Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1888-02-11
IN NEW GUINEA.
CHARACTER AND CUSTOMS OF VIC
ToRlA'S cANNIBAL SUBJECTS.

Houses In High Trccs-Cannibaiism
As ~ Token of Affection-Thc sago in-
dustry-I,ir,is of Paradise.
And now what Is the character IL this
land which, after SO many abortive ut.
tcinpts. has at last come To the birth Of
annexation! Along the coast of consii-
cradle part of il missionaries have been
established for some seventeen years
now There ARE three English mission
aries and many polyncsian converts who
act as teachers aud preachers. And,
whatever opinion may he held Of tho work
Of missionaries In general, there arc no
two opinions Leld by those who know the
place about the good that has been done
by these New Guinea men.
Their aim has not been TO add num-
her Of baptisms to their record, us savagcs
hang scalps to their girtllc for MI evidence
Of their success; nor have they measured
the Christianity Of their converts by the
amount of clothing which they wear. But
they have instillcd confidence In the good
ness of human nature where there was
none before: they have taught the nd
van;nscs Of peace and industry where be-
fore there was only uncsasing bloodshed
and warfare.
Thus u tolerably accurate knowledge
has been gained Of the habits of such Of
the natives us inhabit the southern coast
line. But Of the many thousands who
live In the interior very little has been dis
covered.
Among such Of the natives as have been
visited, one OF the most peculiar chnrac.
tcristics is the inaccessible position Ia
which they frequently place their houses.
This, no doubt, IL the direct outcome Of
the state Of constant intcrtribal warfare
In which they have so long existed, and
which even now Is not altogether stamped
out. Some of their houses are built In
high trees up on the narrowcst and most
inaccessible ridges Of tho mountains. To
these bamboo ladders nrc the only means
OF approach, and vines are often culti-
waited To run up the ladders 90 give them
strength and make the asccn, aud descent
easier. Other trilpcs-,lnd there are many
Of those living along the coast-biiil their
villages some distance out at sea, on piles
OF mangrovc wood, standing eight or ten
feet out Of the water. There ARE villages
Of this kind built altogether away from
the shore, in the shallow waters Of the
southern coast. containing rs many us
400 or 800 people and perhaps forty or
iifty houses.
II Is commonly said and no doubt Is
often the case. that savagcs eat their van
qushcd foes in faith that by so doin,. they
inherit from them their mobiles, qualities:
hut IL appears to hc peculiar tu the New
Guinca natives to c.,t their knlrcl rs u
token q. affection. y New Guinea boy
WAS seized aud half eaten hy one of the
many crncodilrS that prey upon the COASTS
- In I'll
the ofrcnlin: monster. and rcScuin. the
half of their beloved son which WAS siill
uncatcu. they grcctlily dcvourcd il in their
grief. When their kindred die they hans:
them w. or lay them on u framewoT.s of
bamboos. for the sun TO cleanse the bones
Of flesh. While this is going on they kcc?
watch near the corpse, and ut intervals,
when their grief becomes too much for
them, they visit il and smear their bodies
all over with the juices that arc lroppin.:
from tn, dead body. When decay has
done its work the bones are cleaned, and
some of them are buried, while others are
worn ~ ornaments by the survivors, and
the skulls decorate their houses. In other
tribes the bodies are buried in sitting
posture up la the neck. and u vessel Is
placed over the head. In these cases the
skull alone Is preserved for ornament. the
rest of the lo'ly being left beneath til soil.
IIui though so barbarous in some cf
their habits, the natives IL this place are
far superior IL those of australia In most
ways. Many ~ them cultivate plants for
fool. Some of them make pottery which
they exchange for sa:o with those siiu.
aicd in more fertile districts than them
selves. Others devote all their time q
catching fish, and these, too, they barter
for cOcoanu,s or yamS ar bananas, Will,
most are clever Mt fashiosing and carving
weapons OF oircnse and shields, and many
can make u tnlcrahlc kind of cloth from
the bark OF trees, good canoes or service
able bows and arrows.
The sage industry, especially, Is n valu-
able one - much food can he produced
with so little labor. and the tree grows
well and abunlantly in New Guinea. The
method Of obtaining the sago Is to cut
down the tree and remove u slice of bark
from the upper surface IL the fcllcd trunk.
The inner wood of the tree, which IL
throughout n kind of pith, is then pounded
down with rough Instruments made for
the purpose into the trough formed by the
firm outer bark of the tree.
As this pith Is pounded down Il Is taken
ON in vessels formed ~ the shcathing
leaves Of the sa:o palm and carried 10 an
other trough near by, formed, like the
first, OF the bark OF another sago palm.
Here II Is pressed through romgh sieve,
formed again of ilbcrs from the sago palm.
into water, where the siarchy part dis.
solves and settles IN the bottom as n scdi
ment. This sediment, though not the
granuatc,l sago ~ commerce, Is the form
in which the natives eat the food, and II
makes excellent cakes or miiSh.
Another well knnwn production Of New
Guinea j. the bird OF paradise. the most
beautiful and gorgeous perhaps. except
the peac1ck. of all known birds. There
are many different kinds Of ihcm hut all
ar- beautiful Ia the eye. though the noises
that they make are somewhat tryiu.; 60
the ear. They arc very shy and difficult
Ia obtain. hut hy caution. clrycrncss AMI
exceeding great patience the natives sue
ccr,l in l. l.,a; them IN suarcs or with
blunied arrows, - ~ mot Ia injurc their
pluuun.. II ar. san Francisco Chronicle