AT HOME WITH CANNIBALS.
IN the first letter, sent jointly by Mr. Copeland and myself from Tanna
to the Church at home, the following statements occur:--
"We found the Tannese to be painted Savages, enveloped in all the
superstition and wickedness of Heathenism. All the men and children go
in a state of nudity. The older women wear grass skirts, and the young
women and girls, grass or leaf aprons like Eve in Eden. They are
exceedingly ignorant, vicious, and bigoted, and almost void of natural
affection. Instead of the inhabitants of Port Resolution being improved
by coming in contact with white men they are rendered much worse; for
they have learned all their vices but none of their virtues,--if such
are possessed by the pioneer traders among such races! The Sandal-wood
Traders are as a class the most godless of men, whose cruelty and
wickedness make us ashamed to own them as our countrymen. By them the
poor defenseless Natives are oppressed and robbed on every hand; and if
they offer the slightest resistance, they are ruthlessly silenced by the
musket or revolver. Few months here pass without some of them being so
shot, and, instead of their murderers feeling ashamed, they boast of how
they despatch them. Such treatment keeps the Natives always burning
under a desire for revenge, so that it is a wonder any white man is
allowed to come among them. Indeed, all Traders here are able to
maintain their position only by revolvers and rifles; but we hope a
better state of affairs is at hand for Tanna."
The novelty of our being among them soon passed away, and they began to
show their avarice and deceitfulness in every possible way. The Chiefs
united and refused to give us the half of the small piece of land which
had been purchased, on which to build our Mission House, and when we
attempted to fence in the part they had left to us, they "tabooed" it,
_i. e._ threatened our Teachers and us with death if we proceeded
further with the work. This they did by placing certain reeds stuck into
the ground here and there around our house, which our Aneityumese
servants at once knew the meaning of, and warned us of our danger; so we
left off making the fence, that we might if possible evade all offense.
They then divided the few breadfruit and cocoa-nut trees on the ground
amongst themselves, or demanded such payment for these trees as we did
not possess, and threatened revenge on us if the trees were injured by
any person. They now became so unreasonable and offensive, and our
dangers so increased, as to make our residence amongst them extremely
trying. At this time a vessel called; I bought from the Captain the
things for payment which they demanded; on receiving it, they lifted the
Taboo, and for a little season appeared to be friendly again. This was
the third payment they had got for that site, and to yield was teaching
them a cruel lesson; all this we felt and clearly saw, but they had by
some means to be conciliated, if possible, and our lives had to be
saved, if that could be done without dishonor to the Christian name.
After these events, a few weeks of dry weather began to tell against the
growth of their yams and bananas. The drought was instantly ascribed to
us and our God. The Natives far and near were summoned to consider the
matter in public assembly. Next day, Nouka, the high chief, and Miaki,
the war-chief, his nephew, came to inform us that two powerful Chiefs
had openly declared in that assembly that if the Harbor people did not
at once kill us or compel us to leave the island they would, unless the
rain came plentifully in the meantime, summon all the Inland people and
murder both our Chiefs and us. The friendly Chiefs said, "Pray to your
Jehovah God for rain, and do not go far beyond your door for a time; we
are all in greatest danger, and if war breaks out we fear we cannot
protect you."
But this friendliness was all pretense; they themselves, being Sacred
Men, professed to have the power of sending or withholding rain, and
tried to fix the blame of their discomfiture on us. The rage of the poor
ignorant Heathen was thereby fed against us. The Ever-Merciful, however,
again interposed on our behalf. On the following Sabbath, just when we
were assembling for worship, rain began to fall, and in great abundance.
The whole inhabitants believed, apparently, that it was sent to save us
in answer to our prayers; so they met again, and resolved to allow us to
remain on Tanna. Alas! on the other hand, the continuous and heavy rains
brought much sickness and fever in their train, and again their Sacred
Men pointed to us as the cause. Hurricane winds also blew and injured
their fruits and fruit-trees,--another opportunity for our enemies to
lay the blame of everything upon the Missionaries and their Jehovah God!
The trial and the danger daily grew, of living among a people so
dreadfully benighted by superstition, and so easily swayed by prejudice
and passion.
The Natives of Tanna were well-nigh constantly at war amongst
themselves, every man doing that which was right in his own eyes, and
almost every quarrel ending in an appeal to arms. Besides many battles
far inland, one was fought beside our houses and several around the
Harbor. In these conflicts many men were bruised with clubs and wounded
with arrows, but few lives were lost, considering the savage uproar and
frenzy of the scene. In one case, of which we obtained certain
information, seven men were killed in an engagement; and, according to
Tannese custom, the warriors and their friends feasted on them at the
close of the fray, the widows of the slain being also strangled to
death, and similarly disposed of. Besides those who fell in war, the
Natives living in our quarter had killed and feasted on eight persons,
usually, in sacrificial rites.
It is said that the habitual Cannibal's desire for human flesh becomes
so horrible that he has been known to disinter and feast upon those
recently buried. Two cases of this revolting barbarism were reported as
having occurred amongst the villagers living near us. On another
occasion the great chief Nouka took seriously unwell, and his people
sacrificed three women for his recovery! All such cruel and horrifying
practises, however, they tried to conceal from us; and many must have
perished in this way of whom we, though living at their doors, were
never permitted to hear.
Amongst the Heathen, in the New Hebrides, and especially on Tanna,
_woman_ is the down-trodden slave of man. She is kept working hard, and
bears all the heavier burdens, while he walks by her side with musket,
club, or spear. If she offends him, he beats or abuses her at pleasure.
A savage gave his poor wife a severe beating in front of our house and
just before our eyes, while in vain we strove to prevent it. Such scenes
were so common that no one thought of interfering. Even if the woman
died in his hands, or immediately thereafter, neighbors, took little
notice, if any at all. And their children were so little cared for, that
my constant wonder was how any of them survived at all! As soon as they
are able to knock about, they are left practically to care for
themselves; hence the very small affection they show towards their
parents, which results in the aged who are unable to work being
neglected, starved to death, and sometimes even more directly and
violently destroyed.
A Heathen boy's education consists in being taught to aim skilfully with
the bow, throw the spear faultlessly at a mark, to wield powerfully the
club and tomahawk, and to shoot well with musket and revolver when these
can be obtained. He accompanies his father and brothers in all the wars
and preparations for war, and is diligently initiated into all their
cruelties and lusts, as the very prerequisite of his being regarded and
acknowledged to be a man and a warrior. The girls have, with their
mother and sisters, to toil and slave in the village plantations, to
prepare all the materials for fencing these around, to bear every
burden, and to be knocked about at will by the men and boys.
Oh, how sad and degraded is the position of Woman where the teaching of
Christ is unknown, or disregarded though known! It is the Christ of the
Bible, it is His Spirit entering into humanity, that has lifted Woman,
and made her the helpmate and the friend of Man, not his toy or his
slave.