Fiji village to apologise for eating English missionary

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | October 15, 2003

[dead]

Residents of a remote Fiji mountain village, in which an English missionary was killed and eaten 136 years ago, will offer a traditional apology to the man's descendants next month.

The Reverend Thomas Baker of the London Missionary Society was killed by the people of Navatusila on July 21, 1867, after he took a comb out of a chief's hair.

It was, and still is, forbidden to touch the head of a chief. He was subsequently cooked and eaten and is the only known white victim of what was once known as the "Cannibal Isles".

One who took part in the feast was quoted in contemporary accounts as saying "we ate everything but his boots". One of his boots is in the Fijian Museum in Suva.

PINA News said Ratu Filimoni Wawabalavu, the chief of the Navosa district in the central mountainous region of Viti Levu, had invited Baker's descendants.

Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase is expected to be in Navatusila on behalf of the Government.

The tribe of Nubutautau believe that they were being cursed for what their forefathers had done and that a traditional apology needed to be made to Baker's descendants.

[billorites]

Served with fava beans and a nice Chianti, I presume.

[TADSLOS]

Reverend Thomas Baker - The Other White Meat.

[Diogenesis]

gulp....

.. (and like that ) ...they are now ethically light-years ahead of the EU.

[camle]

We're So Sorry Uncle Albert
We're So Sorry If We Caused You Any Pain
We're So Sorry Uncle Albert
But There's No One Left At Home
And I Believe I'm hungry!

We're So Sorry But We Haven't Had A Thing All Day
We're So Sorry Uncle Albert
But If Anything Should Happen We'll Be Sure To Give A Ring

We're So Sorry Uncle Albert
But We Haven't Done A Bloody Thing All Day
We're So Sorry Uncle Albert
But The Kettle's On The Boil And We'll soon eat the cold away

Hand Across The Water (Water)
Heads Across The broth
Hand Across The Water (Water)
Heads Across The broth
Reverend HArlsye Notified Me
He Had To Have A meal Or He Couldn't Get To Sleep
I Had Another Look And I Had A Cup Of HE And Butt'd Pie

(The Butt Wouldn't Melt So I Put It In The Pie)
Hand Across The Water (Water)
Heads Across The broth
Hand Across The Water (Water)
Heads Across The broth

Apologies to Paul Mcartney:-)

[Stultis]

The tribe of Nubutautau believe that they were being cursed for what their forefathers had done and that a traditional apology needed to be made to Baker's descendants.

Oh, sure, that's what they say now; but once they notice how plump and tender Baker's descendents are...

[cyborg]

I think reconciliation is good.

Now too bad the Trinations may well chew up the Pommies and spit them out at Rugby World Cup...

[biggerten]

Apologies to McCartney? How about apologies to US?

[pabianice]

Valuing the Difference of the Multicultural Diversity Alert!

Who are we to judge a superior Third World Culture by our Western, capitalist, imperialist, homophobic, war-mongering, racist standards?

[Skooz]

Note to self: When travelling through Fiji, leave the comb in the chief's hair.

Better underline that one.

[blau993]

Anyone familiar with English cuisine would say the tribe has already suffered enough.

[blau993]

Anyone familiar with English cuisine would say the tribe has already suffered enough.

[6323cd]

Seated one day at the Tom-tom,
I heard a welcome shout from the kitchens:
Come and get it!
Roast leg of insurance salesman.
A chorus of 'yum's ran round the table.
Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum....
Except for Junior, who pushed away his shell,
Got up from his log, and said
'I don't want any part of it'.
What? Why not?
I don't eat people,
Eh?
I won't eat people,
Huh?
I don't eat people,
I must be going deaf.
Eating people is wrong.
It's wrong?
Don't eat people,
Have you gone clean out of your mind?
I won't eat people,
What's the matter with the lad?
Don't eat people,
He keeps on repeating,
Eating people is bad.

But people have always eaten people,
What else is there to eat?
If the Jou-Jou had meant us not to eat people,
He wouldn't have made us of meat.
Don't eat people,
Oh no, not again.
I won't eat people,
All the day long,
Don't eat people,
He keeps on repeating,
Eating people is wrong.

Well, I've never heard of a more ridiculous idea in all my born days. To think that a son of mine should grow up to be a sissy... Me, chief assistant to the assistant chief. I suppose you realise, son, that if this gets around we may never get self-government.
I won't eat people!
Have you been talking to one of your Mothers again? You're not getting to be one of these cranks that thinks that eating people is cruel, are you, you see a man sitting in a pot and think he's suffering? Oh, it's not like that at all. Why, he's just had an invigorating chase through the forest. He's sitting there in the nice warm water, with all the carrots and dumplings and things, he's thinking 'Oh, the pleasure and happiness I'm going to give to a whole heap of people', that man in the pot there, he enjoys it.
Eating people is wrong!
Look, son, I admine your sincerity, always be sincere, whether you mean it or not. You're young, when you're young, you think you can change the whole world overnight, even eating people, I know, I've been young myself. Take it from your old dad, you've just got to learn to take the world as it is.
I won't let another man pass my lips!
I know why you say 'Don't eat people', because you are a coward, Francis, that's your trouble, yes, a yellow-livered coward. You wouldn't mind eating people if you weren't afraid of ending up in the pot yourself. Go on like this and you're liable to get me into hot water.

I won't eat people!
That's enough!
I don't eat people!
I don't want to....
Eating people is wrong!
Communist!
Going around saying 'don't eat people, that's the way to make people hate you!
We always have eaten people, always will eat people, you can't change human nature.I won't eat people!
I don't eat people!
I won't eat people!
I don't eat people!
I won't eat people!
I don't eat people!
I won't eat people!
I don't eat people!
It must be someone he ate.
Eating people is out!
I give up. You used to be a regular anthropophagi. If this crazy idealistic idea of your was to catch on, I just don't know where we would all be. It would just about ruin our entire internal economy. Fortunately, I suppose it catching on isn't very likely. Why, you might just as well go around saying 'don't fight people', for example?Don't fight people? Ha Ha!
Oh, that's my boy.
Ridiculous!

[Ditto]

If it had been a French missionary, no appologies would be necessary. ;~))

[judywillow]

Sounds like these guys have at least recognized the error of their ways. That puts them at least one step above the muslim world.

[Aracelis]

Residents of a remote Fiji mountain village, in which an English missionary was killed and eaten 136 years ago, will offer a traditional apology to the man's descendants next month.

Would this "traditional apology" involve some sort of feast???

[Physicist]

The Reverend Thomas Baker

Those who liked him called him "Stew".

[archy]

Residents of a remote Fiji mountain village, in which an English missionary was killed and eaten 136 years ago, will offer a traditional apology to the man's descendants next month. ... The tribe of Nubutautau believe that they were being cursed for what their forefathers had done and that a traditional apology needed to be made to Baker's descendants.

Naw, no 'pollogees necessary! Your Sergeant Labalaba made up for any harsh feelings about it at Mirbat. I don't know what Fijian tribe he was of, but he was one helluva warrior.

-archy-/-

[archy]

Residents of a remote Fiji mountain village, in which an English missionary was killed and eaten 136 years ago, will offer a traditional apology to the man's descendants next month. ... The tribe of Nubutautau believe that they were being cursed for what their forefathers had done and that a traditional apology needed to be made to Baker's descendants.

Naw, no 'pollogees necessary! Your Sergeant Labalaba made up for any harsh feelings about it at Mirbat. I don't know what Fijian tribe he was of, but he was one helluva warrior.

-archy-/-

[carton253]

I should hope so!