Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-02-20
HUMAN HEAD
The Snvages OF Polynesia still Ply
This Horrible Trade

Inc - ! AaCSAb -
This Horrible Trade.
In the scarce known islands of the.
Pacific sea-New Guinea, Borneo,i
Ceram, Gilolo and others too numer19
GUS to mention-man Still exists in the:
primeval state, and that most horrible
Of practices, head hunting, is still ins
dlullged III in spite Of all efortszo of vari-
Gus governments and missions as well
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 a token of
manhood, so the. CORY head impaled on
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 a man and eligible for the
council and the wooing of the maidens.
It is immaterial how the trophy be obs
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 craffily and pa
tiently as a leopard on the proWl, the
kris or a 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 retri-
button.
Thus an incessant vendetta and car
mage go IN, and only by living in In
accessible forests and strongly stock
AIDED places is it possible at ali FOR
the tribes to save themselves from an
initiation. OF the vast island CONT
nent of New Guinea the western OF
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 III pursuit it is
generally too late, and the marauders
have vanished.
The writer was present once at the
capture of il war party, and forty
eight heads We're taken from the ca
noes. Hanging and deportation to pc
nal servitude seem to be but slight
deterrent, for the terror recurs almost
as regularly as q plague OF locusts.
These Papuans II a hardy, warlike
people and expert bowmen, and they
rely On their skill with this potent
weapon solely, using their clubs fol
the Dispatcher wounded foes.
The Dayaks OF Borneo and theil
neighbors, onfsfhe other hand, are in
favor Of the ..sumpitan', or blowpipe,
shooting little diminutive but very Gun;
ningly poisoned arrows. The ..sumpi
tan" has often a spear head attached
to the outer end, like a bayonet on q
musket. For close fighting they rely
on the dreaded "parang," aSheayy, 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 aspoor warrior who
cannot sever a head clean with ONT
blow delivered backhanded. Even IN 8
mountainous partsof the Malay PENN
suIa, north OF Malacca, In the Dind
ings and Hegri SembiIan, there is t.
this day q remnant tribe Of head hunt
ers called the Sa-Ki.