Descendants of Cannibals Apologize for Eating British Missionary

(Nabutautau, Fiji) In 1867, Fijian natives cooked and ate Reverend Thomas Baker. Descendants of the cannibals believe it caused a curse to be put on the islands, keeping the inhabitants poor ever since. They are convinced that the spirit of the Reverend has prevented them from having electricity, running water and a school.

To remove the curse, the islanders have staged a continuous series of elaborate ceremonies to offer sacrificial gifts and apologies. The most recent apology was to the descendants of the missionary. Chief Ratu Filimoni Nawawabalavu, the great-grandson of the chief responsible for cooking the missionary in an earthen oven, stated:

"This is our third apology but, unlike the first two, this one is being offered physically to the family of Mr. Baker . . ."

A previous apology in 1993 didn't work. They presented the Methodist Church of Fiji with Baker's boots -- which the cannibals had tried unsuccessfully to cook and eat.

About 2,250 miles northeast of Sydney, Australia, Fiji is a nation made up of 320 islands inhabited by people who apparently will eat anything.