The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-09-12
AMERICAN CANNIRA1s-
The Last of Them Lived in the State
of Texas.


Games Mooney in Harper's Magazine)
II may not be generally known that
CdhIioahsm was once prevalent over
isarge areas of the American continent
inc very word cannibal is but another
FORM OF Gambia or Carfba the proper
l.aiiiS o. the Carib Indians. the dreaded
SSouAee OF the Antilles three centuries
ago, among whom the Standards. on first
ldholnS' found human limbs hung up to
urS IN the sun for food. Many OF the
tribes OF South America were e;anuibals
and some of the unconquereti sa1-ases in
the dark forests OF the uDper Amazon
SUI Ieast upon human flesh. The prac-
ice existed also in Central America and
Mexico, as readers Of Prescott are well
aware, but rather as a sacrifice to the
gu q Maf tnan from any depraved taste
LOT such tood- As a war ceremony it was
F. IVuno also among nearly all the tribes
VI tuS eastern united states and Canada
The Miamis had cannibal society
whose members We're under obligation TO
eat any captives delivered to them for
that purpose. and the Kiowas, with whom
HVed Tor some time. had only a few
years ago secret brotherhood. each
heart of the first enemy killed by him in
battle The old war chief in whose fam
ny 4 stayed was one of this society.
All the tribes of the Texas coast and
PACK country were reputed cannibals, and
/ with good reason. One of these was the
Attakapa, frcm whom the Louisiana par
ISM gets its name, which signifies man
eaters. Another was the KaranlSawst
/ tribe, on Matagorda bay with whom
French captives from Ia Sales expedi-
I
ton witnessed many a barbarous feast.
IN 1850 the priests of the old san Antonio
mission drew up catechism for the use
of their Indian converts. and among the
questions to be asked in confession the
nrst one was. Have you eaten human
But the worst cannibals of all were the
IonkaWas, who lived about San Antonio.
Just back from the coast. To ali the other
tribes, even TO the present day, they are
known simply as the Nan-eat ers'f They
were strong, athletic men. brave fighters.
good hunters and inVeterate roVers. I'm
planted nothing, having a tradition that
their nrSt ancestor was a wolf, and that
they must always be like him, shifting
about from place to place and getting
tomime dance in which the performers.
disguised as wolves. scratched a man out
from the ground where he had previous
" been concealed in the loose earth. gave
TO him the tradition, ending with an in
junction to be a wolf always Other In
dianS would make no terms with them,
and the TOnkaWaS We're an Outlawed tribe
among all their red brethren. with every
man s hand against them. They retail
ated by acting as scouts and guides to
the whites in their expeditions against
the hostile tribes.
When the Texan missions were estab-
uShed in the early pa TT OF the eighteenth
century. and the good Franciscans began
the heavy task of Transforming wander
ing SaVages into industrious Christian
subjects of the king. we find some bands
of Tonka was among thet score of tribes
the old historic Alamo It is probable
that only few were thus brought under
restraint. for the love OF the old free life
was strong in their hearts. and long be-
we find the Tonkawas again rowing over
half of Texas.