DOG-EATERS AND OTHERS
The natives of the Philippines are Malays, as I have said, but they are
sometimes classified as Christian, Pagan and Mohammedan Malays. The
Christian and educated tribes live near the coast on the lowlands and
are called Filipinos. They have intermarried greatly with the Spaniards
and Chinese. There are twenty-seven non-Christian tribes in the
Islands--about four hundred thousand in number in the Mountain Province
of Luzon alone. These hill people are seldom seen, although during the
last few years most of the tribes have come under government influence
and head-hunting has been more or less given up. These dwellers in the
mountains include the aborigines who were driven out of the valleys by
the Malays, and also the Malays of the earlier migration, who refused to
embrace the Mohammedanism of the Moros of the southern islands or the
Christianity of the Spaniards.
We were fortunate in having the opportunity to see some of the
dog-eaters and other hill people. Our party was divided, and while
several of the men went into the heart of the head-hunting country, the
rest of us took the train to Baguio, the mountain capital. What a night
it was! The heat was frightful, and swarms of mosquitoes added to the
torture. But at sunrise, as I sat on the back platform while the train
steamed through rows of cocoanut palms, past little huts and stations, I
was reminded of this verse:
"Mighty, luminous and calm
Is the country of the palm,
Crowned with sunset and sunrise,
Under blue unbroken skies,
Waving from green zone to zone,
Over wonders of its own;
Trackless, untraversed, unknown,
Changeless through the centuries."
Leaving the tropics behind, we climbed up, up among the glorious
mountains. At last the train stopped at a little station, and we took
the motors that were waiting and went on higher and higher into
cloudland, where the tall pines grew and the mountains rose into the
sky. We had indeed ascended "into Paradise from Purgatory." As one
resident in Manila expressed it: "The heavenly coolness, the sweet
pine air and the exquisite scenery give you new life after the years
spent in the heat, glare, dust and smells of the lowlands."
[Illustration: THE PARTY AT BAGUIO.]
We were passing over the far-famed Benguet Road, one of the finest
highways in the world, which wound in and out through the gorges of the
mountains, repeatedly crossing the river that roared beneath. For twenty
miles we zigzagged up the slopes, with widening views of great hills
opening before us, and cascades bursting out from beneath the mountains,
till we came out on the plateau of Baguio, five thousand feet above the
sea.
This road, which has been a favourite theme for discussion by
politicians, was opened to traffic in 1905. It is true that the cost of
the roadway was beyond what anybody had anticipated, on account of the
many bridges that had to be repaired each year after the rainy season,
and also after the destructive typhoons that sweep over the island--one
in 1911 brought a rainfall of forty-six inches in twenty-four
hours--which hurl avalanches of débris from the mountain slopes. For
this reason a new road from Bauang to Baguio has been commenced, not
nearly so direct but requiring only a few bridges, and it is to be hoped
will prove successful and more economical than the other.
Baguio, in the midst of glorious mountain scenery, where the temperature
never goes above eighty and the nights are deliciously cool, really is
an ideal health resort for a tropical country. The Philippines have Mr.
Worcester and Mr. Forbes to thank for this blessing. Government
buildings were erected, and the whole force of the government was moved
up there for the hot season, with the rich return of the improved health
and greater efficiency of the employees. A hospital for tuberculosis was
built, and a much needed school for American children, the Jesuit
observatory was established, and Camp John Hay was laid out as a
permanent military post. Many people bought land and put up little
bungalows. A teachers' camp was started by the Bureau of Education for
American teachers from all over the Islands, where they had not only
rest and recreation but the mental brushing up of good lectures after
months in lonely stations.
When the Democratic Administration began its changes in the Philippines,
government offices were ordered to be kept in Manila throughout the
year, consequently only the higher officials were able to go to Baguio,
with a result patent to every one in the lessened efficiency of the
force. But within the last two or three years, the Filipinos have come
to appreciate the place, which was a revelation to them. Now rich and
poor manage to go there, and they have taken possession. The benefits of
Baguio and the Benguet Road are felt even in Manila, where Americans are
beginning to get fresh garden peas, summer squash, wax beans and real
strawberries(!). A friend writes, "If the time ever comes when we can
have real cow's milk and cream, then our food will be as good as
anywhere in the States."
We had a glorious week at Topside, Governor Forbes's attractive
bungalow, and speedily became as enthusiastic in our praises of Baguio
as every one else who has ever been there. I rode all day long on Black
Crook, the most perfect polo pony in the world, through the mists and
the sunlight and into the rainbow shades of the setting sun, where the
clouds turned the colour of cockatoos' wings and the tints of the fish
from the China Sea.
"Cloud Maidens that float on forever,
Dew-sprinkled, fleet bodies, and fair,
Let us rise from our Sire's loud river,
Great Ocean, and soar through the air
To the peaks of pine-covered mountains
Where the pines hang as tresses of hair."
I played my first polo game at Baguio on the club grounds. Squash Pie,
Calico Pie and other delightful names were given to the native ponies,
which are small but very strong.
