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Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, April 04, 1908, Last Edition, Part Two, Image 27

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DESK11ET EVKN1JSG NttWS SLt1JAl Y1IJUL u 1 19US 27
rA NATION GARBED IN BARK CLOTH
ALL ABOUT THE BAGANDA WHO RAISE THEIR CLOTHES BY PROCESSES OF A CRUDE AGRICULTURE II J
1 1 f lB l Inn
I THE GIRL WITH THE HOE
Frank < 1 Carpenter Takes a Camera Shot for the Deserct sews tU a
Shaved Head Maiden Dressed In Bark Cloth
SjtcUl Correspondence
111PA1f S Uganda Away off
C here In tho heart of tho black
L continent within a few hun
dred miles oC the headwaters
rt the Kongo and right at tho source
the Vile JH a nation uf scmlclvltlzcd
Africans who aio clad all In bark I
me left the Kavlrondo on tho other
Woof Victoria Nyanza They go stalk
ked and are not ashamed These
people aro fully chid and they con
I
rider all exposure of the person Inde
ant A married woman who would go
bout ciiring only tho girdle of beads
mil the hot llb w tall which constl
UI5 full dress about Port Florence
AOUM be arrested In Kampala and tho
Lsanda nmn who would strut around
ahh only a little apron of stein tied to
kis vain nt the bark would bo drum
med out of the country
The Dagunda us these peoplo are
MM nit a nation of prudes This Is
wespecially ils fnr as tho men aro con
cerned i ciy QUO of them when not
working zr clothed In long ilowlnggur
B ots from his head to his feet and In
w time or the last king tho man who I
Ih trod II MI of bare leg lit his Inn
J tj apr eiico was instantly punish
td I ten lolil you how the old blind
najlflm of tlv pitsent king lost his
tyc56y i having a princess to sea him
tt wlmmlns This was at the com
iof old Klns 1lulcsn and that
natrtth > landing ho kept It largo corps
> r nude girls about his palaco to act
V Ns valots uwiulayB tho Uganda
s l uman an > almost
much
as clad its
the men ana It Is only when out work
hot In tho Ml >
tlelil that liter 1IIU y occuslon
all
alit Dose vll tiara to tho waist
A NATION IN BARK
Tl
in Ir about ono nillllon negroes
brurtrn IWr 1111 that Is just the num
In rnl rlvllized
nBunda If
Ito
U
null
Mlcct all
out CJeorgla col
ored population together and dress
thorn in bark having an occasional ono
clad In Hhcots of white cotton you
would havo something like the nation
here nt the source of tho Nile Tho peo
ple aro Bantu negroes They are It
anything better looking than our col
ored people and are far more Intelli
gent than tho negrogs about tho Gull
of Guinea from where the greater por
tion of our slaves camo Their bark
clothing Is mado In tho shape of great
sheets of tho Hlzo of a bed quilt and
It Is wrapped about tho body extend
ing In the case of the men from the
n cl to tho feet and with tho women
front under tho arms well down to the
ankles Tho Bnganda man begins dress
Ing by winding a Htrlp of bark cloth
about his hips and passing It between
his legs and fastening It at the waist
After this ho puts on his largo sheet
which ho fastens around his shoulders
and often ties In at tho waist It is only
when at hard labor that any other part
of his body Is bare AVhen working
his lower legs often show The women
do not seem to regard tho exposure of
their jioreons above the waist as Inde
cent although they aro usually clad
from armpits to ankles I am told that
many of them take oft their clothes
when dining Inside the house In ofilcr
to keep from soiling them Tho woman
I Lice aro on tho whole pretty well clad
ADAM AND EVH IN UGANDA
Vhcn Adam and Jjvo had their little
trouble over tho apple und tram It ns
an oy < ol > oncr clad thomsulvs in fig
leaves they got tin example for theso
people of Uganda The Briganda how
e > use tho hark of the llg three und
not the leaf This toil clothing N nil
made of the IiiHldo Hkln of a species of
lug tree which they glow In their gar
dens I havo jutft returned from a long
trip through the country and have had
an opportunity to see how tho bark
Is grown and how It In prepared for
clothing
Pie ordinary Uganda family lives In
a thatched hut surrounded by banana
The Most Civilized of African Negroes Their Queer Dresses
and How They Are MadeA Suit oi Clothes for Four
CentsAcross Uganda in an American Jiiirikisha A Land
of Good Roads Kept Up by the Women
plantations and these clothing trees
