THE GREAT BAUCHI PLATEAU.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14821, 21 October 1920, Page 6

THE GREAT BAUCHI PLATEAU.

t By Marjorie and Alan Lethbridge.) L—PF.OPLK. CorXTHV. PBODICTS From Kann .with its teeming Mohammedan population, with its culture, and its traditions, it is indeed a far i-ry to Jo-, which may justly be described as the capital of the' gnat Bauchi Plat. an. This table-land lies at a height of from -l.tXtOft to oJXMIft above sea level, and is approximately 2DO miles long by 70 miles broad. It possesses two points of great interest: in the first place, it is the home of Pagan tribe-., who are undoubtedly amongst the most primitive people in the whole of Western Africa: while, in the second place, the tin mines of the plateau rank amongst the _ most important ot tlie world. There is no exaggeration in the statement that, given time and opportunity, a book could easily be written concerning the habits ami customs of th- Pagan communities How they got there, from what stock they are acscended, the history of their past, all is veiled in the profoundest mystery. We were told by :: political officer, who has taken an interest in the (|iiestion. that he believed that they had formerly possessed a comparatively high state of civilisation, and that gradually they had drifted, generation by generation, into their present condition In support of hiV contention he instanced some remarkable stone remains whicn are to be sen on the northern fringe of the tableland, causeways, bridges, viaducts, neatly fashioned from huge slabs of stone, and certainly beyond file constructive ability of any native race to h ■ found to-day within a thousand miles of the spot. On the other hand, it appears equally likely that wficn the Fulanis. with their Hausa hordes, overran tite Western Sudan, these born warrior;—for such they were—took to the hills to preserve their independence. It is worthy of note t\at- they retained this independence until the di.-covery of the tin deposits ied to active British intervention and the opening up of the plateau by the mining industry. Although the plateau, owing to its altitude, has practically a temperate climate, those people of both sexes despise clothing, and go about, to all intents and purposes, in a state of nature. The only exception which can be named is that women who pre married wear what might be •termed a very small "bustle." made of grass or leave-, or plaited straw. But feminine vanity being the s;ime the world over, and though these ladtts do not spend a large dress allowance, ns may he imagined, they still have their own ideas of fashion. Thus, some of them will paint elaborate garters in r.-d pigment below the knee, while we have seen n veritable leader of society who had colored herself blue from her hips downwards. Men and women shave their heads, and

the "coming out" dress of the debu- j tante is the simple addition to her toi- j let of a long straw stuck through the 1 upper lip. Before a young man may enter the bonds of matrimony he is put through a test of endurance to ascertain whether he is worthy of a. mate and is fitted to be a parent of the next generation. The ordeal consists of standing before the elders and being beaten over the back. leg*, shoulders, and abdomen with sticks and leather thongs, several ribs being often broken during the proceedings. In the latter event, of course, the applicant for this unpleasant form of marriage license is considered as useless to the community, as also is he who shouts from pain. Should he, however, pass his examination, he takes the lady of his choice without going through any formality, such as asking her permission, and" slie becomes one of the common wives of the family, for communism as practised here is carried to the extreme conclusion advocated by the Bolsheviks in the early days of their power —women as common property. It must be admitted that this curious state of affairs has apparently had no deteriorating effect from a physical standpoint, since both men and women are usually most magnificent specimens of humanity. A noticeable feature about these tribes is the fact that one never sees their children, who during their earliest years are cared for by the old women of the village who are too decrepit to engage in manual labor. Men and women alike work upon the farms for the common weal, though members of the male population both hunt and fish. All are wonderful horsemen, and we were told that for three diivs one village put up a continuous light against a detachment of native soldiers under British officers, who .vere armed with Maxim guns as well as rifles. To the, credit of these people it must be also recorded' that, once beaten, they bear not the least malice, and, as we* can testify, all are on the best of terms with the mining community. As workers, however, they do not Khine. In tho first place money, as such, is of no use to them, with the single exception of that which they require for the payment of their annual tax to the Government. For this purpose they will deign to work in tho mines for a fortnight, and even 'hen are not- highly satisfactory, since, the mornings being chilly and clothing Vicing absent, they will not leave the shelter of their* huts until the sun is well iTfT and the mists of the night have been disi>elled through its agency. We visited one native village under Ihe charge of an amiable old rogue of a headman, who niado his menfolk part with some of their spears in return _ for despised currency of the realm, which, however, the headman evidently bad some use for himself, since he collected it with the utmost rapidity as we doled it out to the rightful recipients. The huts were of clay, with the most minute doors, through which the owners literally had to wriggle upon their stomachs. Tt was explained to us that in their opinion this afforded them the maximum of privacy, since the operation of getting in and out was not ;;t----traetive. and hence afternoon calbrs were unusual!

