RELICS, MANA AND CANNABALISM:
Although the island tribes of the South Pacific are perhaps the best known for their headhunting practices, many tribal people from all over the world engaged in some kind of ritual involving the taking and preservation of severed heads. For the Polynesians and other people of Oceania, the taking of trophy heads appears to be closely tied to their belief in the power of mana, or the spiritual force contained in every human being. It was believed that chiefs, shaman and great warriors were able to obtain their lofty positions partly through their mana. As such, preserving their bodies (or at least parts of their bodies) after they died allowed surviving relatives, tribesmen and rivals to tap into this powerful metaphysical force. Few of the relics of the great chiefs of Hawai'i have ever been found, for example, because their kinsmen carefully hid their bodies in order to prevent their mana from falling into the wrong hands. At other times, the relics of powerful individuals were secreted into the foundations of heiaus in order to provide a magical protection to the structure and those who used it. Needless to say, the heads and skulls of the deceased were particular important to Polynesians. Many tribes had large reliquaries of heads and were always searching for more in the hopes of increasing their mana stockpile.
The process for preserving decapitated heads was generally consistent across the globe, and in some ways was similar to mummification. In Malaita, the flesh and muscle were stripped off the skull and were replaced with a pitch-like paste and then decorated with shells, stones and “hair” made from coconut fiber. Other tribal peoples would preserve taken heads through a complex process that both dried and shrunk the skull and skin. The Jivaro Clan of Ecuador, considered by some anthropologists as being the most skilled headshrinkers in the world, would peel the skin from the face and then clean and tan it like leather. The skull would be boiled in a special liquid during which it would shrink to one third of its normal size. Afterwards, the face would be sewn back onto the skull, the hair trimmed and the relic decorated. The Jivaro would also sew the mouths and eyes of the head shut in order to keep the spiritual power of the relic from escaping.
Jack Renton recorded that the people of Malaita had an extensive ritual for preserving the bodies of deceased loved ones which included a six month process for desiccating the body. Before the body was buried, however, the head would be broken off at the neck and placed in the family reliquary, often alongside the heads captured from enemies. But what happened to the other body parts?
In many cases, the rest of the person's body was ritualistically cooked and consumed as it was with Renton. As with the preservation of heads, the consumption of human flesh was seen as a way to harvest the deceased person's spiritual energy. A contemporary anthropologist commented on this gruesome ritual:
“...[the natives] did not kill men for food. They ate human flesh largely from superstitious beliefs. If they killed a worthy man in battle, they ate his heart believing they would inherit his valor and power. They ate his brain because they knew it represented the seat of his knowledge. If they killed a fast runner, they ate part of his legs, hoping whereby to acquire his speed...”
There may have been a more practical reason for cannibalism as well. During times of famine on many islands, the killing and eating of other people was an act of desperate necessity. Many archaeologists believe that cannibalism was rampant on Rapa Nui during the decline of that civilization, when widespread deforestation and warfare destroyed almost all the natural resources. Even Westerners were known to partake of “long pig,” as a butchered human body was euphemistically known. Castaways and stranded sailors in the Pacific occasionally were forced to consume the carcasses of their fallen comrades [See What Happened to the Other Essex Sailors?] when no other food source was available.
Although repulsive to most human beings, particularly in light of our modern sensibilities, these ghoulish acts were significant to many societies the world over.
[This information was originally transmitted as an enewsletter on August 19, 2006.]
In 1875, a English newspaper published a serial account of a young sailor who was lost at sea and was ultimately saved by a tribe of Polynesian headhunters. The serial, simply entitled “The Adventures of John Renton,” added a new twist to the tales and legends of the South Pacific. Most Europeans and Americans trembled at the thought of the headhunting, cannibalistic clans who populated many of the islands. After all, some very distinguished explorers met their end at the hands of vicious tribesmen... including 
Life in Scotland must have been dull in comparison to the previous eight years and Renton longed to return to the South Pacific. He began to renew his correspondence with old friends among the islands and soon received an appointment as a government agent. Renton arrived in Brisbane and began his new career among a brutal and corrupt British infrastructure. One of the indignations the British inflicted on the “primitive” island natives was the practice of “recruitment,” or abducting islanders for use as forced labor on sugar plantations. Sadly, Renton participated in these expeditions. In November 1878, Renton was in the company of sailors from the ship Mystery when they were attacked by warriors on the beach of Aoba island. Renton was murdered and ultimately eaten by the natives, joining the likes of Cook and La Perouse.