are planted In among the bananas
They nro to bo seen ovorywhetti along
thu roads They grow to a height oC
front 20 to 30 feet and their brunches
begin nt about eight or ten feet from
the ground Tho bark IH cut hi such 1
way that It comes off In sheets If It
is properly shipped from the tree m
other coat will grow so that the same
tree will produce n now crop of cloth
every year In cutting the bark great
enro I taken to Ictivo a thin film on lira
trunk and soon ns the outer hark Is
iiinoveii the trunk Is wrapped In green
liunuuu leaves and thc the tied
tlRhtly abort It with banana fiber I
all wV tho nullvcii doing neh work In
many of tho gardens on my way across
Uganda
The hark comes off in strips from MN
to ten foot long and as wide an the clr
eumfcipiue of tho tiee These strips
mo soaked for n time lit water until
they became damp and soft They fur
then spread out on skin main and
hammered With innlletH Thin nmlto
thrill thinner und broader They arc
also pulled and Htretehed until they
finally bticomo much Into pieces of cloth
from half u yuid to a yard wide awl
of the length of the cutting The balk
Is cunfpuftcd nf many fibers which
oruvH each utliw this way and that
way just like weaving and when It
Is dried It seems like a great sheet of
woven libers It can now be sown to
gether Into the blankets used as cloth
ing and it can be painted and decor
ulotl In patterns I have bought it hum
her of sheets of this tuff They are of
0 reddish hroHii color of tho fame hui
Uh clnuimjn or tan bark They feel Just
lll < o woven elolh and look as though
they might have been felled or pasted
tluoiigh 11 loom The stuff IK HOIIIO
what thicker than cotton tOicotlnffi but
It Is iii Him and almost an smooth
1 tiiidcrolanil wine of this bark cloth
has been sent to America and F hope
und that It Is used In Ociiimny fur
making ladles shopping bags and curd
eases aa well UH caps hats and book
covers I teas told in Entebbe by nn
exporter there thiit he hrd npilleatlorn
tar a largo amount of It from certain
Ameilcan weaving mllli which wished
to experiment In making velvet of It
The cloth pan be trimmed Ilko silk
muslin or velvet It can bn dyed any
color and It could be made waterproof
When Itls blocked to any form It holds
Us shape and when cemented together
Into two thicknesses laid crosswise it
Is very strong It might be used as a
matting and would ba decorative as
a wall paper As It is there Is prac
tically no maiket for It other than
that of the natives and I have bought
several blankets six or eight feet square
10r about 33 cents apiece
NO PINS OH BUTTONS
I wish I eould show you home of
these Uganda girls dressed In their
terra cotta sheets as I see them around
mo The bark cloth Is wrapped light
ly about their bodies leaving their
plump arms and shoulders bare It
Is often tied In at the waist with n
bark doth sash and Is gathered up nt
the rent BO that n great fold hangs
over and falls halfway to the knees
It gives forth a swlshy rustic as tho
women move and I am told that they
delight In the noise ns our girls delight
In the swish of their silk petticoats In
such costumes the bust Is entirely cov
ered and the only weak point about
the dress seem to be that It has no
pins nor buttons and that theiu tire not
even shoestrings over the arms to hold
the dress up The more knot at tho
front seems by no means safe and I
am In constant fear that tho tlo will
slip and tho bark cloth drop to tho
ground Tho longer I stay however
the less this fear holds The dresses
roan to lx ns tight as though glued
anil that oven on tho girls who work
on tho road chopping out tho woods
with their litho hoes and bending half
doublo as they do BO I have seen
women to working with little black
babies on their backs held In by tho
bark cloth
I
A SUIT CLOTHES FOR FOUR
CENTS
Speaking of this dross of tho Ba
EiiiHlu I have said they nro all fully
clad This Is so of both men and women
and of even small boys The only ex
ceptions are girls up to the ages of
eight or nine yours They go absolutely
nuked sate that each bas a ring of
woven fiber or of twisted huimni steins
UH big around as my thumb This they
wear about the waist During our trip
yesterday my son Jack mot n girl so
chit and bargained with her for her
outfit The little one Fold her whole
suit oC clothes for 4 cents stepping out
of her Avnlst ring aid standing them
