The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-08-21
LOVERS OF HUMAN FLESH.
PECULrARI OF THE MAN-EAr
ERS OF AFRICA.
CannibaIs Superior in Intelligence
60 Other Savngcs -COnccaling
Their Horrible Practices.


Their Horrible Practices.
Any white man who visits the few tribes
in Africa that eat human flesh is likely
to have hospitable reception, and is
certain to find himself among natives
who in their intelligence, arts and phys
ical and moral qualities are not eoualed
by many of the native tribes This fact,
indeed is true of men eaters the world
over, notwithstanding the popular i'm
preston that cannibalism characterizes
only the lowest levels of savage life. 1t
was true in Columbus time, when he
wrote to Queen Isabella that the cannibal
Caribbees filled the natives of Hayti
with abject terror. The word caunibal
signifies brave or valiant man, and is
derived from the name by which Carib-
bees called themselves. A few hundred
miles northwest OF Lake Albert Nyanza
on the banks of the river Welle, lives a
great tribe whose cannibalism is the
most pronounced Of any in Africa They
are the Monbuttus, edskinned race,
physically fine specimens of manhood,
and far superior to the tribes around
them in arts of war or peace
They inhabit beautiful, fertile coun-
try, where forests alternate with rolling
downs. They engage IN agriculture, and
human flesh, though frequent is not q
regular article of food except among the
wcalthier families. Schwenfurth, who
lived among them for several months,
says they are not like very many African
tribes, childish in speech ana in their
processes of thought, but that they I'M
derstard reasonable questions and give
reasonable answers, The specimens of
their pottery, decorated with ornamental
figures, that are NOW in the Ethnograph
ical museum OF Berlin, are said to equal
the best examples of Egyptian art They
are ingenious wood .carvers, and the
creates housc-buildcrs in Africa. One
rooted building described by Schwein-
furth, built of timbers, was $50 feet long,
GO feet wide and 50 feet high, and held
an audience of nearly 1 900 persons
1t is characteristic of cannibal tribes
to conceal their practices as much as
possible from those not addicted to
them. Neither Schweinfurth, Junker
nor Casati has seen the MOnbutus on
many occasions preparing or eating hui
man flesh During his months of resi-
dence among them, Schwcinfurth on
tribe preparing human flesh for con
sumption. He came upon them as they
were boiling sundry arms and legs, but
his presence was unexpected and
unwclcome, and he was invited to
90 elsewhere. In conversation, however,
the Monbuttus made no secret of their
practices of which, indeed, there were
abundant evidences IN the heaps of care
fully picked human bones that were scat
tered about all their settlement. Their
victims are the prisoners they take in the
wars they are almost necessarily waging
with one or another Of the tribes about
them. "The cannibalsm of the Mon
buttus," says Schweinfurth, is unsur-
passed by any savages IN the world.
But, with all that, the Monbuttus are a
noble race of men, who display a certain
national pride, and are endowed with
intellect and judgment such as few Afr,
cans can boast"
Stanley thought he found evidences
of cannibalism among some of the Congo
tribes near Stanley pool, when he first
descended the river, and his suspicion
has since been amply confirmed by his
associates, who have founded white sta
tons among the Bangala and at the
mouth of the Aruwimi river. The Con
go natives, like the Monbuttus, try to
hide from the whites the evidences OF
their practices.
Next to the Monbuttus the African
tribe that are most notorious as men
eaters are the natives of Novo RedOndo,
in Portuguese Angola, whom j. Monteiro
described as the finest race of blacks
in every way that he had met in Africa.
He said there was no question of the SUI
perior physique and mental qualities of
this cannibal tribe, and he thought their
superiority might actually he the result
of the horrid custom by which they sup
piled themselves with a larger amount
of animal food than other tribes used. 1t
is far more likely, however, that their
superiority, instead of being the result OF
cannibalism. made it possible for them to
be cannibals by enabling them to prey
with immunity upon weaker TRIBES. The
greatest excuses of cannibalism have
always been found among the higher
savage tribes or nations like the ancient
Mexicans and Peruvians. The most en-
couraging fact with regard to peoples
addicted to this custom is that as they
rise toward the middle and upper levels
of civilization they voluntarily abandon
the practice. If the missionaries have
accomplished nothing more among the
islands of the Pacific, it would be tc
their lasting credit that they have in
duced many thousands of the natives tc
give up this practice. -Neo York. Sun.
Wooden Shoes at q Premium.
+,+ +o+ to+ tot .,