Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1913-05-01
PAPUAN SAvACES
The Most Treacherous of All the
South Sea Natives.
A TRIBE OF HEAD HUNTERS.
The Solomon Islanders Kill ard Eat
Their Enemies as an Incident of
Their Weird Religious Rites-storm-
ing House In a Treetop.

The name Papuan Is that given Il
> the dark skinned people who inhabi
i the greater number of islands in thu
part of the Pacific ocean known ~
Polynesia and Melanesia and who's,
headquarters, as 1t were. are IN thu
Y great island of Papua or New tiuineii
Under this description come the III
a habitants of the Solomon islands.
So evil has been the reputation OF
the Solomon islanders that until quite
recently they were 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 al the
hands of white men. this is MOI 10 hs
wondered at. Indeed. the wonder is
that they allow any white man at ala
In their country. But now mat they
have had chance OF seeing Snine
more favorable specimens than The
dregs Of humanity who formerly drift
ed to the south seas they are much
improved. and Il man who treats them
fairly may. us a rule. 60 among them
without fear.
Still. even now there Is Il heautiful
uncertainty about the life of south
sea trader. One day he may he sur
rounded by cringing natives who obey
| his every word But some night. if
be has cheated the papuan too gross
| ~. there is murder in the moonlight.
and the trader is never heard OF more
| Often. however. there seems 10 be no
reason for the natives turning against
the whites. 1t is simply thai they OBJ
ject to having trader In their midst.
So they burn his goods ana end by
killing him.
The Solomon islanders are as keen
head hunters as the Borneans and
every year. except where they are
held in cheek by the British govern
ment. set out on head hunting raids
pure and simple Although canniDal-
ism is still practiced in the wilder
parts of the group. II is nowadays
mostly n religious ceremony and not
matter of diet. The islanders do not
generally kill and eat people for en-
1oyment. but either because their re-
hgion demands a human sacrifice or
because a head is needed for some
ceremony
In Ysabel. one of the largest islands
In the Solomon group. the natives build
houses In the highest trees to escape
from the attacks of head hunting par
ties. who sometimes come as far as 200
miles in their search for skulls One
of these houses was built in tree $50
feet high All the lower branches had
been cut off. so that the stem was
quite bare until the platform. some
eighty feet from the ground. was
reached Access was had to the house
by a rickety ladder composed of rungs
dashed to a 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 of
the approach of a feet by curious
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 walls I
are of bamboo. and the roof is thatch- I
ed with sage palm. The particular !
house to which | have referred meas /
ured 30 by 10 feet. and forty persons /
had been known to take refuge In it. /
Il the attacking party land and the /
men cannot resist them successfully
they. too. ascend to the tree house.
pile of large stones Is always kent
ready for emergencies outside the door
of the platform. and these the men
hurl down on their foes. Sometimes.
however. the enemy construct shelter
beneath which they can work away
and cut the tree down. and they have
even been known to ascend the tree
while the Inhabitants were Off their
guard and set fire TO the house
Nowadays. however. head hunting is
INDUCED in only on special occasions.
Often. indeed. when head Is required
The chief gives notice OF the fact to
he different tribes and offers reward
'or one The chiefs of the villages
ook around. and If in any of them
here Is native who has made him
'elf Objectionable for any reason they
lecide that his head shall come off and
he reward be earned. The victim is
lot told of his impending fate. but is
'arefully watched by a man who has
,een told to secure bis head he
every movement of his vic
i'm and when favorable opportunity
PRESENTS itself quickly and remorse-
essly kills him. cuts of his bend and ,
aries 1t to the chief. who pays for II !,
o shell money. This even happens TO /,
white men If they have made them /.
elves unpopular Money is paid over ,,
or the skull. which goes TO join the
hiefs collection. John Foster Frazer !.
b New York Tribune.
Proud of II.
Collaborating going to print a book
I deadbeats pictures. and you're 60
az to be on the front page Egots-