Over the shoulders they wore suspended the huge, long knife of the country, and in their hands they bore spears and an immense shield made of elephant hide. About their necks they wore various charms and ornaments, which rattled constantly as they walked.
The shield the Fan carries is made of the hide of a very aged elephant. Only the part which lies across the back of the animal is used. It is dried and smoked, and thus rendered as hard and impenetrable as iron. The shield when finished is about three feet long and two and a half feet wide.
The charms, or fetiches, which are worn suspended around the neck by the Fans, consist of the fingers and tails of monkeys; human hair, skin, teeth, and bones; clay, old nails, copper chains, shells; feathers, claws, and skulls of birds; pieces of iron, copper, or wood; seeds of plants; and ashes of various substances. This belief in charms indicated to Du Chaillu the highly superstitious nature of the people.
The women of the Fan tribe wear still less clothing than the men. They are small and hideously ugly. They wear their teeth filed like the men, and, in place of clothing, decorate their bodies with red dye.
The babies of this tribe were carried by the mothers in a sling, or rest, which was made of the bark of a tree and worn suspended from the neck.
Du Chaillu writes of these people that they crowded about him as soon as they became convinced that he meant them no harm, calling him "spirit," and examining every detail of his person and dress that he would permit them to touch. They seemed especially impressed by his hair and feet. They could not sufficiently admire the former. On his feet he wore boots, and, as his pantaloons hid the tops of these, they very naturally drew the conclusion that his boots were his feet, and expressed wonder that they should be of so different a color from his face.
Their color is dark brown, rather than black, and they tattoo themselves more than any of the other tribes north of the equator, though south of it there are tribes that pursue this practice to a much greater extent. The men do not disfigure themselves as much as the women, who take pride in the many blue lines and curves with which they cover their bodies. Their cheeks, too, they mark with various designs, and to add to their hideous appearance they wear in their ears huge copper and iron rings, which are so heavy as to weigh down the lobes to an ugly length.
The men of this tribe are very expert blacksmiths. The tools they make are rude, but they are far superior to those made by any other African tribe. Their weapons are very effective. Their battle-axe is a terrible instrument. One blow from it will split open a human skull. Another weapon is a singular pointed axe. This is thrown from a distance, very much as the American Indian used the tomahawk when on the war-path.
The war knife carried by this tribe is a cruel weapon when used in a hand-to-hand conflict. When not in use it is worn suspended from the side. Another deadly weapon is a huge knife, over a foot long and two-thirds of a foot wide. This is used to cut through the shoulders of an enemy.
The spears, which are fully seven feet long, are thrown with wonderful skill and accuracy to the distance of thirty yards. Crossbows are used in war and on hunting expeditions. Some of the larger arrows, which are used in the hunt, are about two feet in length, and are tipped with an iron head resembling the sharp barbs of a harpoon.