HEAD HUNTERS WHO ARE DANCE MAD.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3334, 16 August 1926, Page 8

HEAD HUNTERS WHO ARE DANCE MAD.

An astonish! m account of Hie little known head-hunting tribes inhabiting the Dutch Island of Nias, off the coast of Sumatra, is furnished by Dr A. Ponsel, a returned explorer. The decoration of the projecting roofbeams of the bamboo houses in the villages, says Dr Ponsel, consists partly of hanging human skulls, decapitated human heads playing a great part in all the festivals, despite the efforts of both the Dutch Government and missionaries.

Heads fall when a chieftain assumes a higher title, when a new village or a new house is built, at the death of the chieftain or any influential man, on occasions of illness—in short, on every possible occasion. The motive for Hie utting off of ads at funerals is explained by the statement that the spirit of the dead man seeks to disturb his successor in his new possessions. This can b© nreveuted only by the spirit of a person killed especially for the purpose, and if Hie dead mail was particularly powerful tbe local priest decides that the mimher of heads must be greater than ordinary.

A man planning to give an especially gorgeous festival invites other warriors to go head-hunting with him. He feed's them plentifully with rice and pork, but furnishes no plates. They must eat out of a pig trough as a delicate intimation that if they come home without heads at their girdles they arc no better than pigs. The hunters, however, take a sort of oath, saying to their host, “If wc bring home no heads -or you, take our own and those of our wives and children” —a very literal embodiment of the old saying, “on my head be it!” The victim, however, is sometimes ransomed) at the last minute —this being often done in the ease of funerals. At every opportunity ' the people dance, but most of all at funerals, which are continued for four days and three nights. Drums and gongs are beaten immediately after death, an 1 the dirge of the dead begins, while, in the evening, the neighbours visit the house and express their sympathy by howling. The dance proceeds ill n ig'it long while the descendants of tin: dead sing his praises and beat their breasts continuously with wooden staves. All this is done to keep the evil spirits far away. Pigs are kille ! and the <n’i :t»'e fe rl towards morning, and when daylight comes the silk-covered coffia-board is brought out, the images of ancestors placed on it. and the friends of the dead, bearing veils hung on their spears, stand at the head of the coffin to keep evil spirits away. The able-bodied lighting men of the village, armed to the teeth, now enter the house and appraise the value of tile goods it contains in order to estimate the number of pigs winch cught to he killed according to the rank of the departed. The body, array id in festive gai monis is then borne forth to the grave on its bier, the women trying to Ink! it back to show how dear to them the ciead man was.