The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-01-19
CANNIBALS OF PERU.
They Regard Man Flesh ms Dainty,
but They VIII Not hcat
Women.


BY even the most excellently edu-
Nted folk canniba,ism is hardly reck-
oned among American defects Of char
acter, and yet there Is no need for any
one who has the curiosity to cross the
seas in order to gaze upon human
man eater. Down in darkest PlIu, over
an outlying eastern ridge of the Andes,
toward the very unsettled boundary
line of Brazil and Bolivia, a flourish
ing race of cannibalist!c Indians can be
found. They are so fierce and unap-
p9oachable, even for Indians, that dur
ing the several centuries that Peru has
been known to The civilized world few
missionaries or explorers have ever felt
courage enough to guarantee anything
like close study of their eccentricities
II was an English woman and an enthu-
s:astic traveller who recently 'brough;
home photograph of one of 'he wom-
ell of a cannibal tribe, and though full
of eagerness to know more of these peo-
pie she was persuaded to forego inves-
tgation. History in Peru, even as 1t
runs back to the traditions of the ear
hest Incas, mentions no time when this
race, commonly known as Chuncho,
ever submitted to any intercourse or al
liances with their more domest:cated
brethren.
The civilized Indians regard them
with horror that only cannibalism can
Inspire, and only at long intervals have
the white residents of Peru seen or cap
tured any of these remarkable savages,
The fiercest of the Chunchos are the
Antes and the Cascibos, who range the
forests where the precious Peruvian
bark is found and who fight each other
in the hopes of securing prisoners for
q cannibaiistic orgie. But there is a
queer code in their savage law. They
make no effort 10 seize women for their
fcasts. The very degradation of the sex
Is in its way preservation.
The male Ante or Cascibo regards a
woman as an impure being. She is a
necessary torment, but by no means a
comfort, though she accepts her share
of duty, and cannbal brave would
well-nigh perish of starvation before he
would pollute his lips with female flesh.
Not only is a woman thus desrised, bu
her blood is feared as poison, from the
taste of which no man could recover.
The cannibal women profess no such
distaste for mans flesh, but are said u
eat it with relish, while in their own
box do 4ol.
i've steps to convince the mar against
their ancient error and prejudice.
Saving the protection she receives
from this strange superstition, the can
nibal woman enjoys slight benefits as
far as any explorers in eastern Peru
Aave been abe to find out. Sac cult
Yates the ground little, locks after the
children, and, curiously enough, in
scme of these tribes polyganiy is for
bdden. Whether this is due or not to
feminine influence nobody has yet had
the pluck or luck to find out.
When in sec,usion of her forest home
the cannibal woman wears a rough
cloth garment, falling to the knees
from the hips, beads and heavy neck
laces that suspicion and some reliable
evidence say are composed chiefly OF
polished bits of human bone, and IN
gala occasions ear and nose buttons,
with Plentiful bedaubing of pant, make
up the toilet. There Is no effort at
coiffure, and over the upper lip, under
the eyes and across the cheeks and chin
tie paint is laid on.
la certain arts these fierce women are
cminently skilled. They pre- pare the
pc;sons for tipping the arrow used by |
the men in war and for smearng the |
heavy clubs employed in the business
OF finishing off an enemy when brought |
to mis- knees. Among the civilized In
dams the belief is that so virulent are |
these poisons that where they ouch the
broken skin the wounded person dies |
within a few moments. So far as in
vestigation has been pursued the canni-
bal Indians have always recognized ths
properties of the cascarilla bark. The |
women in case of fever use an infusion.
of it drawn from the green bark, which
is after all regarded as more promptly |
efficacious than the white quinine pow
der that civilized chemistry extracts
frc1n the same source.-St. Louis Re-
pubic.
Mathematical Demonstration.
Robinson-You don't consider II un-
lucky to have 13 people at table?
Jenkins-Not at all! Suppose some