miked while she handed It to him and
took the money A moment later she
scampered oil Into a banana patch and
mado It new ring of banana libers to
U
take Its ACC I inn told that the little
OUCH consider themselven undi s ud
wh11 they have not this ring about
their waists and that If they have left
It off they will run for It and put It on
before they como to meet strangers
TIIKV SHAVE THHIIl JIHADS
Till1 little girl had her head shaved
cud to the skin Thin Is so with both
women and nice among the Uaganda
Uoarly every one linn a scalp Ilko pol
ished ebony although n few allow tho
hair to know The IJaganda ilo not
jvcur jewelry and the women lo nut
jilerre their cars nor disfigure them
selves with pears und val ious other
mutilations as Is common among most
African tubes Those whit wear hair
do not load It with greaso and as a
lllle he piHiplo thin noted for tholr
cleanliness nnd fondness for bathing
Hlnce the country ban been opened tw
Kmipen ninny of tho richer natives
have begun to uenr cotton und strange
to say they prefer American goods In
any other These goods hero go by thu
name of Amerlcanl This means cotton
hooting nnd that made In the usual
length for ono dress IJoth men and
omen wear such sheets so that any
large crowd forms a mixture of whites
and tans The whites arc the Amen
tail cottons and the tans are the bark
blothx
HOW TILE ISAGANDA IOOIC
These natives of Uganda arc Hn > >
looking They nre shorter than tho
average Caucasian the men being not
more than live foot four or five Inches
tall and the women Mill less Uoth
sexes me wllI formed Kvery ono holds
his head up and throws back his nhoul
tiers and all aro broad breasted and
deep chested This may come from the
hilly nature of the country amid tie
fact that the people do much walking
up und down hill
The younger women have beautiful
nocks nod arms and very full bioatst
Many of them nre like ebony statues
and almost every girl has a form which
would be coveted by any American
belle Their erectness of llgnre comes
largely from the habit of carrying
things on their heads This Is done by
both men and women During my trip
across tho country I passed hundred
cairylng loads In that way Men went
along on the trot with firewood
bunches of banuiuiK and bales of hides
balanced on cushions of leaves upon
their crowns I saw women carrying
gourds of water ti > on their bends so
carefully poised that tho water did not
spill although the gourds were tin
touched by tho hand Now tumid then
we passed a girl going along with a
glass bottle balanced on her pate and
at one placo I saw a gang of portera
carrying elephants tusks In that way
ACIlOSS UGANDA IX A JINIUKISIIA
Hut let me tell you about a Jlnrlklbhn
ride which I took from Knlobbo to
Kampala the iwtlvo capital Uganda
Entebbe Is situated on Victoria Nynnza
Iii miles across tho lake from Port
Florence and Kampala Is about 25
miles away back in tho hills The road
between the two places has been laid
out and Improved by tho British and It
Is now one of the flew drives of tho
world The roadway Is about SO feet
wide It is as hard as stone and as
smooth as a floor The grass and weeds
ait kept out of It and there are ditches
at the side with culverts hero und
there to carry off the water Tho
streams ate crossed by bridges and
tho whole 21 miles is as good an the
beach drive along Rock Creek In Wash
ington or any of the roods nt Central
Park Indeed the only native high
ways that will compare with It aro
those of Java the labor upon which Is
done In much the same way
A LAND OK GOOD HIGHWAYS
Uganda Is a land of good roads This
country IK about as big as Kansas and
It has thousands of miles of liatlvu
roads each 10 feet or morn In width
Tills Is different from the other coun
tries of Africa
The most of the native territories are
ocoenslblo only by footpaths which
wind In and out about the trees nnd
aiound tho stones and logs permitting
piussongeiu to travel only single Hie
and on foot This Is so In tho most oC
German East Africa In British East
Africa and In the Kongo valley It was
over such roads that Stanley went
and Llvingitonc and the other great
African explorers mado their way
through such paths
These roadways are ont of the great
est signs of Ugandas civilization They
go up hill and down vale crossing tho
streams and swamps on bridges and
caiiHoways
