The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1922-08-20
Wild burma Was
HUNT HEADS To
insure A CROP
Great Ceremony Follows Hunt
After Which Fields Are
Sown With Treated"
Seed and Plants.

WANGON.-Ralph E. Henderson,
Harvard graduate who has spent the
past eight months travelling in south.
ern Asia, has just completed a trip
through the British "unadministered
territory" of northeastern Burma and
into the Chinese province of Yunnan,
neither of which have been thoroughly
explored by white men.
Among the wild tribes encountered
on this trip were the head-hunting Wac.
Hitherto little mas been definitely known
concerning the life and customs Of this
Tribe, AZ most of those who introduced
upon Wa territory failed to return. The
was do not hunt heads primarily from
cannlbalistic motives, but rather be.
cause Of their belief that heir crops
VIII fail unless some fresh human skulls
are imported every year Under this
impression, they organize head-huntng
expeditions every spring, and it is
small consolation to the unfortunate
traveller who falls into their hands that
1t is only his skull that Is wanted.
Hunt In February.
Writing of the wild Was, Mr. Hen
derson says:
The Was are especially keen on
hunting heads during February. March
and April-just before the planting sea.
Fon. From the Wa angle of looking at
it. the business isn't the madness we
take II to be. 1t is convention, and
quite as reasonable as afternoon tea.
Every decently religious Wa knows that
unless the seed grain is properly cham
ed and conjured with human head the
crop raised from it will be a failure.
And who wants to starve? In fact. If
worst comes 10 worst, and there are no
heads forthcoming from raids on neigh
bors. the Was prefer to take the hear
OF some feeble person in the village.
rather than run the risk OF scant crops
and consequent empty stomachs.
In February March and April then.
the wild Wa men go a.hunting. OF
course, any head that offers itself to
be collected is regarded as fair game.
and it behooves the man working alone
cutting jungle or the woman hoeing
alone in the field to bo cautious when
the Was are afoot. A common artifice
is to barricade some jungle highway
and lie in ambush, some just behind the
barricade. some on either side. to rush
down on the flanks of any party cought
in the trap.
They're Superstitious.
Heads of men, women and children
over 12 years are acceptable. Heads
marked with smallpox, for superstitious
reasons, are not desired. A successful
foray Is one which yields one or more
corpses. Immediately the heads are cut
off and put in bags. Then back home
go the rejoicing Was. not neglecting
10 take the bodies along for the larder.
ana raising a tremendous whooping
an dhulabaloo along the way. At home
there Is ceremony to perform The
wife or mother OF the man who made
the Kill takes the head out of the bag
and proceeds 10 wall over it formally
She must wash the blood from the dead
face, and wall in incantational song a.
she does so. She must work herself
into a sentimental frenzy, which feat
under the circumstances is usually easy
of performance. II her waillng lacks
the ring Of genuineness, her husband
helps to supply that which is lacking
by beating her.
This song, strangely enough. be-
seeches the aid of the spirit OF the head.
and addresses II as a mighty ruler. II
is this spirit which is to promote the
growth OF the crops. and it must be
treated with great reverence. / heard
his song once.
After the head has been washed and
walled over, a raw egg is put into the
dead mouth. to feed the spirit. Then
81 the head is thrust up on pole. \
basket OF seed paddy (rice) is put under
II and left for a few days. As the head
decays the droppings fall into the seed
paddy. and are thoroughly mixed with
1t. The paddy Is then ready to plant,
and good crop is insured"