The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-01-21
A Race Of Educated Man-Eaters.

The beautiful Island of Sumata, two and
half times as large as all New England, is
inhabited by 4,5O0,oOO of people, among
whom hardly any missionary effort had, as
yet, been made. Parts of the island were
in possession of the Dutch, and other parts
were inhabited by independent tribes or
principalitics, among whom the Batta peo-
pie, or Bataks, were represented as the
most intelligent and interesting; a tribe or
nation of about 10000 souls occupying the
interior central portion of the island, i'm
mediately South of the Achenese, with
whom the Dutch are now at war.
The Bataks were generally mild and inof-
fensive, though fierce and revengeful in time
of conflict. In one respect they were the
most remarkable people anywhere to be
found-educated cannibals. They had a
written language, and books, and most of
the people could read, and yet they were
cannibals. They had an alphabet of their
own, consisting of twenty-five letters and
five vowel points. Their language was
quite original, yet simple and melodious,
much like the Italian, written like our own,
from left to right, and easily learned, and
much used in all that region.
Their books are written on the inner bark
of species of palm tree, their pen consist
ing of mere twig, or fibre of leaf; their
ink made of certain gum and the juice of
the sugar cane. For ordinary purposes
they also wrote upon smooth bamboo sticks,
sometimes two inches in diameter and two
or three feet long, making letter, it might
be, big enough to knock person down
convenient for lovers delivering their own
epistle if they should not be graciously re-
ceived.
Their literary works were really numerous
and yet not very wise, consisting largely of
books of diyination, jugglery and the most
absurd fables about the origin and destiny
of the great Batta nation. 1t will be seen,
therefore, that they had some ambition.
If they should receive the Gospel they were
in good position to give it to others. Be-
sides, much Of the island was nominally
Mohammedan, and, so far as the Dutch had
sway they had agreed to protect the Moham-
medan religion from all assault or irterfer-
ence from without; but the Battas were
simple heather, and beyond Dutch control.
They believed in two Gods, one above and
one below-one good and one bad but their
ideas were very vague and uncertain, and
they felt bound to pay greater homage to
the evil spirit than to the good, as they had
most to fear from him.
And yet, strange enough, French infdelity
and infdel books had found their way into
that country. The missionaries met one of
the former, who denounced the Bible as call
a lie," although he confessed that he had
never it, but boasted that he had read
Voltaire's insane TRADE against it no less
than ten times.
And, after all, this cannibalism was of a
modified type. They did not seem to feed
on human flesh for mere love of it; MOI
was it their settled habit, as with some
other people, to have regular feasts; but
portions of the flesh of their enemies, slain
in war, were tasted, as if in revenge, or as
denoting complete triumph. The mission.
aries were, however, invited to one feast
for which boy seven years of age had beer
seized and killed and roasted, to be eater
for the sins of his father, committed Sly
years before the little fellow was born
The missionaries respectfully declined the
invitation.