Indian Antiquary Vol 26

SR No.: 032518
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 360
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 15 MB

Page 273

267
OCTOBER, 1897.]
NOTES ON THE NICOBARESE.
who, it was supposed, had been devoured by the savages, their bones having been found strewed on the shore, the boat taken to pieces, and the iron of it carried away."
The statements made to me many years ago by the natives of Nancowry Harbour, as noted down at the time, are to the effect that, on a portion of the site of the former Indiau Government Settlement near the south-eastern extremity of Camorta Island and in the vicinity of the small British grave-yard, there stood a village called Chayiha, the remains of which were seen by those living about ninety years ago. The inhabitants of this village, although of the same race as their neighbours, were alone anthropophagi, preying upon such individuals of the other villages as they succeeded in surprising, and presumably also upon such strangers as ventured near their portion of the Harbour. It having at length been decided that something must be done to put a stop to this evil, a menliana (i. e., a shaman) of Oal-ta-menk village (Malacca) one day collected a quantity of wasps (tdo) in a leaf-wrapper which he took, with some fish, to Chayiha, where he found a lad, who told him that all the villagers were absent, working in their gardens. The menluana thereupon instructed the lad to give them the fish on their return and, when all the party were assembled, to divide amongst them the contents of the parcel. The result of course was that the wasps, on being released, attacked everybody present, one only of whom a youth, who had the sense to cover his head with a cooking-pot escaped by swimming across the Harbour to Itōe village. It is added that none of those stung by the wasps recovered from their injuries. This alleged incident, at any rate, is credited with having been the means of ridding the people of their objectionable neighbours. The lad who escaped is described as having prolonged his life only by a few days, as he excited the suspicions of a woman, in whose hut he had taken refuge, by licking her back, after wiping off, at her request, the perspiration which streamed from her while engaged in preparing Pandanus paste. On this strange conduct being reported to the woman's husband he resolved to put a stop to it, and he accordingly procured a poisonous fish, known by the name of tòich, which was cooked and introduced into the boy's food, causing his death. Another version has it that two lads escaped from the wasps to Itõe where, in consequence of their manifesting a predilection for human flesh, they were beaten to death.
In connection with the foregoing, the following passage from the letters of the Moravian missionary, J. G. Haensel, who resided between 1779-87 principally at Nancowry and close to the village of Oal-ta-meak, would seem to possess some significance: "They insisted that they were good by nature, and never did anything wrong, as we well knew. When we replied, that we knew that they had but lately murdered some people, and afterwards abused the dead bodies, each thrusting his spear into them, mutilating them in the most wanton manner, and at last cutting them to pieces, and asked them whether this was a proof of their natural goodness, their answer wasThat you do not understand; those were people not fit to live, they were gomoy, cannibals!" "
In view of these statements it is curious that, so far as I know, no hint of the existence of cannibalism at the Nicobars should be found in the accounts of other writers, and that, supposing the practice to have been continued even no later than a time within the memory of some living during Haensel's stay, no reference is made to it in his published writings.
No. 4. Swimming.
As compared with the Andamanese and the majority of other maritime races within the tropics, the Nicobarese are by no means distinguished for skill either in the art of swimming or of diving. They are, therefore, far from meriting the extravagant praise which, in all apparent seriousness and good faith, has been bestowed upon their achievements in this respect by an accomplished writer, who paid a short visit to the various islands of the group about 25 years ago.
The passage referred to occurs in Stray Feathers and makes mention of a well-known character still the head-man of one of the principal villages in Nancowry Harbour - whom the