Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-08-29
OUR LAST CANNIBAL TRIBE.

1t may not be generally known that
cannibalism was once prevalent over large
areas of the American continent. Such
was the case however, and. in fact, the
very word cannibal is but another form OF
Gambia or Cariba, the proper name of thu
Carlb Indians, the dreaded scourge Of the
Antilles three centuries ago, among whom
the Spaniards, on first landing. found hui
man limbs hung up to dry in the sun for
food Many of the tribes Of South Ameri
ca were cannibals, and some in the UNI
conquered SaNaGes in the dark forests Of
he upper Amazon still feast upon human
flesh. The practice existed also in Cen
tral America and Mexico. as readers of
Prescott are well aware. but rather as a
sacrifice to the god OF war than from any
depraVod taste for such food. As Il war
ceremony it was found also among nearly
all the tribes of the Eastern United States
and Canada.
The Miams had cannihal society who's,
members were under obligation to eat
any captives delivered to them for that
purpose. and the kiowas, with whom
lived for some time, had only few years
ago secret brotherhood each member
of which was pledged to eat the heart OF
the first enemy killed by him in battle
The old war chief in whose family l stay
ed was one of this society.
i All the tribes of the Texas coast anC
back country We're rcputed Cannibals. anc
with good reason. One of these WAS the
Attakapa from whom the Louisiana
parish gets its name, which signit
! ''man-oatcrs. Another was the Karan
kawa tribe, on Matagorda Bay, with whom
French captives from La Sales eNpedi
ton witnessed many a barbarous feast
In 1850 the priests of the old San Antonio
mission drew up a CateChism for the use
of their Indian converts and among th'
questions to be asked in confession the
/ first one was, Have you eaten human
! fcsh?"
But the worst cannibals of all were th'
Tonkawas, who lived about San Antouio
/ just back from the coast. To all the 9th
er tribes, even to the present day, they
are known simply as the Man-eaters.
They were strong, athletic men, Draw
fighters. good hunters, and inVetcrate row
ers. Unlike other tribes OF that region
they planted nothing having tradition
/ that their first ancestor was a wolf, anC
that they must always be like him, shift
Ing about from place to place. and gettinl
their living by hunting They had pan
tomime dance in which the performers
disguised as wolves, scratched man on
from the ground. where he had previousl,
been concealed in the loose earth. gaV'
him bow and arrows, and then rccitcC
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 were an outlawed trib'
among all their red brethren. with ever!
man hand against them. They retaliat
ed by acting as scouts and guides to tn
whites in tn air expeditions against tn
hostile tribes.
When the Texan missions were estab
lished in the early part of the eightcentl
century, and the good Franciscans begal
the heavy task of Transforming wandering
savages into industrious Christian sub
Jects of the king, we find some bands o
Tonkawas among the score of tribes gath
cred into San Antonio San Jose, and tn
old historic Alamo. 1t Is probable tina
only few were thus brought under re
staint. for the love of the old free If
was strong In their hearts, and long be
fore tho missions were abolished. In 1872