New Britain herald., 1922-07-28
BURMA USES HEADS
 AS A FERTILIZER
Hunters, Slicins One of Body, Believes Good Crops Result

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 Ri.Esoon, July 2S,-n0lph F. Hen derson. n Harvard graduate who has spent the pas, eight months travelling in sonthern Asia has iust completed d trip through the British nnndmin- lsterel territory" or northeastern Bur ma and into the Chinese province Of Nunnan, neither Of which have been thoroughly explored by white men
 Among tho wild tribes encountered on this trip were the hunting Was Hitherto little has been defin- itely known concerning the life and customs of this tribe, as most of those who intruded upon Wa territory failed to return The Was do not hunt heads primarily from cannibal- istic motives. but rather because Of their belief that their crops will fail unless some fresh human skulls are imported every year Under this ir.- preston. they organize head-hunting expeditions every spring, and 1t is small consolation to the unfortunate traveller who falls into their hands that 1t is only his skull that is want ed
 story of Wiids.
 Writing Of the wild Was. Mr. Han derson says
 The Was are especially keen on hunting heads during February. March and April Just before the planting season. From the Was angle of looking al it, the business isn't the madness we take it to, be. It is a convention, and quite as reasonable as afternoon tea. Every decently religi- ous Was knows that unless the seed grain is properly charmed and con- lured with a human head, the crop raised from it will be failure And wno wants to starve? In fact, if worst comes to worst, and there are no heads forthcoming from raids on neiEhbors, the Was prefer to take the head of some feeble person in the vi- lage, rather than run the risk of scant crops and consequent empty stom achs.
 Tn February, March and April then, the wild Was men go a-hunting Of course. any head that offers itself to be collected is regarded as fair game, and it behooves the man work ing alone cutting jungle or the wom- an hoeing alone in the field to be 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 fanhs of any party caught in the trap.
 Smallpox Feared.
 Heads of men. women and chil- dren over 12 years old are acceptable Heads marked with smallpox, for su- perstitious reasons, are not desired A successful foray is one which yields one or more corpses. Immediately the heads are cut of and put in bags Then back home go the rejoicing Was not neglecting to take the bodies along for the larder, and raising tremendous whooping and hulabaloo along the way. At home there is 3 ceremony to perform ,The wife or moth3' of the man who made the kill takes the head out of the bag and proceeds to vail over it. formally. She must wash the blood from the dead face and vail an unconditional song dS 4SllF JUGS SO. CHN III lsl NO1h K Iltl- self into a sentimental fenzy, which | feat under the circumstances is usual -ly easy of performance If her vail ing 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 it as a mighty ruler. It is this spirit which is to promote the growth of the crops, and # must be treated with great rever- ence. I heard this song once.
 After the head has been wasle1 and walled over, a raw egg is put into the dead mouth, to feed the ertrit. Then the head is thrust ID on a lo'a. A basket of seed paddy (rice) is put 1rGer it and left for few days, AS the head decays, the droppings fall into the seed paddy. and are thorough ly mixed with it. The paddy is then ready to plant, and good crop is insured"