New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-13
MN. = 90.
49,. hong he kay kaJ kah he kay hong way he kay'
IROOUOIS MAN.EATING

IROQUOIS MAN
dcncc Of itS authenticity and antiquity. This means
that, like the hamasa dance of the tribes Of British
Columbia 1t Is n relic of the cannbasm which once
prevailed among the aborignes Of America. That our
Indians were eaters Of human flesh Il n thought
with which few students have cultivated familiarity
Mr.. loratio Hale the eminent chnoogSt aud philolo
eSt, 10 whom sent a copy OF the song. In his letter
| 81 acknOw cdgment wrote IL do not think that any
tribes Of North America were addicted 10 cannlbalsm
| from prediction like some Poyncsian and African
tribes The IoIuois occasionally ate portions Of their
slain enemc, with the idea Of thus striking terror
into their living foes. The cannibal songs Of the
| IrOquoiS would. presume merely be designed to
irieh"n their advcr,aries by way Of bravado' There
is amIable purpose In Mr.. IIae'S defence OF the
people whom he ms studied long and SD we'll
which i easily pardonci. Where there much
| nobility Of character ana real moral and intellectual
| gcntlcness In people the ease with the
lroquoiS II Is unpleasant II not difficult to think OF
them induleing In practices which seem TO lower
them 10 the level Of the lowest African and south
| ,ra savagcs. II probably ih, feeling quite as
much anything else which prompted the American
editor Of the Marquis de- NadailacS recent work TO
qualify that authors assertion that cannlbalism cx-
istcd among the Mgonluns Iroquos, Maum"es
kirkapOOs and other tribes. by calling attention 10
the fact that clnnibalism in many was not a
mere devotion 10 n diet Of human flesh but n rite
Observance Of sup"rstliiouS religious character
not 80 far removed from The anhropomorphiSm which
In ia" Middle Ages claimed for the chief Christian
rite the real pr.-cncc Of body AMI blood Of the
| victim sacrificed for the welfare Of the race IL
may be. however, that this /, after all distinction
without a differences. Certain II + that those "thnol
| osi>tS wLo ar" inclined - look upon cannbalsn rs
a condition through which all pass In their
progress toward civilization can find evidence for
their contention here ~ we'll elsewhere. The re-
ports mad" ly Jcifrirs wyman and Manly Hardy TO
,l.. peu th. m lfipuS or
she'll heaps found by The former in Florida and the
hitter IN Maine lndicat" that the prehistoric peoples
who built those shell heaps were cannbaS. Human
bones. broken for IN" extraction Of the marrow. wer"
found IN these she'll heaps they have also been found
In the structures Of the mound builders. have an
impression. moreover. that | similar evidences
81 man-catne In the relies Of the clIndwcllcrS OK
hilcd at the World, Fair but Of this am not now
| certain. II m" current belief among ctlnoogs's,
that there Is racial difference between the present
Indians and ~" occupants ~ the continent In pre-
Historic times be correct It would seem TO follow that
the aboiigncs 81 America were once cannbas In the
anc sens, that Of the polyncSans and Africans
vcr. and are cunnlbals. Of this something more
presently. II + interesting. nevertheless. In conn"c
ton With the questions 81 motive and period In time.
10 mole that there /, now rule among the tribes
| within the bound Irl"s ~ IN" United states very
general repugnnnco 10 the thought Of human flesh
II ciet. Mr.. Francis In fcschc an educated Omaha
| IN the employ ~ The Indian bureau at Washington.
told that he had heard OF a tradition In his
tribe pointing 10 the existence 40 ever 80 remote
period of cannlballsm The attitude Of his people on
| the subject he Illustrated by r-couning IA legend
Which In brief + y follows: "Oncc before going upon
| the warpath omaha warrior went into retreat rs
l. III. custom obtain Sign by fasting and prayer
| DAYS pissed and vision came 10 gid" him. lie
| then took a thnt n vision cam" 10 point MIN
10 success would eat his enemy. soon after he had
the desired dream. and set out confidently with MS
war party. camp Of Sioux was surprised and III"
Omahas wcr- victorious. Then the warrior minded
! him OF his and undertook it. fulhment, which.
# would seem from III" recital, did not require n
| trral but only "A constructive performance. From
! behind IN, ear Of slain SOuN h. cut u piece OF
flesh LARGE pen, and this he tried To eat.
iu bis stomach rrvoltci nj the thought. and h. was
unable 10 swallow IN" morscl until h. had rolled II
I'm ashes. Aftrrwar for days he felt III AT ease In
his gastric region" The significance Of this story Is
| increased when II /, born" I'm mind that the Omahas
| belong 10 the DnhotaS of whom Sir Richard Burton
| relates that they I'm the habit Of eating the
| heart OF a slain enemy who had displayed bravery In
order 10 get his courage. II IS singular c"lhcinl'"
| that the Omaha Of the story followed custom of the
r,aoncs Of the Philippine Islands, who not only drink
the blood ~ their slain enemies but also eat "A part
OF the back Of the head In the belief that thus they
acaurc the att .ibutr which they admired In him.
| Eut 10 get back TO the Iroquos song. II came to
| me from Il Mohawk or 10 speak correctly. q Cnnenga.
for
that Canlcngl or Flint pcopl,' 1, their real name.
| and Mohawk only n term Of opprobrlum applied to
| them by their enemies. So As the roquoiS. and es-
| pccinly the Cancngas.' he says, bccam" more ana
more a terror to the surrounding nations the feelings
| OF aversion and dread thus awakened found vent In
an opprob1ous cphc which the southern and eastern
Algonklns applied To their obnoxious ncghbor They
| were styled by these enemies Mowak, or Mowawak
| n word which has been corrupted 10 Mohawk. IL Is
| the third person plural In the sixth transition OF
| the AlyOnln word NOVA which means to eat but
which Is only used Of food that has had llfe Literally
| # means they eat them; but the force OF the word
and Of the pronomnal infection silIces 20 give to
the word. when used an appellativ". the meaning
Of those who eat men, In other words. 'the cann
| balls IL II IS true, as the Marquis de Nadilac
says. that the Agonquns were Themselves once can
| nIbals, they must have put aside the practice OF
cannIballsm long time before 1t would to them
10 sgmatIzc their hated and feared enemies IL those
| who eat men,, Unfortunately - know from the
writings OF the Jesuit missionaries how the charge
against the lroquOs was. Father lirnneWn, who
visited the Iroquos In January 1870. tells Of the
treatment OF prisoners captured by them I'm Virginia
Of which he witness. The children 0f the
vlctors cut pieces Of flesh from the bodies Of the
victims and after roasting them compelled the mis-
cradle creatures Ia eat them. Meanwhile the fathers
and mothers Of the little anthr0pophag' themselves
ate Of the roasted flesh and gave the blood TO their
children TO drink, "aIn de les anlmcr d'avaniag'
cxtermincr lcurs enemls"
| TO arrive Ut the motive at the bottom OF tue
| practlce Of cannibalism in any given locality would
seem 10 be difficult task. II i generally admitted
by writer's that some Of the Indian tribes Of south
America what MIR. Hale would call cannibalS
by prediccton The Caribs said TO have fatienci
their victims 10 make them palntablc. Prescott
tells in his Conquest OF Peru of how Hz'rro on
making a landing with small party Of lis men fell
I'm with Indian hamlet. whose denzcns ran away
al the approach OF the white men, leaving every thlnS
behind them "Onc spectacle. however, chilled their
blood with horror. This the sight Of human flesh,
which they found roasting before tho fire, the bar
barans had left preparatory to their obscene rcpast