New-York tribune., 1907-09-14
NEW YORK LEADS AGAIN.
Its Collection of Genuine Baked
Heads Breaks Al Records.

New York has the largest collection OF
baked heads owned by ary city IN the world That
doesn't mean that the baked head Is akin to the
"swelIed head" or that baked head Is the result
Of the heat engendered by a brain storm Not
bit Of it.
These particular heads come straight from New
Zealand. by way OF London Since they the
product of a past age any New ZeaIander might
proudly and truthfully say they were Just
mothe- used 10 bake 'ern." At present they repose
within glass cases at the American Museum OF
Natural History having been purchased aboyt
month ago from Major General Hs5ey, OF the
British army, who was on duty in New Zealand for
many years during the time when the bIackfellows
and bushmeu enjoyed life in primitive hOnlcda
way.
The first account Of these particular products OF
the antipodes given by Captain Cook. who
landed on the island in 1863 and found the head
bakers thoroughly organized The process was no
trade secret First. of course. the Maori had TO
catch his head-that IS. the other fellows This
was accomplished either by the death OF an an
cestOr or, if the ancestor didn't Oohge. by the
assisted demise of enemy Any ancestor or any
enemy wouldn't do. head worth baking was
that decorated by tattoo designs Since all the
Maoris who wanted TO be well dressed went in for
tattooing. nearly all the heads came up to speci-
fcatons.
When the head was ready for the FIRE it a
true replica OF the late lanented, except that be-
tween the skin and the skull the muscles and flesh
had been supplanted by earth tightly packed IN
Then for a month or more the head was smoked
In a kiln where green wood was kept constantly
srnouIdering. The result such as Is shown IN
thtrtyve varieties the Museum Of Natural HIS
tory; that Is the features retained their model
ling The skin hard drawn and tanned over ths
earth showed the tsttooed marks elevated hKs
embossed work q book cover
In the early days. before the white men came.
the simple natives had two for the heads
Those OF their ancestors and great chiefs were
stucl, ON poles about which were draped ricn
gowns OF fur and emu skins. that in erect tey
were statues The heads OF the enemies were SET
IN like hunt trophies about the huts OF the vc9rs
There are some Grewsome tales told or these
latter years. Many a presumably among hls
own people and friends. but possessing well tat
tooed face would disappear in the BUSH coupls
of months later the English collector IN the next
settlement who had been inquirtng for a first rare
specimen. would get one from some shnNins M
tive. Beauty had become truly fatal gift
II took the white men some time to realize what
,-,s goirer on At last however. IL became known
thar chiefs were spending much money-Or the
-eouvaIert IN trade goods-to hsve their saves t11
tooed investigation proved that the Maorts hao
found a well preserved and artisticaIy tat1ooed
head was worth about five times as much as
I'VE slave They were simply manufacturing
valuable article from material Then me BTU
fsb government stepped in and put a stop 10 'he
entire industry. And to-day mighty few tat'ooeo
natives remain
There are baked heads in many museums all over
the world. but New York's thirty-hve compose t-e
largest and best collection The examples range
from those Of boys to the almost ebony black
models Of old men. They represent. too, the vari
ous tvpes Of the New Zealand natives. and re-
serble wood carvings much more than they 40
mumrnies