Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-03-23

IN Borneo will be thing of the past.
Even now, under the civilizing infiu.
ence of one white man in their midst,
tribes are burying their heads who in
recent years hailed with a weeks fes-
tivities each addition to their collec.
ton and the political notes with
quiet pride that the roof beams of
houses long accustomed to bear their
khastly fruit are barred at his coming.
Traces Of Civilized Life.
1t is not to be supposed that the
headhunters are the sole inhabitants
OF the country. A new arrival who
landed a few years ago at the principal
port, armed to the teeth with two load
ed revolvers and large bowie knife
and ready to fight for his head at any
moment, was disarmed by courteous
customs official and directed to a COM
Portable hotel, from the veranda of
which he was enabled to see English
women amusing themselves at lawn
tennis and European children taking
their afternoon airing under the
charge of their Chinese nurses.
II probably would not have conduc-
ed to tine greenhorn's peace of mind
had he known that the dapper little
ryak policeman doing street duty in
the road below. with no more deadly
weapon than truncheon, cherished
q long, keen knife, whose handle bore
a little row of notches. It was mere.
ly a valued relic of the policeman
younger days before he left mis- far.
away jungle village to enlist in the
white mans service, but each notch
could have told it's tale of the swift
and deadly blow that added yet one
more to the number of jungle TRACE
dies and one more to the grim line
OF trophies hanging in the village long
house.
Headhunting Dying Out.
Headnunting, as a tribal custom, is
rapidly dying out as the sphere of in.
f!lence of the government slowly but
steadily extends farther and farther
into the interior AS each tribe comes
into contact with the British political
officers, picked men who have spent
Years dwelling alone in distant jungle
stations, often carrying their lives in
their hands, sometimes sacrificing
them, but always watching and study
ing the wild folk among their lot is
cast, village by village, chief by chief,
come in and acknowledge the sway Of
the white mans rule.
The principal reasons for which
heads are taken may be summed up in
few wOrds-first, as a sign of valor
ana token of manhood, and, secondly,
as a ready method of keeping the
score in a blood feud. Some of my
readers may be surprised that l stop
short at two reasons, for it is a com.
mon belief in England that the wild
Dyak Of Boreno, is in the habit of
proving around with a large knife,
Ike the lion of scripture, seeking
whom he may devour," and also that
he collects head in much the same way
as his white brother collects postage
stamps or butterflies. This, however,
is, far from being the case, and the
native of the far interior is in reality
very mild savage, whose principal
vice is the habit of becoming extreme.
ly intoxicated on fermented drink
which he makes from a far too large
portion of his rice crop.
We will briefly analyze the first of
the two reasons given above for which
the young "buck" saliles forth on a
headhunt.
One a Proof of VaIor.
Undoubtedly in days gone by the
possession of head implied that the
owner, or rather the new owner. had
successfully met and conquered an en-.
envy. The young brave staggered
home with his newly acquired trophy,
feeling that he had at last donned the
toga virilis and was entitled to marry
a wife and join in the councils OF the
men. Festivities were held, large
quantities of tapai (rice wine) were
consumed and the hero of the hour,
having taken possession of room in
the married" portion of the long
house that sheltered the whole of a
Dyak village and found damsel to
share it, would proceed to hang up his
head as proudly as his English broth
Ell hangs up his first sporting trophy
Times have deteriorated since these
good old days and to find the reason il
faut chercher la femme. The young
matrDn whose husband had three heads
hanging before his room would sneel
at the woman whose spouse could
boast but two, and the latter was prob
ably nagged at and badgered Oor wom
Ell are alike the world over) till he
went out and procured another. And
so by slow degrees the first question
asked by a prospective father-in-laW
of sutton for his daughters hand
came to be not "HOw much brassware
have you?" but How many heads
have your and no self-respecting CIR
! would look at a man who could moi
| boast two or three. Well knowing this
the ardent lover would take good care
to provide himself with the necessary