The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-05-24

seen IN Mbau, but stands now as the bap-
tlsmal font IN the mission church., q memo
rial of the gospel of love, as formerly an
instrument in the service OF horror. Ac-
cording to Fijiau mythology the gods de-
lighted In human flesh and h0nored espe-
cialiy those who had s,ain and eaten many
nemie To gain celestial approval, puis-
SAINT chiefs would allow no one to assist
devoured them unaided. In front of a
chiefs house stones would be set up to
tally his exploits in this direction. In one
instance over Fine hundred of these memo
rails. showing the prowess of a single in
dividual, both IN battle and at the trench
or. Records were also kept upon clubs,
which were notched to show the number of
victims who had been waited over Styx by
them. or bound about with strings of twist
ed fibre.
While partaking of other food with their
fingers, the Fiiians always used wooden
tbree-tined forks for human flesh, having
a superstition about touching 1t, as show
ing so the people of to-day atfirml a pecu-
liar phOsphorescent light unknown to other
forms of animal food, and having irritating
properties for the skin if handled. "Ba-
kolO" Is the Fljian name for human flesh,
which is declared indigestjble unless eaten
with some pungent sauce or rOmatic herbs.
Connoissenrs of the table In Fiji devoted
much study to the proper dressing of this
dish. deciding. finally. for q shrub called
the 'borodino" as most suitable. This is q
plant with glossy foliage and berries of
the size and color of tomatoes, the leaves
of which were wound around the 'bakolon
n baked with it. In former times every
Fijian garden was planted with this relish.
The eating of human flesh often produced
madness, and those habituated to it were
generally TO be distinguished by q look Of
animal ferocity.
Another incentive to canniballsm, super
added to the impulses of necessity and re-
ligious superstition, was the desire of venge-
Anna y,nn 0nn1n nAp,Sa IL 80
Quered foe was not only to disgrace him
and his tribe, but also to secure for oneself
all his good qualities of strength and valor.
Thus Fijian mothers would steal upon the
banqueting grounds and rub the flesh of
victims upon the lips of their sucklings in
order that they might grow up to become
notable warriors. A still greater insult to
q fallen enemy was not TO eat him after
killing and cutting him up. and the greatest
slight of all was to leave him cooked in the
ovens. as q thing too loathsome even to be
withrawn. Shipwrecked sailors. who were
sometimes cast ashore on the inhOspitable
coasts of Fiji, received short shrift in conse-
quence of e singular application of savage
logic. In the first place. they were regard
ed as q windfall from the gods for the bene-
fit of q people who were chemically on
short meat r~ations; in the second place, it
was considered that they must have Offend
ed the gods deeply in order to be SO buff
feted OF the elements. On both accounts,
therefore, it was a commendable thing to
kill and eat them, as showing at once
thanksgiving for favors and eagerness to
assist divine DEGREES. From the meshes of
such reasoning there was little chance OF
escape for the unhappy sailors, who were
duly eaten and their bones wrought into
needles, kewers for the hair and barbs of
spears The old-time Fijians had lusty ap-
petites. One of the final outbreaks of can
nibalism occurred in 1871, when one tribe
killed and ate 26O of their foes-after which,
hunger being still unappeased, they began
upon the enemies pigs!
The eating of human flesh seems to be
like the appetite for strong d~rink-growing
by what it feeds upOn-and those who had
become addicted to 1t were always most
difficult to deal with, and often quite lncor-
rigible. Thus ii happened that the mis-
sionaries to certain tribes would be in
formed that their congregations, being
hungry beyond the power of bananas and
yams to satisfy. were about to 'eat meat
and that they 1.-THE missionariesD had better
lie close during the proceedings. After a
few days of indescribable cannibal orgies,
the people would settle down again.