The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-07-13
WHY SAVAGES ARE FOND
OF THE FLESH OF MAN.

That CIuUihaliSm t. Stul urlctced IN
British New Guinea after mD=e than thir-
teen years %. sovereignty IS no reflection
IN the Lieutenant Governor and his masis-
tratcs. With an area % Sl.cc square miles
on the mainland and 60 ISLANDS in proNimi-
Is. and "a force Of 10 Papuan police. It Is
wonderful thai; It is limited to 80 few dis
tricts. II IS safe {" phophesy that in i've
years time il will he unknown within this
portion OF the Empire.
II Is just four years ago since 1 was first
brought face To face with this EruesOue
practice. Scene. the northeast coast. 10
mikes away from any Government station
"A district where we Church OF England
missionaries were the hrst TO live among
IN. natives
In front OF US n native grass hut with the
skull and other bones OF the victim OF a
cannibal feast hung Up as spells OF Wa
over the door. and the consumer juSti-
flying his action in the limited vocabulary
that We possessed IN common He was a
bIg-framcd man. with nothing but a piece
Of cloth round his iOins, a garment ham
mered out Of the bark Of the paper null
berry tree. He had a POrtentioGsly big mouth
and he showed this 10 its fun extent with
a splend.dly sound set OF teeth. and a
tongue bloot-red frCm the Juice Of the betel
nut.
He pointed to the remains OF his van
pushed foe hanging over the door OF his
hut. The Government say it's wrong and
the missionaries say its wrong. but II Is
very good.' This was his plea for cannibal-
ism. He knows better now. does my vii
laEe friend. Twice a Sunday for three years
past he has attended divine service. and
learnt that since the Goldman lived on earth
a human life Is sacred and cannibalism Is
an outrage.
Victims of Last Nenr.
The year 1871 vas marked by a heavy roll
Of victims to gaWntlNlfgm. Whether the
number exceeded those Of previous years
may he questioned. Each year. at any rate.
we know better what Is going on Still. the
fact that there were four white victims
marked last year Uncnviably.
In February a party OF diSsers were
making their way inland TO the YOdda
GoIJheid. over some desperate country that
experience alone can help one 10 realize.
when they Were cut on by a crowd OF saw
ages. Two We're killed and eaten; another.
a German. got away. but died a day or two
afterwards Of exhaustion. The remains OF
the unfortunate man were found and a
party "a their mates went out into the dis
triCt and made horrible reprisalS.
In April. on Easter Day. the Queen OF
Seasons" James Chalmers. who for TWEEN
ty-seven years had Tisked the dangers OF
missionary work among savage tribes.
made his last attempt to win a Wild dis
trict for civilization and the Prince OF
Peace. and the brave old Christian warrior
met "a similar fate with one white cJmpau-
ion and twelve native helpers. The Gov
eminent had to treat the matter as they
would the murder uf peaceabie settlers. and
the expedition. beng attacked hy the can
uih.ls. hammered than severely and burned
thy!r villages.
1 need not describe the other instances Of
Caunihalism that occurred last year. except
II say that / have in my possession the
lower jaW-bone ~ "A boy Of Il or u.
u-hn vsre KILLED and anFaw -nF rur FHrw
three miles from the coast in September
last. When brought TO me IL had still pOr-
tons o! flesh aGhCrinE to H.. This hap
pened some forty miles from cut nearest
mission station. and caused me special re-
EreJ. because hud fixed upon that very
place for our next extension. and had We
established ourseif there a year ago that
poor lad would be living TOW in peace and
security.
just n had Habit.
But why do theee canaibaI feasts take
placer Is IT pure savagery. or IL Is n natural
craving for animal food. which cannot be
satisfied in any other way? I would OFFER an
opinion on this subject with considerable
diGldence. Il Is. in fact. not easy 20 get
materials for a definite conclusion ut all.
When natives are in the Cdunibalistic
state We are MT sufficiently in touch With
them To know their language and discuss II
thoroughly. BY the time w axe able 10
converse lueuNlN Win iseIl lleN utNt
abandoned the practice. and when this
habit is once given Up l know nothing that
the PaDuan Is so soon ashamed Il. and. be-
Ing ashamed Of. does not care TO discuss.
Besides. he ~ not accustomed TO think
out the reasons for doing n thing. and prob
ably never had 4 reasoned reason. or
thought WHY he did IL. till we asked him.
An We can get out Of the ~villager. in
answer TO the question why he eats man. is
such rcplies as: IT'S flesh IT'S very
good or ITS our custom
l think myself the consuming OF the VIC
tim slain In the raid is the natural conse-
oucnce OF the rail. Tribes raid one al
other largely TO take compensation for lives
killed in a previous raid. ~ life for a life"
Is New Guinean all ever. and as the bal
ance IS never kept quite level there IL al
ways an account TO be paid on. Apart from
this obligation. l believe the New Guinea
savage raids as a change from the mono
tony OF agriculture. The people IN that
island are not nomadic tribes. but 1--we 4
fairly settled Ife In villages. and grow all
their own vegetable food.
Papuan Child CaunIbaIs.
The Papuan rebounds from severe sgri-
culture and goes on a raid. Having raided
and killed. he consumes. as a natural con-
sequence. because the flesh Ia very sweet"
He eats II as he would eat pig.
II Is smoked on the fire and Remembered
Just in the same way. Then Il is wrapped
round In green leaves and tied uD with
hire. and carried homo in little parcels on
poles. The pole Is balanced on the mans
shoulder. and the little bundles decorate
the pole on each side of the mans shoulder. |
The boys and girls eat il at once. Their
parents put II before them. and they
do not inquire II IL Is pig or man. They eat
IL just the same. This. I suggest. IS the !
trre view Of the horrid practice Of canni-
baiism.
Thc idea hat Z Is due tn the natural
craving for hesh meat IS not borne oct
by my New Guinea experience. for the river
district. where canaibalism Is most preva-
lent IN that land. Is the area where native /
pig does most abound The rivers have /
only TO be somewhat flooded. and the pigs
are driven on TO the higher ground. where
they are easily speared. I have heard OF
one part OF the coast where only the arms
and legs OF human victims were eaten, but