GENTLEMEN CANNIBALS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 313, 28 September 1908, Page 6

GENTLEMEN CANNIBALS.

A VISITOR FROM NEW CUINEA. SOME CURIOUS CUSTOMS. The Prince of Darkness has"T)£^ H called fi .gentloman, aud the Rev. W. E^f£l™ low ' who knows his savage with a knowledgeSjSXL . tending over many years, is not disposed deny tho title to the New Guinea cannibal. ' When ho' is not engaged in cannibalism* Mr. Bromilow assured a Dominion representative, tho Now Guinea native can bo quite a gentleman. Presumably tho natives in tho mission territory, who have given up their maneating ways, aro all gentlemen.. Mr. Bromilow, who arrived in 'Wellington on Saturday, in the course of a tour of the Dominion, has just resigned his positions as head of tho New Guinea Methodist Mission • and principal of the" Übuia Native College. He has left New Guinea, after, a residence of Boventeen years, to preserve Mrs. Bromilow's . who is travelling with, him, from' the, deadly' malaria which is the worst scourge of that country. The Rev. •M: K. Gilmour, who ■ was in Wellington a few months ago, with a Papuan " boy," is his successor fin the work, Mr. Bromilow not only knows, but likes his savage, and though the New Guinea native has some characteristics difficult to condone, the visitor was ■ ablo to make up quite a prepossessing portrait from liia better traits. V , CHIEF AND FATHER. Mr. Bromilow went to New Guinea in'lß9l, • after ten years' mission work in Fiji. \i .Tho' London Missionary Society had been represented in tho country since 1872,' but there was ample, room for other workers when, the ' Governor, Sir William M'Gregor, suggested, that the 'Methodists should supplement their '' ' work.. He afterwards described hisvinvita-/ tion to . the missionaries, as the best thing-Ha ' had ever done. Mr. Bromilow started wopje ' in one of the worst parts of the 'Papuan group. Tho chief scene of their activities .was two small, but densely-populated islands' near tho mainland of New Guinea. The, in-/ habitants of one island, the Dobuans,>, were, a specially fierce race, who had conquered'.,' all the neighbouring tribes. Jhe inhabi- V; tants of tho other island were tlieir allies, aud both races were notorious cannibals.' The Dobuans, in fact, used to drink human blood raw. A plan was formed to kill Mr,' and Mrs. Bromilow as soon as they arrived; but it did not succeed, and eventually tho 'ajvful;. Dobuans adopted them into the tribe. "Mr. Bromilow was invested with chief's honours,' which caused a newspaper in England to an- ; nounce that he had given up his work as a missionary to be the chief of a cannibal tribe, and that he had recently informed a ' visitor that ho was entirely, satisfied with his now lot. As a mark of friendship, Mr. Biomilow, exchanged names with tno old chief of another tribe, and when the old man . died, the tribe came to Mr. Bromilow,, presented him with a stone axe, and told' him-! he must be their father. He consented, and the tribes who, on his first arrival, thirsted . for his blood, made great lamentation on his recent departure for the loss of a father and a chief. A NOTORIOUS CANNIBAL. Soon after Mr. Bromilow went to New..> Guinea, ho was able to bring together the , Governor and a' redoubtable old chief, who ■ had never accepted his authority. The old . savage, who had taken With his own hand 38 victims for cannibal feasts, could never be induced to meet tho Governor.: His tribe,. ■ also, were tho Ishmaels of the group. Mr. Bromilow sought him out, and gained his ' confidence, and the_ Governor agreed that if the chief would give" up his .evil courses, : past offences.'.would;be forgiven. The chief ; agreed to. live peacefully on this.condition, and he was always thankfuHo Mr. Bromilow. for tho v teriii'S;"'^iftbe* :J, hte , !'Kdd.ifn'llj r expected-"-to be somo day caught and hanged. ELABORATE ETIQUETTE. *:' , Tho Papuans are so far "gentlemen that' they have an elaborate code of etiquette, and . regard tho English as a rude race,- quite without any etiquette. It was part of the Papuan code that the cannibal should not eat tho victims _of his own prowess; -these he handed over, in a gentlemanly manner, for tho refreshment tof his friend. Often a white man enters a Papuan village without a "By • your leave," and orders the natives to" climb a treo and throw him down some cocoanuts. When the natives, decline, the European generally abuses . them, while tho natives meditate with disgust on tho rude manners of the white-face. Mr. Bromilow; gained the goodwill 'of tho natives by carefully observing their customs, when : these were not morally "had. . Instead of walking, into a settlement "liiiasked, he would commence to walk round it, when immediately the residents would come forward and invite him to come among them. To walk into a village, uninvited, is considered as. ill manners as to walk into a house in the same way. A Papuan will say to a rude fellow: "Do like the white roan," moaning "Be aB- • uncouth as you can be." . EVIL CUSTOMS. Tho New Guinea natives are not . onty , polite, but they are very clever. Sir. Bromilow has seen an English house built by one of them in creditable style. They have also' built whalcboats, and small schooners are sailed by Papuan captains and crews. One of tho worst of their old customs was burying sick people when they were only semiconscious, but not dead. Mrs. Bromilow once saw a woman, who had been placed in the grave while in this state. .She cut a bandage which confined-the woman's head, gave Tier a restorative in the grave, and sent, for Mr. Bromilow. After some argument, tho tribe agreed to .havo the woman taken out, and \ she survived for several hours.' Another'horrible custom was to bury live infants with 1 , their dead mothers. On the other hand,'the Papuan'land laws are excellent, arid their system' of inheritance through tho mother they regard as greatly superior to tho European custom. The Native College at Übuia has 50 men and 50 in training for mission work, with about 70 orphans, and children who have been saved from death by living burial or starvation in their infancy. The natives are amenable to Christian teaching, and Mr. Bromilow is well satisfied with the results of the mission's work," ' : \.