The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-02-27
!. HUMAN HEAD HUNTERS.
The snyages of PoIynesia Still Ply
This Horrible Trade.

The saynses of Polynesia stin Ply
This Horrible Trade.
In the scarce known islands Of thet
Pacific sea - New. Guinea, Borneo,d
Ceram, Gilolo and others too numer-
GUS to mention-man still exists in the
primeval state, and that most horribleI
of practices, head hunting, is still in
dulged in in spite of all efforts of vari-t
GUS governments and missions as WE'LL
as philanthropic societies who have,
come in contact with the people. {
Just as the scalp lock on the belt of,
the young buck Indian was token of
manhood, SO the CORY head impaled oni
a tall pole over the hut Of the would be-
young warrior, Papuan or Dayak, pro
claims to all the prowess of the youth,
henceforth man and eligible for the
council and the wooing of the maidenss
1t is immaterial how the trophy be OBJ.
tanned, whether by ambuscade or in
fair battle. Generally it is the former
The candidate for martial honors SIM
ply waits his chance by night in some
neighboring village as craftily and pa.
tiently as leopard on the prowl, the,
kris or poisoned arrow does the work
swiftly and silently, and the severed
head has ample time to cool before the
deed is discovered and calls for retriI
| button. :
Thus an incessant vendetta and car
mage go on, and only by living in in
accessible forests and strongly stock
AIDED places is it possible at all for
the tribes to save themselves from an
initiation. Of the vast island CONT
nent of New Guinea the western or
Dutch part is the worst looked after,
and it often happens that numerous
raiding parties in their great war ca
| noes come swooping down the coast
| before the northwest monsoon and
carry death and desolation into the
comparatively quiet British portion
around the mighty Fly river, opposite
Torres strait. By the time the news
is carried to Thursday island and the
gunboat starts away in pursuit it is.
generally too late, and the marauders
have vanished.
The writer was present once at the
| NoP'oAS VI q wal PAL ~, duu 1OILy
eight heads were taken from the ca
noes. Hanging and deportation to Pc
nal servitude seem to be but a slight
deterrent, for the terror recurs almost
as regularly as a plague of locusts.
THESE Papuans are hardy, warlike!
people and expert bowmen, and they
rely on their skill with this potent
weapon solely, using their clubs for
the dispatch. of wounded foes.
| The Dayaks of Borneo and their
neighbors, on the other hand, are in.
favor of the ''sumpitan" or biowpipe,
shooting little diminutive but very cum
ningly poisoned arrows. The "sumpi-
TAM has often a spear head attached,
to the outer end, like bayonet on al
musket. For close fighting they rely
on the dreaded 'parang," a heavy, hol-'
low ground broadsword about two feet
long, with the handle often carved Of
ivory and ornamented with gold and
pearls, the, wooden scabbard covered
| With human skin and hair.
They count him poor warrior who.
cannot sever head clean with one:
blow delivered backhanded. Even in al
mountainous part Of the Malay PENN;
sula, north of Malacca, in the Dind-'
ings and Hegri Sembilan, there is to
this day remnant tribe of head hunt
ers called the Sa-Ki. =.