Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

'258 AUSTRALASIA.Eeiiguet Valley and surrounding- liilly districts. North of tliom are the Tinguianes,whose Christianity is limited to the possession of crucifixes used as talismans ;eastwards the upper Cagayan basin is held by the Ilongotes, If ugaos, Catalanganes,Irayas, and other pagan tribes. The Tingiiianes, whose complexion is almostwhite, are regarded by most observers as half-castes of Chinese origin, whereas theIgorrotes appear to be Tagals, who have hitherto preserved their primitive religionand usages. They believe in a sujjreme God, and in other deities in whom arepersonified the phenomena of nature. To these they offer sacrifices, althoughtheir chief worship is that of their aiiifos, or ancestors, whose souls rustle in thefoliage of the sacred tree planted at the entrance of every village. These anitosalso appear at times in the form of animals, and in many parts of Luzon, as inCelebes, the fish ponds are stocked with eels which are tended by the natives withfilial piety.Strict laws of solidarity bind together the family group, and all outrages must beavenged by death ; hence the hereditary feuds, and the prevalence of head-huntingamongst these tribes. The Ifugaos use the lasso to seize the passing foe and draghim suddenly under the sharp knife. Amongst the Igorrotes certain practicessurvive pointing at former Brahmanical influences, and the very term dicata,applied to the national deities, is of Hindu origin.In Mindanao, the " Infidels " comjjrise numerous communities, which are oftengrouped by the whites under the collective name of Jlanobos. But this termshould properly be restricted to the natives of the north-east, who occupy theAgusau basin and the Surigao peninsula. Some of those dwelling near the coasthave been conquered and converted by the Spaniards, others in the interior presentthe Malay type of the Yisayans more or less modified by Negrito crossings.most of the tribes appear to be of the Indonesian stock, which is closely allied tothe eastern Polynesian, and characterized by high stature, fair complexion, andwell-proportioned figures.ButThe lobe of the ear is usually pierced for the introductionof bone and other ornaments ; the teeth of the young men are filed accordingto a different pattern for every clan ; the heads of the children are artificially deformedin many communities, and various systems of tattooing prevail amongst thedifferent tribes.The expres.sion "Land of Terror," ajiplied by Montano to the eastern regionsof Mindanao, might with equal truth be extended to nearly the whole island.When the Manobos, led by their high priest with his divine talisman, have succeededin sui'pi'ising their sleeping enemies, they slaughter all the men and carryaway the women and children into slavery. After the victory the high priestopens the breast of the victim with the sacred knife, plunges the talisman in theflowing blood, and eats the heart or liver raw. The Maudayas, who slay forhonour, have a special term, hagani, to designate the hero who has cut at leastfifty heads, and who has alone the privilege of wearing a scarlet turban. Yastterritories have been transformed to solitudes by this incessant intertribal warfai'e.Of foreigners settled in the Philippines the most numerous are the Chinese.