The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-07-06
WARRIORS OF ASSAM.
A Mission ary's Life in a Corne,,
Of Hindostan.
A People Who Ornament Their Houses
with Human Skulls,

Win human Skulls.
81 was sent to Assam" said DR.. e. w
Clark, a missionary, to a reporter Of
the Washington Republican, under tho
auspices of the American Baptist Mission.
airy union, of Boston, Mass. Myself and
wife were the first white people to sci
foot in Assam, which is a small valley six.
ty-fivc miles in width and 500 miles in
length, and has about {, 200, 900 of popu.
lation.
cit is situated in the northwestern
part OF Hindoostan and is an English
possession. The inhabitants of the Nara
Hills are wild mountainccrs, living
around the SUBMITS of the mountains.
up to five years ago these people were in
dependent; the great wars of India never
succeeded in subjccting them. They de-
light in war and are harbarous as arc
American Indians. In the same manner
as u Indians take the scalp the Maya
warriors take the head"
"They're not head-eaters?" murmured
the scribe, with a shudder, wondering if
the doctors long life in that country had
not led him to partahe of the Assam Gus
toms.
mo-" continued the doctor. "They
are called head cutters, and they orna-
ment their houses with long strings of
skulls of captivcs as tokens of their Prov
!ess. Unlike our Indians, they cultivate
the soil and entertain the highest respect
toward the women. ANY obscene talk
in the presence of a woman is severely
punished. They work hard for their liv-
ing, knowing if they do not they must
perish. Their homes consist of rude
bamboo houses with leaf roof.
medicine is not known, and they
fancy all sickness or evil that happen to
them is because some deity has br-n dis
pleased. Hence the blood of Annals is
shed as a sacrifice to appcasc the indig-
nant god. This sacrifice first commences
with n fowl, then a pig, and lastly cattle;
if long continued it sometimes impover-
lshes a whole family. The general name
for deity is 'soonngram.' There arc no
special names for their d~eities, as they
worship a house, site of a house, etc.
All debts must be paid; they have not
learned how to repudiate.
"Of sin they have a strong impression.
Frequently %untcnanted houses are seen,
all possessions in the house having been
abandoned. The idea is that it is sinful
to steal goods thus left. When some
member of q family is killed by a tiger.
by drowning or by the falling of a tree,
these are considered sinful persons, too
polluted to be even touched.
"Among the hill people there is no
caste. The Assamesc are betrothed at
from three to five and marry at ten years
of age, being then fully developed. In
appearance they are much like the Chin
csc, but are much more muscular and
hardy. There is a fine field for gospel
teaching among them. When I first
went among the Assamese the English
were scared, but afterwerd rendered eve
~ assistance, because they found we
were establishing peace on their border.
up to the present time there have
been four villages largely Christianized
and many converts made. There is no
language. After many years of
labor l succeeded in reducing to writing
IN their language a collection of hymns
school books"
The doctor exhibited the first book
in Assamesc. 1t is a translation
IF a chapter of the Bible. translated by
he doctor, and printed on a little Amer
can press sent from Boston to the town
Molung.
"And all the letters have but one
sound apiece, continued DR.. Clark, "and
he language is in some respects, easier to
on that account. The chief
in Assam are Gohaty, Nowyone.
Sibsagor and Dibroogur, which
8 the head of steam navigation of the
8rahamapootra river, which was u
nearest government station, though forty
niles away, and only reached by paths.
There are no roads, and all travel is on
he back of elephants"
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