Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-17

of the natives is about the same as that
of the Samoan Islands, their chief diet
being yams, taro and bananas. In German
New Guinea, strangely enough, the natives
are natural beer drinkers. They make a
liquor by chewing the root Of the kava
plant, and fermenting the splttle-soaked
mixture After awhile it becomes intoxi-
eating and is then used in ceremonial
feasts. Both sexes chew the betel nut,
but as a rule, they do not drink intoxi-
eating liquors. In British New Guinea 1t is
against the law to sell intoxicating liquors
to the natives, and any one who does so is
subject to a fine of $50 or more.
In the Bismarck Archipelago.
The islands Of the Bismarck archipela-
go have some stranger tribes than those
Of New Guinea itself. On one island, &C
cording to my best authorities. the girls
are kept in cages from the age Of six or
eight years until they are married. The
cages, made Of wicker work, are set up in
side large houses made for the purpose.
The girls are only taken out once day
to be washed, but otherwise they are not
permitted to get outside the wicker. Their
food is handed through the bars, and they
move about at times like Gagged lions.
These cages are under the charge of the
old women of the tribe, who see that the
girls do not firt with the passersby or the
peepersin. The young men have the right
to look a the cages now and then, and
probably, after making proper presents to
the watch guards and the parents of the
girl. they can WOO the maiden through the
meshes of bamboo.
l am told the girls do not suffer in health
from their imprisonment, and that not
withstanding their secluson they make
very good wives, and later on are by no
means averse to having their daughters
Gagged up they were. The girls mature
very rapidly in this hot climate. The mar
riageable age is eleven or twelve, and at
nfteen girl is an old maid.
In Neu Mecklenburg.
The Island of Neu Pommern is $50 miles
long. and Neu Mecklenburg perhaps 100
miles shorter. with a width on the average
Of about fifteen miles. Both islands are
more or less rolling, Neu Mecklenburg
having the Schleintz mountains, which
reach a height Of 1000 feet
In Neu Mecklenburg the people of each
village are divided into two classes and
marriage between the classes is strictly
prohibited. If woman marries outside of
her class the punishment is death. and, If
man, he suffers heavy fine. The wo-
men and men go naked. CannibaIism is
common, and both human beings and pork
are cooked for food, all other kinds of eat
ables, so 1t Is said, being eaten In q raw
state. The people live in small huts, which
are OF bee hive shape, and surrounded
by bamboo fences. The young unmarried
men have club houses where they live
i a..
confined to the cages.
The Solomon Islands Colony.
A little to the east Of the Bismarck
archipelago are the Solomon Islands. which
until 1899 belonged almost entirely to Ger
many. The uppermost part of the chain,
including some Of the larger islands are
still German. and they are now under the
officials of Kaiser Wihelm's Land. The
principal island in this group Is Bougain-
vile, which is bigger than Porto Rico. It
Is mountainous country, having two vol
canoes, which are constantly active. and
ono mountain Of an altitude of more than
two miles above the sea. The natives here
are of the same race as those of New
Guinea, and they are quite as savage In
most cases the men go naked. and in some
of the islands the women do not wear
clothing until they are married, and after
marriage they have but little. Still both
sexes are fond of ornament. Men and Wo-
men pierce their ears. the holes in the
lobes being gradually stretched until they
are as big around as a napkin ring Among
some tribes the nose is pierced and a long
pin of bone or shell worn through it. Neck
laces OF shell are common, and bracelets
ana chains of beads and shell are frequent
ly worn. There is some tattooing, and the
scars made by burning the moxa are con-
sidered fine ornaments. There are club
houses here as in New Guinea but the
people generally live in huts of different
sizes, those of the chiefs being large
These people are also cannibals, and head
hunting is the profession and pleasure of
part of the young men. Polygamy is
practiced, and some Of the chiefs have as
many as hundred wives. They are to
certain extent farmers, and raise bananas
yams and taro. They are good fishermen,
and gather shells and pearls for sale.
The Beche de Mer Fisheries.
Along the coast Of these islands, and
especially about New Guinea and in Tor
res strait one Of the chief businesses is
gathering and shipping beche de mer, the
gigantic sea worms or slugs which are so
much priced by the Chinese, ranking with
birds nest soup and sharks fins as one of