1892. J S. E. Peal — Communal Barracks of Primitive Races. 255 



" He khnself led me by the hand, women and children remaining 

 behind, men and youths preceding and following until we came to the 

 " Dubu " itself, where 1 was met by a number of old men who waved 

 their hands and bade me welcome. Inside and on each side of the long 

 beautiful aisle were seated young men, legs crossed, and arms folded 

 not speaking a word, while I was led down the aisle by the chief, 

 followed by the old men until we came near the end where we stayed 

 a few minutes, and I was then told to turn, on doing which all the 

 seated ones rose, followed me out and a general conversation went on." 



This is almost precisely the etiquette pursued in our Naga hills, 

 see Journal A. S. B. Volume XLI, Part I, of 1872 pages 17 and 18." 



Further on Chalmers says : — " The temple, for a native building, 

 was really good. In front was a large platform, and immediately 

 under the great high peak in front, was a large verandah, on which the 

 men sat sheltered from the sun and rain. I looked down an aisle 

 nearly 200 feet in length. Inside the whole place was divided into 

 compartments, in each of which there were fires, where the owners 

 spent much of their time in eating and sleeping." 



Speaking of the Maiva villages in the Papuan Gulf Mr. Lawes 

 says : — " The sacred house, a fine building 120 feetx 24, was assigned 

 for lodging. Inside the building was furnished with series of shelves 

 or platforms, the upright posts were mostly carved, one at the entrance 

 having a full length figure of a crocodile on one side, and a human 

 figure on the other. The Dupu or sacred house has its times of 

 more than ordinary sanctity, at such periods it is profusely decorated, 

 and no woman's or child's eye is permitted to see it. The sacred 

 house of each village generally stands at the end of the single street, 

 and the other houses are of poor construction." 



In the Journal E. G. 8. for April 1881, page 216, the Revd. W. C. 

 Lawes refers to Mr. Chalmers' visit to Maclalchie point. " One Dubu 

 or sacred house is described where two large posts 80 feet high sup- 

 port the large peaked portico, which is 30 ft. wide, while the wdiole 

 building is 160 feet in length, and tapers down in height from the front. 

 A large number of skulls of men, crocodiles, cassowaries and pigs, 

 ornamented it. The human skulls are those of victims who have 

 been killed and eaten by them." 



These skull trophies which are met with all over the Pacific are 

 a peculiar and suggestive counterpart to the identically similar skull 

 trophies seen among most of the Indo-Mongolian races. Among the 

 head- hunting Nagas, as many as 350 skulls, of men, women, and children, 

 may at times be seen carefully ranged, in a" Pah," like the flower pots 

 in a hot-house, the posts and beams being hung with boar, mithun and 

 deer skulls tier over tier. 