Primitive humanity in some respects possesses a curiously sardonic species of utilitarian humor: those doorways form an example. The country through which wo passed en mule to some villages we visited was liberally studded with native villages, each surrounded with a tall hedge of thick and prickly cactus, an excellent precaution against the raids of enemies. When British troops encountered these obstructions during the Bauchi military expedition of 190(>-7 the casualties suffered through their medium were terribly heavy, and it. was rather surprising; that they were still allowed to retain them, -which only goes to prove- how satisfied these pagans are with British rule, and how confident we are that they have no grounds for complaint and no desire to cause ilk- administration trouble. In many respects the Bauchi nlatoau reminds one forcibly "of the West of Scotland. To a West Countryman, again, it may speak of Dartmoor. There are vast hummocks of bare rock which might easily be taken for "tors." There are miles of magnificent pasture harboring the famous Fulani cattle, which are not unlike the Highland breed. And. above all. in the early morning, when the mist is just commencing to rise, when nature is awakening to another day. and. except fo-. the chirruping of myriad birds. Otere is the wonderful restful silence of the upland which can only be found in the upland and far removed from the hurly burly of the plain. Then it seems as though in all reality the dear old West f'oimtry round about Hay Tor. or Wjdpco'mbc. or Peter Taw and his sister Mary had been transplanted for the nonce to far-away Nigeria. Alas! however, daylight aiid tin mines dissipate romance." and the countryside resembles, as indeed it is. a hive of industry. The largest undertaking in connection with the plateau is. without doubt. tlt» great Ropn Tin Comnany. situtted about forty miles from Jos. and reached by an admirable motor road. • onstructed in the bad old days of faulty administration by this enterprising and go-ahead corporation. Tt is pleasing to be able to state that Sir Hugh Clifford has now taken over this commercial artery, which, apart- from the mitv.\ taps a portion of the country rich net only in minerals,, but in farms formerly stunted by lack of communication. Considering that, during the war. tin was as scarce as could be. that it was

tuiKt urgently needed, and that ihi= undertaking is the fifth in the world :i- regards; tin production, then ivh.it mn hi' s:iid for ;m administration which deliberately ignored request after request f<>r- a rond, nnd contented itself with tlii- retort. "If you want one. make it your.sclvfi." Ooninient is hardly nece.-xiry. hut enterprising admi:iistration it emphatically is not. A fow figures concerning Ropp may not ho without interest. Royalties to the ("!u----vernment from 1912 to 1919 reached the. respectable figure of £-l;">.f)00.

Roads cost about €22.000: railway freightage the abnormal sum of £"•),- 000. And ?pent in Niegria was n total r-iim of nearly £300,000, all money, he it remembered. going i"to the country and helping its finances through various diverse channels. Yet the one request tor the aforesaid road was refused! During the period under consideration the tin produced amounted to -4.150 ton<. which, at £4oo a ton, represents a value of over £1.*00,000. Of course,

in common with many other things connected with the tin-mining industry under the Clifford ndtiiinistrat'ou, change to the advantage ol the mining community are lieing most carefully considered. And not Lhe least of these is that of railway freightage.