The Portland daily press., 1869-04-06
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND.
Tuesday Morning, April 8. 1869.



"Cannibal jack" whose true name is Star,
has given New York reporter an interest
ing account of his adventures among the in
habitants of the Marquesas Islands where for
so many years he lived and ruled. We give
below a few extracts from his narrative:
CANNIBALIsM.
The Marquesans ale tall, inely-fcrmed men
of dark copper color, agile, and very coura-
geous. The women are slender, and much
shorter than the men. They are inveterate
cannibals, and this not from necessity, but
because they pre- ter human flesh to any other
kind of food The bread-fruit grows in i'm
mense quantities in all the islands, without
any trouble of cultivation, and the natives
can gather what they please. There are also
great quantities of bananas, pine apples,
boova. taro, and other tropical vegetables
growing wild. Tue islands are frequented by
wild pigeons In prodigious numbers, and
there are plenty of wild goats and wild pigs
Trhe seas abound with fish, which the natives
catch by SIMPLIFYING them with a narcotic
drug and then hosting them rapidly into
their canoes. This drug Is called duasa. and
Is prepared by the natives from a small plant
growing in different parts of the islands. Ma
ture, indeed, has been lavish in her gifts to
these beautiful regions. And, therefore, it is
not want, but actual relish TOR mans flesh.
that tempts them to these dismal feasts. 1t
appears that they have a human banquet
about once week. The victims are the
prisoners taken in the numerous forays
which the islanders make upon one another
These unfortunates are slain, their bodies
stuffed with sweet seer ted herbs, and then
roasted upon hot stones. They are covered
over with more of these leaves and hot stones
from the description, much after
the plan of cooking clans at a clam take,
and finally, when cooked, are eaten at the
public feast. Starr says that he did all be
could to persuade the people to forego these
horrid practices; but, though they were will
ing enough to obey him in other things, they
declined TO follow his advice in this. On one
occasion, be says, they had prepared for a
feast of mans flesh, and as he had a great
horror OF the whole affair, he went of to The
to hunt. While he was on the
schooner arrived in the bay. 1t
was the Sea Witch, commanded by Captain
Chapman, who had formerly been American
Vice Consul at Raiotea, The Captain came
ashore to see Starr and trade with him for
fruits, &c. He ascended from the rocky
shore, and walking through the little town,
came straight TO the public square when the
feast was at its height. A native,
knowing the purpose for which he had land
ed. came forward and taking him by the arm,
pointed out Stars hut, and tried to make
him understand that he should wait there
while they sent a boy after the white chief.
The Captain, however, seeing the natnre of
the direful festivities then in progress, began
to be much alarmed. He doubted what
these singular gesticulations could mean be-
ing tat, healthy man, a horrid suspicion be-
cad to tingle beneath the roots of bis hair;
he released himself from the grasp of the ma
tives at a bound, and rushing Off at the top of
his speed, never stopped until he reached his
boat, which he caused the man to force with
pretty rapid strokes through the water until
they came alongside the schooner. Starr at
terward met the Captain in Raiotea, ind he
told him that he bad never been so much
frightened In the course OF bis lite.
! TABOO. M pAi W s
We are apt TO talk OF the tiresome eti-
Iuette and tedious conventionalities OF civiliz-
ID life, and are also apt to imagine that there
IS q delicious freedom and absence OF restraint
among uncivil.zed tribes. Nothing can be
more inaccurate than such ideas. These
are literally iron-bound in set
Di conventional and superstitlous rules which
ex END to the most minute circumstances OF
life. The great moral apparatus tor the di-
which signifies anything that is sacred or for
btdden OF reserved. taboo" embodies all
these signifcations. and something more,
since It implies also fearful retFiBation upon
al who violate it. Thus, all the men eat to-
gether, and all the articles OF food that are
prepared for them are "taboo;" and must
never be touched by woman. Even the
house where the public meals are eaten, and
its inclosure are taboo" and women are
yy,h;h;tod trv,, oy,te :; ~ tt,ax RI a ,,;ao, = 8.
hair shaven from mans head has fallen up
on any road or pathway, woman must not
dare to pass over it, and a mark is set up to
show that the place is Taboo" There are
some articles of food which men and women
may eat together, as there are a few kinds of
drink which they may also share; all other
kinds of food are taboo" 1t anything is
thrown accidentally upon the head It is Eta
boo" and must never be used; it is hung up
in the sacred inclosure until it rots away.
Any article inadvertently lifted over child's
head is taboo" If woman climbs INTO a
tree, it is ''laboo" tor a man to pass under
meath 1t !; so the tree has always to be cut
down. A Marquesan believes that he vio-
lates "tabos" he will swell up till he bursts !;
and that II he should 60 in a canoe on salt
water, he would be seized and eaten by a.
shark. And the most singular fact Is that the
people that they do invariably take some dis
ease and die ii they unintentionally violate
taboo Ii they are known to violate it in
-tentionally they are Immediately killed. 1t is
customary for men when they are expecting
death to will away their articles to different
persons of their family; thus a pig may be
'staboU" to child and the animal must new
er be injured until the child arrives at Ger.
tain age, when the pig is killed at FEAST
The regulations in regard to taboo" extend
even to particular kinds of festivals. Thus
ii chief Is not tattooed in certain way, he
Is not admissible to some of these feasts.-
The missionaries established on some OF the
islands have endeavored to root these super
stltions out of the minds of the people; but
some who have even adopted Christianity for
several years, are still found adhering to these
singular notions.
They do not eat their dead friends, bu
hang them up in the sacred inclosure, unit
their body is thoroughly dried. The skull ii
carefully preserved as an heirloom in the fam
lily. The rest of the remains are left to take
their chance. 1t is mark of quality to pos
sess great number of skulls; and when The
islanders attack the town of another tribe
their most eager desire is to rifle the houses
OF all the skulls they contain. These are
borne off in triumph and and added to theil
own private collection of crania.
CLOTHING, ETC.
These people wear very little clothing
What they have is made of a material called
tdpd. 1t is manufactured from the bark of 8
tree, beaten or pounded with stones to any
required thickness. Some OF it Is made as
thin as the finest muslin. Very frequently
they wear simple drapery of leaves.
TATrOOING.
It may be curiously inquired whether any
form of art fouIishes among these savages.
In reply it may be stated that they display
the artistic instinct under many barbarous
forms. The most primitive kind Of art Is the
adornment OF the human body, which, among
savage nations, usually tskes the form of tat
tooing. In Owen Jones' Grammar of Orna
ment is figured tattooed human head, the
lines of ornamentation upon which are made
to follow the contours OF the face so ingen
iously that the author pronounces it to b
the chef d 9xure OF its kind. Both men ant
women are tattooed among the Marquesans
A chief who is tattooed according to the reg
uiations which render him admissible to th,
most select festivities, must have his body e6
tirely covered, and his iace-not like the fas
clnating Pau-puk wag-nis, in Hiawatha
sbarred with streaks OF red end vel
low" but, nevertheless, barred across fore
head. nose and chin, with multitudinou'
punctures OF purple. The ladies' are tat
tooed more sparingly. There are no marks
upon their faces. but line passes under each
ear, from the jaw to the side OF the neck
LII L.. .,lo xr.rW,o