory-traders as the Guruguri, in allusion to their practice of boring their ears. Their country, which Dr. Schweinfurth visited in 1868, and where he remained for five weeks under the special protection of the king, Munsa, is a densely populated district lying between 3 and 4 N. lat., and 28 and 29 E. long., and bounded on the north by the Kibali, a copious stream which unites with the Gadda, and under the name of Uelle receives in its passage through the Miam-Miam country a number of other streams, that serve as feeders to Lake Tsad. The country of the Monbuttas, lying at an elevation of from 2,500 to 3,000 ft. above the level of the sea, consists of an ever-varying alternation of gently swelling hills and well-watered valleys, alike rich in palms and bananas, and every other form of luxuriant tropical vegetation. In this earthly paradise where Nature spares man the burden of labour, the people, although living under an organised system of government, and showing extraordinary skill in working metals and in other arts, are habitual cannibals. This is not from want of animal food, as elephants, buffaloes, antelopes and wild swine abound, but whatever the cause may be, the fact is undisputed that the cannibalism of the otherwise gentle Monbuttas exceeds that of any other known African nation, and is systematically gratified at the expense of the more degraded blacks living beyond their frontiers, whom they seize and carry away, driving their captives before them like a herd of sheep, and slaughtering them as they need them. The young children and the fattest individuals are kept for the royal kitchen, where the flesh is dried and prepared with capsicums and many savoury fruits for the king, Munsa, whose numerous wives have to take it in turn to cook for him. The power of the king is supreme, and it would appear that the land of the Monbuttas may rank as one of the most important monarchical states of Central Africa. In race the people seem to approximate to the Fulbe, and in language to the north equatorial African group. They recognise one supreme being, appear to have no outward symbols of worship, and practise circumcision.—Dr. P. Langerhans has a paper in this number on the anatomical features of interest belonging to a series of facial and cranial measurements, with the corresponding photographs, taken at Jerusalem from among the mixed population of Khurds, Armenians, and Negroes (from Dâr). As a contribution to human comparative anatomy the paper will be found useful.—Those interested in the study of the prehistoric remains of holland and the Low Countries generally will find much serviceable matter in a paper by Dr. Friedel, who points out the distinctions between the Frisic-Germanic and the Celtic-Batavian remains, and passes in review the collections preserved in the various Dutch museums, of which that of Leyden is themost valuable in an ethnological point of view.
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Jan 1, 1987
Ineke Van Hamersveld 
Open Access