The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-08-06
HUNT HEADS TO
INSURE CROPS
Good Luck in Planting
Season Depends on
Bloody Conjuring

kANGOON -- Ralph E. Hender-
son, Harvard graduate, who has
|epcnt the past eight months travel
Ing In southern Asia. has just COM
pletod a trip through the British
/ 'uuadmiuigtorcd territory" OF north
IcastoIn Burma and into the Chinese
province OF Yunnan, neither of
which have been thoroughly cx-
/ plorcd by white men.
Among tho villa tribes en-
/ Icountorod on this trip were the
| head hunting was. Hitherto little
I has been definitely known concern
ling the life and customs OF this
tribe, as most of those who intrudod
Iupon Was territory failed 10 return.
/ The Was do not hunt heads primari-
| ~ from cHuuibalistic motives. but
rather because Of their belief that
| their crops viii fail unless some
| fresh human skulls are imported
every year Under this impression,
/ they organize head hunting expedi-
{ tons every spring and II is small
consolation 10 the unfortunate trnV-
clor who falls into their hands that
| it is only his skull that is wanted.
writing Of the wild Was, Mr..
Henderson Gays:
THE Was are especially keen on
/ hunting heads during February.
March ana April-just before the
planting season, From the Was an
gle OF looking at Il. the business isn't
The madness we take II 10 he. II
is convention, and quite as rea-
son1hle Hs afternoon tea. Every de-
Gently religious was knows that IN
loss the seed grain is properly
charmed and coniurcd with n hu-
man head tho crop raised from II
will bo failure. And who wants
10 Btarve? In fact, iG worst comes to
worst ana there are no heads forth
coming from raids on nolghbors, the
Was prefer 10 take the head OF some
feeble person In the village rather
that run tho risk OF scant crops and
consequent empty stomachs
In February March and April
then, the wild Was men go hunt
ing. OF course any head that offers
Itself TO he collected is regarded as
fair game and 1t hohooves the man
working alone cutting Jungle or the
woman hooing alone In the field to
he cautious when the Was are afoot.
A common nrtifice Is TO barricade
come Jungle highway and lie In am
bush, some Just behind the barri-
cadc. some on cithcr side. to rush
down on the flanks OF any party
caught In tho trap.
The ConJurins Process.
"Heads Of men. women and chill
drcn over I 2 years old are accept
able. Heads marked with small
puN. for superaltious reasons. are
not desired. A successful foray is
one which yields one or more
corpscs Immediately the heads are
cut of and put In bags Then back
for the larder and raising a tire.
mcndous whooping and hulabaloo
along the way. At home there is n
ceremony 10 perform. The wife or
mother OF the man who made the
XIII takes the head out of the bag
and proceeds to wall over II formal
ly. She must wash the blood from
tho dead fact, and wall an incanta-
tional song ms she does so. She must
work herself into sentimental
frenzy, which feat, under the cir
cumstances. Is usually easy OF per-
formancc. IL her waillng lacks
ring of genulness. 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 n mighty
ruler. lt Is this spirit which is to
promote the growth Of the crops.
and II must be treated with great
reverence. | heard this song once.
after the head has been washed
and walled over. n raw egg is put
into the dead mouth, TO feed the
spirit Then the head is thrust up
on pole. \ basket or seed paddy
(rice) IL put under Il and left for
few days. As the head decays the
dropplnEs fan into the seed paddy.
and are Thoroughly mixed with II.
h,a d. ~ IN MI NJ
and a good crop is Insured"