The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-03-19

TOnkawas, w b o,
CANNIBAL CHIEF even in the times
when eating of human flesh was
common practice among many bands
of our wild aborigines, were known as
the most depraved Of all New World
cannibals. The few remnants Of their
tribe are being kept on a reservation
in Indian Territory, whittier they were
taken twenty years ago for protection
against their many enemies. To all
other tribes they are still known SIM
ply as 1.-The man eaters"
The old home of the Tonkawa canni-
balls was about San Antonio, Tex, just
back Of the coast. In their prime they
were physically powerful, nimble ath-
letes, fearless fighters and good hunt
ers, but inveterate rovers.
The "man eaters" are outlawed and
tabooed by all other Indians. For
century and more the entire red race
In America have set their faces against
these depraved people. For this the
Tonkawas have retaliated by serving
as scouts for the whites and guides
in many government expeditions
against hostile tribes.
In 1867 the government placed them,
together with several other smaller
tribes, upon a reservation on the up
per Brazos. The Texans, who had de-
clared that no Indians should live in
the State, attacked the agency. fired
on the soldiers protecting 1t. and scat
tered the Indians. This but added
further hardening to the temper of the
forsaken man eaters" Their 300 sur
vivors were collected upon new res
ervation on the Wishita, Indian Terri
tory.
During the civil war. when some In
dams were persuaded to fight with the
North and others with the South, the
Tonkawas, with a few others, pre-
ferred to remain upon their own reser-
walton rather than take chances with
the Indians on either side. But, de-
spite the attitude of the Tonkawas,
their agent end all his employees took
the oath Of allegiance to the COnfed-
crate EONcIullitut hC LUNA 40,
though unconsciously. were now Con-
federate Indians.
On the night of October %. 1862, the
"man eaters" enemies-14O picked
Shawnees,' Delawares, Wichitas and
Kickapoos- with modern rifles,
surprised the agency, killed the white
employees and burned the buildings to
the ground. The TOnkawas, only 306
in all, had only bows and arrows, but
kept up a stubborn resistance long
enough for a part Of their women and
children to escape to the hills. When
the battle ended 1856 Tonkawas-near-
ly half Of the tribe-lay dead upon the
ground. more than 100 of these victims
being defenseless women and children.
The attacking party lost ~ killed and
wounded. The hearts of the TOnka-
was now were hardened still more
than in their former defeats.
The surviving man eaters" after
this massacre, were marched in pitiful
procession to Fort Arbuckle under
guard of single representative of the
government After short stay at
Fort Arbuckle> the man eaters" drift
ed back to Texas, occasionally acting
as scouts against the wild Comanches.
The word "CannibaT is OF Indian
origin, according to Mr.. Mooney. 1t Is
corruption of "Cariba," Of Gambia"
the proper name Of the Carib that
dreaded scourge Of the Antilles, who
reigned over the West Indies 300 years
ago.
Human limbs, hung up in the sun to
dry. like hams, were seen by Span
iards who first visited the Caribs. The
Aztecs made great business of canni-
balism in connection with their sacri-
fees of prisoners Of war and man.
eating prevailed all through the ORR
noco and Amazon regions. American
Indians still eat their fellow men on
the upper Amazon. and 1t is alleged
that cannibalism Is still practiced on
Tiburon island, off Lower California