Since the BrllWi took possession of
the country they have Improved these
native roads They are building othorit
and one can now go In a jlnrlkiRhu
pulled hy native from hero to Ijnke
Albert a distance of about 200 miles
1 understand that these Is even a road
to Gomlokorn which lies In the Hudan
on the other side of Uganda That
place is the terminus of steam naviga
tion on the Nile so that I could go by
jlnrlklnha from here to that point and
thence by nteBII1 > oat and mil to tho
Mediterranean
WHERE VON 19N WORK THE
ROADS
All tho roads of this country tire kept
up by the natives under the direction
ot their chiefs although bick of tho
chiefs are tho Hrltth oHlelald who work
through twin Hvcry person in tho
country mule and female Is subject to
ono months work during the year ns a
load las Wo think It a heavy burden
If we have to pny for one dayn work
on the load but here every one Is sup
posed to lurk a wholo month Booh
chief Is respoimlhlu fur the toads of his
territory and he calls upon every
hoiifienolder far the requisite amount of
labor The householder IM a rule sis
that tlw most of the work Is done 1 > y
I
the women This I found to be the
care all the wily fiom Entebbe to ICnm
pain Kvprywhtr there weru girls
down on their knees pulling out weeds
01 binding over unit smoothing the
inaJtxid with shorthnndlcd mitlvo hoes
In one or two place mall were nt work
but as a rule the rough labor was dons
by lutre shouldered bare arned and
barefooted females clad In bark cloth
Ing Now mid then I stopped on the
way to Watch them and ono took a
snap hot of a shaven handed maiden
with u mi live hoe In her hand
AMERICAN JINRIKISHAS
It In flu odd experience to travel
through the African wilds In u Jlnrlk
Islut but that is what 1 did on my way
here from Entebbe This vehicle wins
originally the Invention of an Ameri
can missionary who lived in Japan It
took so well there that a great part
of tho travel of that country Is now
done In It and It ha wince spread
from Japan throughout the far ease
We have It In Manila and It TiTalno
I common In India Somo were Imported
Into South Africa a few years ago und
an enterprising American firm hex tak
en to manufacturing them for export
These lined here are of American make
They look fcomewhat Ilk a letorli
having scats wide enough for one or
two people I took four for my trip
Two of these were for myself mid win
and the others for our baggage and
photographic Instruments We paid S2
for each Jlnrlklshn and this Included
four lusty natUeii who pushed aim
pulled us along One man pulled In
the shafts and the threo others pushed
from bchlmi The men wero flit uhu k
Lilt jet Thc were bareheaded bare
legged and burefootpd and were clad In
gown of bark cloth or cotton They
1
went on the trot oven while ellmhlnr
the hills and lin Mug all the any 1
Koch Jlnrlk lii party formed n qiin
tt of which the man In the shaft ws tl
the lender The songs Bfrtnned to eon A
nun a thousand veres of one line Ach
This su yiiUd mi ty the leader amt
nt the end the that men behind wou i
grunt out r a ° a i wo u oiHIn NiiinrllM
much like the < roliliif abullfroj I 1
was Kariing Kaning
Tho singing did well enough at the
Mart but after 10 miles It bogan in
war upon UI and wo wished they
wore dumb
COUNTRY SCENES
Ac were about live hours In making
tiie SS miles The way led up and down j
over a tolling country much or It open
pustule land consisting of hills cover
ed with grass and spotted here and
there with groves ot trees Everywhere
thre were patchex of bananas und
nut of iiioli rush one of the round i rasa
huts of the natives with those bark
ilothlng lees all mound it In placin
w went through forests und now acid
hen skirled a Jungle which made ua
tremlilo a little UB wo thought of tli
leopards HOIIH and other wild beasts
which Infest parts of Uganda
There were natives everywhere on
the way and at times the roads vei
lined with them Now 11111 then wv
passed a great foreign wagon hauled
bv Hi or i > lusty black fellows mat
KaJI vent by bangs of porters trottlnft 1
along with great loads on their head i
The trip troughout was wild hi the
extreme and Its < cllmix was capped liv
this treni naiUL town of Kampala
where I now am and or which I will
write In the untie
FRANK G CARPENTER
1
A GREATER MILLARD COUNTY f
Down In Mlllnrrt rmrnty nt a point near TOrerslde on the San Pedro Los Angeles and Salt Lake nlll1roal1 iii
