The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-11-06
HUMAN FLESH EATERS.
Horrible Practices OF Certain Brit
Il ish Columbia Indians.
Emotional Cannibalism Practiced by the
Kwagutl Tribo--An Aristocratic Tribe
whose Membcrs Can Bite Who J.
ever Displsasss Them.

ever Displeasss Them. Ai
The British Columbia Indians have been
suspected Of eating human flesh, but they
have hitherto concealed their practices 80
carefully that no reliable white man is able
to give personal Testimony Of the fact,
writes Victoria (B. C.) correspondent Of
theNew York Herald. Mr.. Il. R. A. Po.
cock has been spending great deal Of time
among them, and although he Is not able To
give personal testimony OF their cannibal-
istic rites, yet he has collected great deal
Of evidence from natives Of the prevalence
of the practice.
The Kwagutls, b tribe dwelling In the
central part Of the province, have q belief
that II q man meets certain spirit on the
mountains hG has right thereafter during
the winter dances, lasting two months OF
the year, TO bite whoever displeases him,
The spirit is called Ha-mad-tsi, and the can
n,bals WHO earn their horrible distinction by
seeing him are known as Hamad-tsis They
belong TO what may be called an exclusive and
aristocratic caste. Only members OF GER
tain families may become Ha-mad-tsis, and
these when they come TO the years Of dis
cretion go up into the mountains, where
they may meet the spirit Having en-
countered this unlovely sprite, they come
back TO the villages swapping and biting at
every body and making themselves general
ly very undesirable neighbors. Their sole
purpose is to show the tribe that they are
different from ordinary men, and do not
care what they eat or what they suffer.
In olden times q captive or slave
was killed and presented TO the in
itiated, who ate the. corpse in the presence
of general assemblage OF the people.
More recently, although slavery Is not
wholly extinct, the Indians have become
afraid to kill, SO they ore reduced TO the
stealing OF corpses. Usually these have
been drying for long time, being 'buried''
among the branches Of tree, aud are quite
flavorless, the brains alone being consid-
cred luxury.
Up TO the timc Of eating corpse In pub
lie the acolyte, whenever he appears from
the woods. bites Unfortunately, women
being, however, generally exempt, whether
from native gallantry or not does not ap-
pear. Formerly the faces were bitten,
noses and ears especially, but now the can
nibal merely lifts the flesh Of mans arm
with his teeth, which IS sliced off with q
.3ife by bystander while the half insane
savage retains his grip Of IL aud finally
every body who has suffered from his
prOgeny's enthusiasm from two 10 ten
blankets. There are few men in the
: KTdgutl tribes who do not bear the scars
OF this extraordinary mania. The Ha-mad-
tsi, during the progress OF the winter
dances, Is stark naked, heavy plated rope
u cedar bark adorned with tassels being
carried, however, on the shoulders. There
arc from three to twenty Ha-mad. isis, and
each OF them will perhaps eat Of four or five
corpses in lifetime. Mr.. Pocock has
not actually witnessed the ceremony, but
no collected a considerable amount OF tes-
timony from what he considers reliable ma
tive witnesscS. He says:
"My interpreter said that when he was a
lad he remembers his mother saving two
slaves from being killed and eaten. The
winter or Ha-mnd-tsi dance was performed
ut Alert bay eighteen months ago, goats
lesh being eaten from human bones at mid
night and the tribe deceived. Deer or
goat flesh Is often tied TO the human bones
and devoured IN the dusk so that tho on
lockers are all deceived. Apparently
two bodies were devoured at Klawatis that
same season. Three and half years ago q
white man was taken by his Indian woman
to tho winter dance, and turned out OF
doors, because, as the woman tOld him, q
corpse was 10 be eaten. He saw o womau's
body taken into the house by three naked
men, and went round 10 the back, where,
through q hole, he saw the Ha-mad.tsis
/ holding the body in their arms and biting
| pieces out. From the long black hair, hang
ing from what seemed To be the head, he
supposed this was the body OF a woman. II
| tins was not human flesh both he and the
whole audience were deceived.
"a Fort Rupert halfbreed woman Of
excellent character told me she was fully
convinced that in many cases no deception
was practiced. No half-breeds or Indians,
except my interpreter, expressed any
doubt. A KanalKa, a man Of very good re-
port, indeed, told me that at the head
| Of knight inlet he was admitted 10 a
| winter dance, and saw three Ha-mad-tsis
eat a corpse in presence Of the tribe
This evidence appears 10 me TO be
very strong on account Of the witness
character and the clearness and reasonable
manner OF his statements. He told me his
story briefly, and as one surprised at the OK.
istence OF doubt but tired Of the subject
His wife, member Of Ha-mad-tsi family
furnished the evidence that convinced my
interpreter that the Harmad-tsi is not Q
sham.
"After describing the ori gin Of the rite IN
her family she said that some years ago, OF
Knight inlet, at.the winter feasts, she wal
invited TO a feast OF berries for women
They were interrupted by the Ha-mad-tsii
bringing O human corpse into the house
They were six In number and all naked, ant
her brother was one Of them. Attendants
cut of strips OF flesh from the corpse, which
were devoured by the Ha-mad-tsis. Thii
witness, although gwen TO potlaching, an
other heathen and semi.religlous orgy, bor'
otherwise good character. was told {
number Of most horrible stories OF self
torture practiced out Of bravado durin(
these coremonles.n
Mr.. Pocock's revelations have produced |
powerful feeling among Christian people
throughout Canada, and the Government Il
being called upon to take efficient means o
suppressing these unspeakably DISCUS tint
practices.
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