New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-01
MEN STAY AT THEIR CLUBS

| The centre OF village life in New Guinea
is the dubu. or mems clubhouse These
ara large houses generally two stores
high. and with a veranda about ten rect
/ above the ground, the height Of the house
| often being fifty feet in front. No woman
or girl dares to show her face inside one
/ Of these dubus-they are sacred 70 the
men. They do not usually pass the Wnole
night In their own huts. but come 10 the
dubu and sleep there-indeed, II they oo
not their wives ask them why they are
disobeving the command of the god WHO
is supposed TO have instituted these duous-
When boys grow up their hair is snaEeu
off very close, and they are sent into the
dubu 10 stay there till their hair again De
comes a thick crop. perhaps several month
When their hair is sufficiently long anu
bushy they can come out and get married
as soon as they like.
One OF The largest villages in this Wild
mart OF New Guinea, which forms the mlddIe
mart of the Gulf of Papua- and is inhaolteo
nv cannibaI tribes is that Of Maipua. WhlcE
has A population of fifteen hundred To elSh-
teen hundred people. When Chalmers VS.
tied II they were inveterate cannioaIs. ou'
ar the same time they were not wholly I'M
civilized. Their houses were large and we'll
kept. the streams running through the VII
lagc had good bridges across them, and the
swannpy ground had logs laid upon It %
make a rude Kind Of paving The town
contained fine temples. and in front OF neaf-
w every house was an image Of the goo
Semese, the Great Spirit
Into the largest OF the temples MI
Chalmers was allowed to go, He describes
how In each of the courts were numerous
skulls OF men, women and children, croco-
dies and wild bbars. all of which were
carved and many painted The human
skulls were those of people who had been
killed and eaten. The daintiest dish IS hu-
mar flesh. and IL is considered that only
fools despise IL
The last court was the most sacred OF all.
and few ever entered II. The passage
through the centre of the temple. says the
great pioneering missionary. was glazed
with the blood OF the victims so frequently
dragged over IL and the constant walking
upon It
When asked why they ate human flesh
+h,. natives said that the women first urged
then, TO do so-a variant of the old story
OF Eve inducing Adam TO eat the appl~.
The legend goes that as the men returned
one day down the river, rejoicing because
thsfr canoes were full of Wild bears and
vaIIabies. the women called out TO them 70
kroyv why they were singing and dancing
When the men told them to look at their
boctv the women scornfully said That
dirty stuff Who is going 20 eat that? Is
that what you call a good hunts
After bordering what their wives could
want. one OF them bad an inspiration, and
said. Il know it's man. So they all went
off, and came back with ten bodies. this
time without any signs OF rejoicing But
when the women saw what they had Soc
they shouted; Yes. yes that's it Dance
and sing now. for you have something 10
dance and sing for. That's what we want
The bodies we're singed and cooked, and
ever since the natives have preferred hu-
man flesh 70 any other.
The prevailing characteristic OF the Pap
uan. or aborigine OF New Guinea, is his
boundless vanity II is no good trying TO
Stub him, for he can never be made 10
realize that his room Is better than his
company. even though he may be suffering
from leprosy or some other horrible skin
disease II he has liking for Il white man
he Is always ready 10 rub noses in the most
amicabie fashioh, thereby leaving several
layers Of oil and dirt upon his friends o0un'
tenance He Is a noisy. exCftanIe person.
very fond or Dragging or his bravery but
he il not by any means as courageous as ne
would Ike yo,. 70 believe IL he can Kill
A A..naa- x-lih1zziAzunnina anx ssak hinn~Aib