New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-13

4 out with blow. the body IS cut up ana the least
begins. This over 12J years before Father
Iennepln visited the Iroquois yet the purpose OF the
Tuppnamba In their practice Of cannbalsm ana that
OF the Iroqnois to have been the same. IL was
not that they loved their enemies dea0 but because
| they hated them alive. Leaving out the question OF
| diet the practice seemed to serve n threefoh pur-
pose: savage feeling OF revenge glutted by the
debcraton and cruelty OF the killing the eater robbed
| the victim OF his virtues by taking them TO him
self: he punished him here and hereafter by destroy
Ing him beyond the possibility OF resurrection. None
OF these elements necessarily prcsupposes Hiking for
human flesh per So; but neither does 1t exclude such
| n prediction a primitive Impulse.
our Iroquos man-eatlng song suggests ceremonial
In connection with the practice and thus finds an
idea that only the objective ndlgnlty and the sub.
jcctyc bcneht Nere the motives Of lroquols can
nibali,m. The l. not simple with the hamatsa
ceremony Of Kwakiutl Indians described in The
Tribune Of last sunday In ihls 1t seems to , me
ethnologistsD primitive prediction, or something
akin TO II Is manifest. Through the very great kind
good deficiency Of last sundays article. DR.. Boas
has the full text of the song from the dicta
print the fr,t verse With its opening burden In the
Original oseihs g. with Dr. Bos's translation and
Ham. ham amai. ham ham anal, hamai hamaima,
@ieilix'se take III hama,' Ela'qum Nhe hamatsa
sound qai (his ha'mats' Elaqum (hamatsa sound
g S LaGws Kyas o ,and a b n ay, o eDa y S
world LoEualaskyas owe the supernatural real
The meaning of the song Is as follows: The
| newly Initiated hamats'a tor man-eater cannilmll
has Inherited the membership u the society from his
grandfather. who lived in Northern British Columbia.
The which Is made for the Initiation OF the new
tamatsa by the father Of the latter states that ne
* given the right 10 use the hamats'a songs. The
song Of each OF the numerous secret societies h OF the
number OF presiding spirits have several burdens.
Thc namai,a society have the following; -, :,
Hap. hap Tor in songs also nam hamaf the p
being transformed Into m)--the sound Of the spirit
ihc paT"n The Slave OF BSxaiuanu Xsinae
"Furth.rmore there IS the spirit IIamNhaug who
h TScn i I h TEXT of T gSur e song '0"
" Take the hamats'a song OF the great one VINO
lived at tn" north end OF the world and had super
.rNks the Observation-Disclosures song Of the great
Takc the IIauxhauk song OF the great one
who lived etc. H.. ,o. ana who
inc letters are pronounced follows; yowes
have their continental sounds Capital as In flower
q cultural T. German en- as IN b sdai,N Grr n an
palate: l. an explosive nrcuatsd with the back OF
ihc poterior portion OF the hard palate some
So far Dr. Boas's letter Tie origin Of the connibal
custom Is to be- explained from the folklore OF the
II seems influenced greatly by the behavior ,S
which we are Indebted DR.. oas) that the prevalent
Indian belief that they are descended from animals
dances OF the Kwakiul are said TO have been cstib
llShed by the Of their deity. who descended In the
shape Of an eagle from heaven wandered al OYER ,S,
the world and made friends With many n mighty
chief while transformed those who were his enemies
into animals Animal love for blood l. suggested
I'm the legend which Is told OF the spirit chiefly
active In the initiation Of the hamatsa: This Is the
Ia Notwithstanding Wir) ngiirxS In onr song
This gentleman OF the formidable name Is the old
and * deceived and Slain by valiant little Jack. In
The Indian story he has with abnornally large
head who gives the alarm 10 the hero by Hckihe
The blood which drps from the latters won ded leg
Ih, cnnnbal Is entlced into the house of lie nero
whom lr p;irSleS and Is slain Instead or Zee, To-
ii fun" his refrain in the story l. Ham, ham tie
10 eat to eat. An element in the story OF cur,ou.
interest w the comparative folkl9rlSt Is ms
While the cannlbal Is pursuing The hero the latter
creates Obstacles behind him by throwing over hiS
hnod a wil,fsione a comb and some flshgrease. when
are respectively turned into mountain. thlck.,
and lake. The incident belongs also 10 old world