The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-12
HEAD HUNTING IN BORNEO.
A Strange and Terrible Custom,
Based on singular Ideas.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.

4r5E4uSr missionary LEEoLuS AIl-.AAA " -N+A
facts suitable TO the latter.
The decapitation OF a vanquished foe
may be called a natural act; cutting of
ears. noses. and hands after battle is
but a rough method of reckoning the
slain, and Identifying victorious cham
pions. So is scalping. 1t is historically
interesting TO know that an extant law
of the Visigoths describes the process;
still more that a Frankish law. dated
So refers 10 it-"capillos ct cutem det-
rahere": most of all that the learned
Hettiman. quoted by NJ. Guizot, found
illusions to the scalping in some old En-
gliSh code.
But head hunting is quite another
thing. IL has no reference 10 war or 10
bravery; to suppose that il had such an
origin at the beginning is a natural as
sumption. but the modern practice dis
penses with both. The man who takes
a head has no individual claim 10 IL; ne
receives due honor on returning with me
precious object, for he has rendered ser
vice to the community at large, but the
glory belongs TO the village.
But Mr.. George Scott has found IrlDe
of head-hunting savages in Upper Bur
nah who follow all the strange customs
of BorenO and the other Islands; he tens
about them in the Asiauc quarterly.
These people are called Was, and tney
dwell on the Salweu river, among the
Shans, who have no such practlce. lndt
is where the interest comes IN. MI
heads especially as a protection against
ghosts. a European inquirer IS very app
to be misled in questioning saVages ABOUT
their Gus toms, but this theory is proDa-
The Dyaks also are terribly afraid Of
ghosts, especially Of those which repre-
sent men killed in war; they call such
Mino Buau. and it is likely that some
tribes rely upon a head TO protect tnSih,
among the numberlesS services Whlch lhat
article performs. we use the pLescli9
tense for convenience, though nearly an
the Dyaks have had to drop mead hunt-
ing in these days and the Nay ans Ollly
follow it in their own territory, where no
man knows or cares what they do. But
if constraint were removed, all would JOY
ously recommend tomorrow.
In one respect, however, OF no etnIcal
importance, the Was appear 10 amer.
Heads have a marked value with them,
ranging from 2 rupees for the 'unWar-
like Lem" to $50 for Chinaman; put
perhaps the BOrneans are not equally
businesslike only because there Is no de-
mand. ,,,-. - ..o,. q
motive for practice which seems so nor
rible to them, and they have found II Ss-
pecially in the obligation or a bacnsior
| to present the maiden OF MS cholce VIII
a head. Such a custom may proDaDiy
exist: doubtless the young woman WOulu
be fiattered. But it is opposed 10 the
idea of head taking which, as mas psen
said, is to benefit the community rather
than to glorify the individual. we see
that expressed in the Mengap the sac ,IeI
song OF the IlbdulNtAStt a NAieAAN
antiquity that much OF II IS uhihlelllel-
bic to the singer or the hearers.
This ditty tells how Klieng gives a
feast to gods and mortals-to the trees
and flowers. also, the mountains and all
nature But Singalong Burong, the goo
| of war, does not come, for ne Is asleep;
| He is reused at length by the spirit OF
| the winds. and consents TO join the fes-
| tivity. But his wife, Un1ay, VIII not 20
| without a certain ornament, wnlch
gives her power over all things Ihat
| Exist. The omen birds are dispatched to
| seek IL throughout the universe, and canlo
| after canto relates their fruitless quest;
| AT length the mysterious object is traced
! to the house of Missing, grandfather OF
| the night-omen bird, who refuses 70 lenu
| an article of such tremendous potency.
| More cantos tell how the birds eXhort
| and threaten him in vain.
| Finally they make him drunk, steal the
| "ornament" carry it to Unjay, VINO I'M
rolls the package-a,nd az inns p4 bd o one
| amid terrific cheering. That Is the tallS.
| man which all nature obeys. To use II
for a wedding present Is eVldeItly al. M We
| heads insures favorable harveSts ana sue
| cess generally; but the Dyaks do not ask
why. Missionaries assert tnat they nave
| some notions of a deity, but 1t is not 10
conciiate him that heads are taken. 1ney
| are not even offered to Singalong Burong,
| the god Of war, who receives no sort OF
In the idle time of the year, when the
| crops had been got in, young men con-
sidered whether they would collect jungle
produce, gutta and damar, Money wax,
| rattans, and so forth, for sale 10 the chi
| nese peddlers, or go after heads. Inc mar,
! ket prices of such articles often decided
! them. Those who went head hunting
started without ceremony, carrying a
| store of tobacco, betel and salt, relying
on their woodcraft to get food. The march
was guided by omen BIRDS.
Innumerable cases of treachery almost
beyond belief are recorded; yet the Dyaks
are singularly frank, honest, and manly
Vsn1a chief
the Rejang paid d visit to kayan tribe
with whom his people had the closest
friendship, attended by thirteen &c. follow wv
months stay, to join them in a head hunt
ing expedition. He went with six OF his
people; the Kayane murdered them all,
and returned in triumph with the heads.
But hospitality is sacred among them.
There was a village in the Blait country
often attacked but never captured. one
| day three Meerut warriors with women
and children fled there as they said, to
| find refuge. The villagers received them
| kindly and they took up their residence in
| a bonse leaning against the stockade. one
night the KaVans broke in, burned the vii
| lage and slaughtered every male, carry
| ing off the women and children-those
Meeruts had cut a hole in the stockade. 1t
| is cheering to add that the Kayans took
| their heads also not because they disap-
| proved the treachery, but just IS an addi-
| ton to the trophies of this glorious sue
| cess.
Men old or timid even hung about their
| own home not infrequently, murdered a
| friend and brought in the head-smoke
| beyond recognition as they hoped; often
| they miscalculated, but we never heard of
| penalty worse than Punishment laid
upon the murderer The fervor of the
| chase excused almost anything in a sports
man. Or there might be dispute about
| land between two villages; fruit trees es-
! pecially cause trouble. Then two cham
| pions went out and he who first returned
| with a head won the day for his party.
| This, called Babukid. was the most afro
ciOuS form of ALL for the champions would
| not go far when time was of the greatest
importance. The people of neighboring
villages did not dare go abroad while a
Babukid was undecided.
About EncOres.
From the Gentleman's Magazine.
Sims Reeves is hard on what he calls
| the "Yicious encore sYstem." He char