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The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

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396 WEST AFRICA.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Fans.<br />

Most of the region east of the Gaboon <strong>and</strong> north of the Ogoway is now held by<br />

the Fan intruders, who have driven towards the south-west all the other indi-<br />

genous <strong>and</strong> immigrant loojDulations. Wlien the French first settled in the Gaboon<br />

the Fans were almost unknown, although so early as 1819 Bowditch had already<br />

mentioned them under the name of Paamways, describing them as a Fulah people.<br />

<strong>The</strong>ir most advanced villages were at that time still restricted to the hilly inl<strong>and</strong><br />

Fig. 191.—Fan Woman.<br />

•t^-^<br />

plateaux north of the Ogoway affluents ; now they have become the immediate<br />

neighbours of the Mpougwes of Glass <strong>and</strong> Libreville on the banks of the Komo,<br />

stretching north to the confines of the Ba-Tonga territory, while south of the<br />

Gaboon their pioneers have already reached the coast at several points. <strong>The</strong> Syake<br />

Fans occupy the zone of rapids above the Ivindo ; the Osyebas have crossed the<br />

middle Ogoway, <strong>and</strong> others have even penetrated to the Rembo Obenga in the delta<br />

region. Dreaded by all their neighbours, the Fans are at present a rising power,

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