The Portland daily press., 1899-02-04
HEAD-HUNTING IN sAMo..
Way in which Natives Measure Their
Victories.

Head hunting, although about the only
English word for the thing, is decided
misnomer whom applied to the Same an
procedure. The Samoans are not ut al
mead hunters In the same sense as the
Dyaks Of the Malay Seas. who set out on
expeditions Of which the distinct aim Is
to gather heads, and carefully dry the
heads they have taken by suspending
them In smoke until sufficiently preserved
to ornament the family roof tree.
The Samosns take heads only incident
ally. merely to serve temporary end as,
measure of victory. After the heads
have served this purpose they are never
dried and hung up for ornament, but
may be had on application by the next 70
kin of the former owners. 1t Is very
ancient Gus toms Of the Samoans, IL one
may repose confidence In the tellers of
stories; hut as the custom Is not found
among the other Polynesians Of the Pacific
there seems reason to believe that IL hes
sprung up among the Samoans since the
period of their great dispersion six or
eight centuries ago. Be that ss It may
| the custom certainly antedates the first
coming Of the white men, for living in
Ignorance Of metals, the islanders fash
iond q peculiar type Of club which their
| experience proved possessed distinct I'D
vantaRss for purposes of deoapitation.
| The leading clubs had thin but deep
| blade and were made of very dense wood,
which would take an edge and not easily
chip through the common accidents of
| its use for this particular operation. An
essential feature OF the type was sharp
and rather longbook or spine recurving
| from the tip Of the blade along its back.
This was designed for carrying the severed
head and gave this class of clubs the
name "nifo-oti, +" "the tooth Of death. +"
Since white men brought FORCES to the
| Islands the specialized club has been re-
placed by pg-handled knife or hanger
| very much like the familiar maohte with
the addition OF the hook at the end. which
| Is an essential. The old name still olinss
to the steel heading knives, which b.
tween wars serve as dancing favors or
toys for the official amid and the social
beau, who are part Of the social state In
every Samoan village At tho dances
and the frequent parades and professions
| of Samoan life village maids and village
handles take a Conspicuous part in jugg-
| ling these long and dangerous looking
| implements Of a special purpose In war.
Samoan battles scarcely deserve classi-
| tication as hazardous risk. They are
fought for the most part at rather long
range and with uncertain aim. Not
many warriors are wounded and still
fewer are killed. II too many on any
one side are found to bs getting hurt that
side scampers away out of danger. When
| ever possible the vanguished try to re
move their dead from the field. he
| wounded may be left behind with perfect
| confidence. They Will be In no danger OF
violence at the hands of the conquerorS
| But the slain represent different aspect
| of battle. 1t is no shame TO Samoan
fighting man TO run away. but the victor
will lose all his pride in victory unless
he has q good tale of heads to show for 1t
No San oan would attempt decapitation
of a living and objecting person; but rs
| soon as il appears that the enemy Is
yavering in battle and Is likely to re-
| treat, then q furious attack Is made. both
| to turn the signs Of wnvertng into rout
/ and so to annoy tho fugitive army that 1t
win be prevented from carrying away Its
dead. As soon as the victors find them
| selves securely established on the field Of
battle they hunt for the ensmy's dead
and promptly chop their heads of.
The severed heads are carried about the
camp with ostentatious parade, and
| finally laid before the leader OF the war
party which has taken them. After serv-
| ing as the visible proof OF victory, which
they can do In high degree, inasmuoh
as every head Is perfectly well known by
| all who see it the severed heads have no
| further use AS soon as night has fallen
| a STRAIN Of women from the camp OF the
yanq uished begins to arrios, and their
ezra nd is to reclaim the heads Of the
slain. They are cordially received and
| entertained, for Samoan warfare Is only
skin deep after all : they have no dimculty
| in securing the neads which they have
| CONS after, and unmolested they set out
for the camp OF their party, carrying the
heads in cocoanut baskets. The heads are
assorted out to the bodies with which they
| were formerly associated, and both are
| buried in some convenient spot, which
after the return of peace will be marked
| by a cairn of rock decorated with empty
| bottles turned bottom up.
There ia o law Of the Samoan Govern
ment prov iding dire penalties upon thoss
who chop heads In war. The samoan
Government Is very docile, unaer the
prom pting OF the white OFFICIALS IN Apla
or of others whom 1t desires to encourage.
| The parliament of native chiefs VIII pass
any law suggested to 1t and viii uassisn
Draconian penalties for each and every
| infraotion but 1t should be understood
that these and all other laws OF Samoa
are to be taken in purely. PickwioEian
| sense and are not intended for use. just
about the time OF the last previous
Samoan war somebody in Apia thought
| 1t was not seemly to carry heads on poles
| through the streets, particularly ON
steamer day, when 1t might give tourists
an erroneous impression of the country;
| The Samoan Government ponteiy passed
but discriminating the practitioners In
the briefest possible space OF time after
| the massage of this law the native law
makers were foremost Sin jeering at the
King. Maletoa Lauppa, who had to be
dragged out TO see the heads OF the con-
ousred foe and was sick for q week after
ward.
samoan is set to the last edge OF obsti-
-, That is the Samoan custom. That