there Is lichiff constrnetPd by the OASIS LAND AND IIUUGATION COMPANY and the MELVILLE IJIIUOATION
COMPANY one of the largest diverting dam In the State of Utah This dam la part of the largest Irrigation sys If
tem In the State and supplied directly by the waters stored In the Sevler Ucwervulr located in Juau and San Pete fMi
Counties and having a capacity of 30000 acrcfeot The waters diverted nt the JUverslde dam will serve the arid if
lands lying III tho Pahvant Valley of which 43000 acres luivo boon recently withdrawn from entry at tho Vnltcd I i
State Land Office In Salt Lake In accordance with an application made under the Carey Act hy the Oasis Land r
and Inlgatlon Company It will also servo about IGOOO acres which have been located under the desert und home r
stead acts by the members of tho Melville Irrigation Company It Is expected that the Department ut the Interior 1
will take action on the application mado by the Oasis Land and Irrigation Company somo time In Slay when a
drawing will be held and the lands thrown open for entry In accordance with Oho Carey Act
Milliard County han the largest tract of arable land In tho State It has n deep alluvial boll fumed by a delta r
deposit of the Scvler River Which has the largest drainage area of any river In Utah The latent possibilities of m
this territory arc beginning to attract t hn engineer capitalist and homoEcelcor In addition to having a rich and ox
haustlcss soil this valley has Ideal conditions for irrigation and drainage the litter bailiff ino t osHonUal for tho t
best results in an irrigation system Time productiveness of this region Is further enhanced by long periods of +
sunshine In each year and a beneficent climate that gives abundant yield of crops ana visor to the homebuilder I f1
Tho nier ldo dam Is roughly 800 feet long on the crest 170 feet wide on tho bottom and 30 foot above the t
bed of tho river 1t Ima n reinforced concrete spillway a concrete tunnel 2oo feet long 4 feet wldo und S feet high r k
through the center of the dam in which Is set the steel gates onu S feet high and 4 feet wino and two gates serv
ing a three and four foot pipe respectively that are used In connection with the electric power plant whirl will f
bo constructed nt this point Approximately 500 electrical horse power will bo generated This will be transmitted j
to the towns of Iturtnor Oasis Deserct Illncklcy Abraham and other points where it may he needed Four Bets oC Iilit
large steel gates turn being installed In the damn at the Sevicr Bridge Reservoir and whIle this work IB going for i
ts aill the construction will bo completed nt the Illversldo or Mellvilln dam In closing oft the river Installing head t
gates In the canals etc About fifteen miles of main canals havo been completed leading from this diverting i
dam and upwards or 15000 acres will bo served by the system during the present year Tho dam proper will bo 1 J F
fully completed by May 1st 1
Mlllard County is beginning an era of progression and the potential desert is being transformed Into tho gar ffrt
den of Titan j
V J
ANEW SPRING SUIT ANNOUNCEMENT
111 IIIZW
For ladles or gentlemen as the u
result of our superior donning
and prcsslng pioceKS on any of AlBERT J SEARE Watchmaker III Jeweler
your Inst years clothes No gar t Jo f
ment too linn or color too dellcato
to be treated by us Our patrons Politically cubed Cupid fall raisins to announce to his many
urn the most particular people In friends and former patrons mat he has reopened with a fine now stock
this city
Call for our wagon Hell 2607 of Watches Clocks and Jewell a
1ml COS3
at 27 West 1st South
Chicago Cleanimj Co
Jcnt Prices 11 work guaranteed
37 P 0 Place Confcienco rude uspoctfully Itcd I
f tIIIk
u i
m1LWBl i < Ia
R K THOMAS DRY GOODS COMPANY I
=
SPECIAL FOR MONDAY AND WEEK
To JIII J
500 Pieces Best American Prints BLACK INDIA BLUE5 and RED GREYS FANCIES 16 yds for 1000
SOLD IN 16 YARD LENGTHS ONLY
25 Pieces Galatea Cloth 15 pcs Barnsley Table Linen
19c d 69c d
25c QUALITY C yd Worth up to 125 a yard choice at yd
80 PCS CELEBRATED DIRIGO NOVELTY BATISTE
20c VALUES = = = = = = = = = = = = l d c ydSEE
THE MOST STUNNING EFFECTS SEE THEM
1 lr n r IIfJ1i m r rt nrr trr r i U Ii J I T 1i 11l1ll
I

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