Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-04-19
Building Tree Houses.

One OF the customs of q few savage
peoples is falling into a desuetude, in
parts Of the Pacific. This is the GUS
tom of building houses in the branches
of trees. Tree houses have been seen
in three districts of Africa-by Mach.
tigal near the Sharl River in the Sou
dan, by Grenfell on the MObangi, and
by Wolf on the Lomami. The natives
whom Nachtigal and Grenfell saw in
their little houses perched high up
among the branches, appear to use
these elevated structures only as places
of refuge in time of danger; but DR..
Wolf on the LOmami discovered VERT
able tree jewellers, who prefer to live
among the branches, out Of easy reach
of their enemies, and of the freshets
that periodically inundate their lands.
We have heard more of tree dwellings
in Borneo than in any other part of
the world, but these buildings are also
found in large numbers in New Guinea
and the Solomon Islands, where they
serve as retreat for the people when
an enemy approaches.
Most of the fights of these tribes are
brought about by the practice of head
hunting, which, though gradually be-
ing stamped out, is still especially pre-
valent in the Solomon Islands. The
tribes there have long been in the
habit of building houses fifty or sixty
feet from the ground, and when their
lookouts have reported the approach
of an enemy's 6otllla the danger signal
has been communicated by peculiar
CRY, and then the women and children
have scrambled up the rude ladders to
their lofty refuge, where the enemy g
arrows and lances could not hurt them,
while the men remained on the ground
to fight the foe.
1t is an intention of civilization that
is destroying this custom of building
tree refugees. British and other Eu-
ropean traders have introduced arms
oppression among these savages, and
the women find that their rude perches
in the air are no protection against
bullets, however adequately they may
have defended them against arrows.
The poor creatures much prefer to take
the chances of being shot on the ground
and so the time-honored practice of
building tree nuts is being wholly dis
continued.
1t is hoped that the horrid practice
of head hunting will be done away
with before many years. Among
many tribes, particularly in Borneo,
the custom is merely a matter of emu
lation among unfriendly tribes to see
which will collect the greater number
of these CHASTITY relics. Each tribe
carefully keeps count of its losses, and
none is willing to cease hostilities.
even temporarily, as long as the enemy
has a head or two the advantage.
When the British North Borneo Com
pany a while ago insisted that the
Murut and Pelham tribes make peace.
was five heads, and they had to pay a
commensurate amount of blood money
to the Muruts to make things even.
When the Murut chief was repeating
the native oath he stopped short when
he came to the part ''maY my wife die
if | ever take another head" and ex-
claimed with grim smile: Il have no
wife; you Peluans cut off her head
long ago" This raised a shout of
laughter, in which the chief himself
heartily joined.
In the Solomon Islands and some
other parts of the Pacific it is regarded
as necessary to hang heads in the
fetish houses, and they are also essen
tial in dedicating war canoes. The
British in Borneo now treat head
hunting as capital offense, and pun
ish those convicted of the crime with
death. This and other causes are OPP
Grating to lessen the evil.