Among the wild tribes encountered on this trip were the head hunting was. Hitherto little has been definitely known concerning the life and customs of this tribe, as most of those who intruded upon Wa territory failed to return. The Was do not hunt heads primarily from cannibalistic motives, but rather because of their belief that their crops will fall unless some fresh human skulls are imported every year. Under this impression, they organize head-hunting expeditions every spring, and it is small consolation to the unfortunate traveler who falls into their hands that it is only his skull that is wanted.

Writing of the wild Was, Mr. Henderson says; "The Was are especially keen on hunting heads during February, March, and April—just before the planting season. From the Wa angle of looking at it, the business isn't the madness we take it to be. It is a convention and quite as reasonable as afternoon tea. Every decently religious Wa knows that unless the seed grain is properly charmed and conjured with a human head, the crop raised from it will be a failure. And who wants to starve? In fact, if worst comes to worst and there are no heads forthcoming from minds on neighbors, the Was prefer to take the head of some feeble person in the village rather than run the risk of scant crops and consequent empty stomachs." 