TANNA. 209 . 



about the age of seven. Cannibalism exists to a very large 

 extent ; they eat their enemies either slain or captives ; 

 occasionally they eat their own dead ; or sometimes ex- 

 change them for the dead of another tribe when they happen 

 to have a particular regard for the deceased. During Mr. 

 Paton's residence in the island, there were two festivals, at 

 one of which seven prisoners, at another ten, were slaugh- 

 tered. It is a common thing for two or three individuals 

 to be slain at these banquets, which are but too frequent. 

 They find human flesh preferable to that of pork, and the 

 connoisseurs in this line prefer the flesh of a native to 

 that of a White, the latter having, they say, a salt taste. 



The religion of these islanders is not much known. They 

 do not build temples, but perform their religious rites under 

 the shade of banyan trees, which are thus esteemed sacred 

 by them. They have no idols, and it seems that the spirits 

 of their ancestors are their gods. They address prayers, 

 and make oflerings of food to the souls of the dead they 

 have deified. Here and there in the woods are certain 

 stones for which they have a species of venei'ation. The 

 veritable gods of Tanna, those whicli are certainly the 

 most formidable, are certain sorcerers, who pretend to have 

 the power, by means of certain antics, of summoning at 

 pleasure rain, thunder, sickness, musquitoes, and all sorts of 

 pests ; and they are all the more feared and reverenced on 

 account of the popular belief in their supernatural power. 



There is no head chief at Tanna ; each village has its chief, 

 who ranks after the principal chief of the district. The 



p 



