Show finds tribe that Is minus religion american woman spends ten months among former cannibals new york the life and manners of a primitive melanesian Melane tribe on the th island of new ireland near new guinea in the pacific ocean were de ascribed scribed recently at the american siu mu beum of natural history by dr bior tense young american anthropologist who has just returned after a ten months stay with the natives doctor Is the first white oman noman ever to visit the island and the first to make a careful study of its people her work was done tl under the auspices of the australian national research cou council itell and site she is now completing her report under a fellowship of the national research council of the united states the tribe I 1 studied said doctor Is a branch of the melanesian Melane race they are black blach and have kinky hair hut but their features are not negro until a shori short time ago they were cannibalistic they used to have wars vars with neighboring tribes and eat the enemies they killed or captured the practice was stopped a few years ago by the german government ern ment which had made the island part of its colonial possessions since the war it has been part of the mandate territory under australia women and piss pigs cause wars the causes for these wars generally were women and pigs if a neighboring tribe would steal a woman or a pig there would be war the older natives still remember those times and refer to them as the good old days they smack their lips when they talk about it the tribe has no religion of any kind no gods nor goddesses no temples no heaven hell or after life no DO worship of anything they have two totems the eagle and the hawk and each member of the tribe belong to one of these technically known as moieties the totem being inherited through the mother instead of religion they have many taboos and magic it is tor for instance a heinous offense to be in the same room with your mother in law or to talk to her or even look at her you rou cannot talk to your sister except on business A descendant of the hawk moiety can only marry u descendant of the eagle moiety and vice versa may have several wives A man can have several wives and sometimes a woman may have several husbands but polygamy and polyandry cannot both occur in the same family on the other hand it Is an accepted social custom that a woman may have lovers and a man mi stresses there Is nothing clan destine about it tt some wives or husbands are jealous while others are not but nothing much Is ever done about it by temperament they are a gay bay jolly friendly and very simple people you cannot talk to them in terms of abstraction their food consists of pigs fish roots known as taro yom a sort of sweet potato a fruit called pawpaw sugar cane pineapples bananas and coconuts there Is tobacco on the island and children smoke at the age of three there are no alcoholic bevera lieve raws es of any kind hind the only drinks being water and coconut milk births marriages and deaths are outstanding events and are made tile the occasion of treat great rituals and fear feasts ts lasting sometimes for months the burial ceremonies espeE especially lally are very impressive lien alen and women share the work between them their occupations are chiefly agricultural |