New Britain herald., 1928-11-17
PAPUANS FREAk|SH
 IN THEIR IDEALS
ht Insects s-DGorate Homes
 With Human Skulls

Washington. D. C.. Nov. 17.-"Re- cent reports from New Guinea that Papuans use dog teeth as medium of exchange. is but one of the odd customs of these natives" says a bulletin from the Washington. D. c. headquarters of the National Geo. graphic Society.
 "A few Papuans who have mln- gled with Dutch and English settlers and missionaries have been taught that the skulls of neighboring tribes men are not attractive ornaments for their huts, and in the coast set dement's European clothes have dis placed the loin cloth and string of shell beads, but Papuans in the for csts still destroy one another at sight. Many of them have never seen a white man.
 Homes Built for Protection
 "Papuans are pagans. The Papuan cautiously approaches the rocks on the shores of the ocean and inland streams lest spirit that abides there stir up a storm. A spirit in the clouds destroys their children. but the strongest spirit turks in the for est. For this reason tribesmen sell dom venture out at night.
 "Papuan villages are built more for protection than comfort. Near the sea coast and rivers many of them are built over the water while in the interior they occupy the hills where the trbesmen can survey the neighborhood for enemy invaders If . village is in a valley, it is usu- ally protected by a high stockade or the huts are in the tree tops. Tree platforms are tribal watchtowers.
 A Wife for . Pig
 'Constant fighting among the Papuans has caused a shortage of men 50 the women do the counting. When a tribesman is captivated by | Papuan lass he gives his prospec- tive father-in-law pig or dog and takes his bride to his hut. The wed- ding ceremony over. the bride joins the other wives in taking care Of the hut and working the garden while tho husband goes fighting. hunting and fishing.
 "Yams. sweet potatoes. birds lizards. fish, and all kinds of insects are eaten by the natives. Turtles are . luxury to them but the favorite tidbit .s a fat grub about three inches long.
 "Papuans differ as to the disposal of their dead. They believe that each tribesman has two spirits. One dies with the body while the other remains with 1t to haunt the rela- tfves. Sometimes a body is buried for . short time. Later it is distn- tered, the bones cleaned and taken to the village.
 Spirit Hovers Over Graves
 "Some tribes dry the body on platform and keep it few years. Then it is buried and house built over the grave for the spirit. A path is cut from the hut to the nearest stream 50 that the spirit may bathe and food is brought to the dead for a time 70 that the journey to the spirit world will not be made on an empty stomach. Papuan women keep their husbands alive as long as possible for when one tribesman dies, all his wives are tabue. Wear ing widows weeds in New Guinea is literally true for Papuan widows doff their short knee-length grass dresses and strings of beads for grass 'gowns' that cover their bodies from their shoulders to their feet.
 'The complete everyday wardrobe of . Papuan tribe of three to four hundred men could be packed in rood ased trunk or two. The loin cloth, . string of shells or beads and . few bone armlets are Papu- ans clothing.
 .In some regions the tribesmen make themselves handsome by piercing their noses with quills or bones, while their bodies are mass of welts or are covered with tatoo- ing. With these decorations and their clay -sme cared hair dangling in long piaits, they are ready for hunt-man or animal. They are ex- pert marksmen, armed with thelr barbed spears bows and arrows and beheading clubs"