Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-05-28
The AuJhropopnagi

William Churchill. in an interesting
lecture on his personsl experiences
among the Cannibals of Southern Po-
lynesia, reported by the San Francisco
Chronicle. said:
As regards color, the inhabitants of
the FIJI Islands are cOpper-colored; the
women are tall, willowy, and well
formed. The son of one of the kings
of those regions was six feet two inches
tall and weighed 80 pounds, and was
the finest specimen of physical man
hood the speaker ever saw. Farther
north the color of the natives was black,
and in New Guinea 4 charcoal mark
was lighter than the tint of the native
skin. There are nc cannibals in the
Fiji group, as is commonly supposed.
no man having been eaten there for six
years. South of the Fiji, toward Aus
tralia, is a group of $50 islands known
as the Solomon group. In these is
lands cannibalism is daily practiced.
The speaker related an incident that
happened to him on the island of NAL
licollo.
Having landed from his schooner he
approached the town, which is always
built a few rods from the shore, and
found q number Of women seated IN
the largest house. He addressed them
in their dialect, but they would not
speak, though it is rs hard for woman
to keep silence in those regions as it is
IN more civilized community The
women left the house, and be followed
them to the shore, where native had
1l1St 10 1oI
was followed by about two hundred
others in their canoes, who carried
among them dead native. This man
they had killed in war on a neighbor-
ing tribe. The man was tied with
grass ropes and carried to public
square by the women, all taking care
not to touch the body. Three men then
extracted the entrails from the body.
while others dug a large hole in the
earth. The cavities OF the body were
filled with heated stones; then the BODY
was placed in the hole, and heated
stones heaped on it. After two-hours'
dance and incarnation the body was
thought to be done to turn, and was
taken from its roasting-place and car
rled around on sticks and introduced to
each warrior. 1t was then placed in a
sitting position and was approached by
the chief, who inquired if it had been
satisfactorily treated, and as the body
did not avail itself of the opportunity
of expressing its qualification the priest
of the town answered for it. After this
ceremony the body was cut with knives
of stone used only for sacrifcial pur-
poses.
The choicest morsels of the roasted
flesh, according to the native taste,
were the upper arms and the thighs,
and these human delicacies were re-
served to tickle the palate of the chief.
The rest of the body was divided among
the warriors, with the exception of the
head, which was given to the priest,
and the hands and feet, which were
contemptuously handed to the women.
The pieces OF human flesh were all
placed on banana leaves and each man
waited until all had been allotted their
share. Then the toasted portions were
poised simultaneously on wooden forks
and deposited down the cavernous
threats of the assembled cannibals, ex-
ceeding relish being shown in the feast
Of human flesh, though the next day
most of them had the collie. The great
est care was taken not to touch the
flesh with the fingers. The leaves of
banana were thrown in large fire, the
wooden forks were placed in a running
stream and were allowed to remain
there for three days. The only men
who touched the body were those who
prepared it for cooking, and these were
driven into the woods with stones,
where they were compelled to stay for
three days without eating. After this
probationary period they were allowed
to return, having been thought to have
expiated the fault of touching the hui
man remains.