The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-07-13

"s S"'oHoh islaHorrs NtH and lat
Their Enemies as an Incident OF
Their Weird Religious Rites-Storm-
| ing House In Treetop.
The name Papuan is that given TO
the dark skinned people who inhabit
the greater number OF islands in The
part OF the Pacific ocean known ny
Polynesia and Nalanesia and whose
headquarters rs it were. are In the
great island OF l'apua or New Guinea
Under this description come the ill.,
habtantS Of the solomon islands,
So evil has been the reputation of
the Solomon Islanders that until quite
recently they We're carefully avoided
and very little was known about them.
They have the name of being The
most treacherous OF all the south sea
natives. yet, considering the treatment
they have received in the past III lie
hands of white men, this is not 10 he
wondered at. Indeed the wonder Is
that they allow any white man ut .all
IN their country, Bur now that they
have had chance or seeing some
more favorable specimens than lie
dregs Of humanity who formerly drift
ed to the south seas they are mu,
improved, and "A man who treats them
fairly may, as "a rule, 20 among them
without fear
Still. even now there Is beautiful
uncertainty about the life Of Il south
seH trader. One day he may be sur
rounded by cringing natives who obey
his every word But some night If
he has cheated the papuan too gross.
IT, there Is murder In the moonlight,
and the trader is never heard Of more
Often, however, there seems TO be no
reason for the natives turning against
the whites. 1t Is simply that they OBJ
iect to having a trader In their midst.
So they burn his goods and end by
killing him.
The Solomon islanders are as keen
head hunters as the Borneans and
every year. except where they are
held In check by the British govern
ment. set out on head hunting raids
pure and simple. Although cannibal-
ism is still practlced III the wilder
parts of the group, 1t is nowadays
mostly a religious ceremony and not
matter Of diet. The islanders do not
generally Kill and eat people for en-
joGnent. bnt either because their re-
igon demands a human sacrifice or |
because head Is needed for some
ceremony.
In ISABEL. one Of tie largest islands |
In the Solomon group, the natives build |
houses in the highest trees 10 ESCAPE |
from the attacks Of head hunting par
ties, who sometimes come as far as 80 |
miles in their search for skulls. One
of these houses was built In tree 10 |
feet high. All the lower branches had |
been cut Off, so that the stem was |
quite bare until the platform. som,
eighty feet from the ground, WI
reached Access was had to the house |
by q rickety ladder composed Of rung- |
lashed TO stout pole with rope OF |
twisted cane. When an attack is eX
pected the women and children take |
refuge in these houses, while the men
keep watch. They warn each other u |
the approach Of fleet by euriouS |
cry which once heard Is never to BE- |
forgotten. These houses are substan
TALLY built, as often the inhabitants
have to withstand a long siege IN |
them. The floor is made Of plated
bamboo laid on layer OF bark which
rests upon the platform. The wall
are Of bamboo. and the roof is thatch
ed with sage palm The particular |
house to which / have referred meas
ured 30 by Is feet, and forty person
had been known to take refuge IN !,
If the attacking party land and III
men cannot resist them successful
they, too, ascend to the tree house :
pile Of large stones o. always he
ready for emergencies outside the do
of the platform, and these the me
hurl down on their foes Sometime
beneath which they can work ava
and cut the tree down, and they hav, |
even been known to ascend the tire,
while the inhabitants were Off the.
guard and set fire TO the house.
Nowadays. however, head hunting !
In only on special occasions |
Often, indeed. when head is required |
the chief gives notice of the fact to |
the different tribes and offers reward |
for one. The chiefs of the villages
look around. and if In any of them |
there Is native who has made him
self Objectionable for any reason they |
decide that his head shall come Off and |
the reward be earned. The victim is
not told of his impending fate. but is
watched by man who hes |
been told to secure his head He |
watches every movement Of his vie
tim and when favorable opportunity |
presents itself quickly and remorse
lessly kills him. cuts Off his head and
carries II to the chief, who pays for 1t |
In shell money This even happens to
white men II they have made them
selves unpopular. Money is paid over
for the skull, which goes to join the
chiefs collection. John Foster Frazer |
In New York Tribune. |