We went to the government stock farm, where they are trying experiments
in breeding horses. They had a native pony there that had been well fed
and taken care of for some time, in order to show the difference between
it and the forlorn animals that one might see anywhere in the towns. The
native Spanish pony has greatly degenerated. At this farm they had a
beautiful Arabian stallion and a Morgan stallion from Vermont. It is
said that the first generation of American horses does well in the
Philippines, but after that the climate and the change in food cause
them to deteriorate. Besides, they are rather too big for mountain
cavalry. The Arabian stallion and the native mare are said to breed the
best kind of horse for this country. Black Scotch cattle and Australian
cattle, which are raised at the government farm, do well. Sheep do not
pay, for, to begin with, there is no market for the wool. Goats do well,
and goats' milk is in great demand. The natives use principally the
carabao and the native cattle, which look like small Jersey cows but are
not very good.
Another day, Mrs. Whitmarsh, from Boston, gave us a tea in a little
house hung with orchids and Japanese lanterns, and we visited Mr.
Whitmarsh's gold mine. Some of us went on horseback down into the valley
to see the tunnels. We washed a pan of ore in the brook and found at the
bottom little fine gold specks. The Benguet Igorots have mined gold for
centuries.
[Illustration: IGOROT SCHOOL GIRL WEAVING.]
At Baguio we visited missionary and government schools and Camp John
Hay, where Captain Hilgard gave us a reception. At the government school
the Igorot boys are taught, among other things, to make attractive
mission furniture, while the girls learn to weave, and very pretty
things they make. These girls wear short blue skirts and little jackets,
and have their hair in two long black braids that hang on either side of
their faces. A Turkish towel, worn as a turban, on which to rest
burdens, seemed to be the fashion in head gear with them. Loads are also
carried by the Igorots on their backs, hung by straps over the forehead.
It was an Igorot child in this school who wrote the following article
upon Mrs. Dickinson's visit at Baguio:
"It was yesterday morning very early when we started from here to the
Post Office to meet a lady named Mrs. Dickinson. So early we all went
down the brook to take our bath. After we had taken our bath we had
breakfast. I was late so Ina scolded me, but I am glad she did it so
that some day I won't do it again. Then we were all line up in two by
two. When we got up to the Post Office she was not there so we waited
for her an hour or two. After waiting for them they arrived suddenly.
There were some ladies who accompanied Mrs. Dickinson. We were very much
pleased to see her and she was much pleased too. The first time that she
came in the Philippine Islands from America and she is soprice
(surprised). We sang three songs and the National Anthem and waving our
flags on the road. When we finished singing they clapped their hands. I
gave her a bouquet of pink flowers. This we did it for our honour of
Mrs. Dickinson not because she is more kind or lovely lady but because
she is the wife of Mr. Dickinson. This Secretary of War is the leader of
those who have authorities. He is responsible of them. After that we
came right back. Miss B. came for school. We cleaned the schoolroom and
the yard so that they will be so tidy when they come to see the school
at three o'clock. We fixed the two bridges and we trimmed the road
little bit for their automobiles to dance on. But they left them on the
road yonder because they afraid might the bridges will do them
damage. So they walked from there to here, and when they went back, they
walked from here to there again, making them a journey."
[Illustration: IGOROT OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE.]
Doctor White, the missionary at Baguio, and his sister took me one day
to the tombs of the Igorots. High on the hills looking toward the sea
are great natural rocks with cracks in them, one of which looked like
the Sphinx. Here we got off our ponies, tied them, and entered on foot a
tangled path leading to a cavern. In the faint light that sifted through
we saw a coffin, some baskets and some hats, and farther on, concealed
and yet overlooking a fine view, were more wooden coffins. Some of these
had fallen apart so that we could see the remains of bones and clothes.
When an Igorot dies the body is usually tied in a sitting position on
the top of a pole in the house and smoked for several days over a fire
built underneath it. Meanwhile, the family kill and cook all the pigs
and carabaos and ponies, if the man owned any, and then gather around
and have what they call a _cañao_, or feast. Afterward the bones and
skulls of the carabaos are hung about the house to show their neighbours
what a rich man he was.
Some of us went one day to Mirador, the typhoon station, on a high hill
overlooking the sea. It is in charge of a Jesuit priest, who predicts
the approach of typhoons and puts up storm signals, in this way
preventing great loss of life. We were shown the instruments, which give
warning of earthquakes as well as typhoons, and given sherry that was
fifty years old, delicious cake, and flowers from his garden, and we saw
his goats climbing up the steep crags. He told us with a chuckle that he
had traded his dog to an Igorot for a cow.
On Sunday we visited the dog market, but alas! we saw no dogs, as on
account of cholera in the vicinity, it was forbidden to sell any. A few
days before we had seen several men leading a number of lean and lanky
ones along the road, and these were all for sale, to be killed and
eaten. Long-haired canines are not popular, the short-haired kind are
preferred.
Vice-Governor Gilbert had a cañao, or feast, in front of his house one
morning. A line of partly dressed dog-eaters arrived, bowing as they
passed. They proved to be the chiefs or head men, who had put on what
clothes they possessed for this occasion. They were brown, bare-legged
men with gee strings, as they call the woven cloth hanging about their
waists. Some had coats on, but nothing underneath, and only an old hat
to complete the costume.
The Benguet Igorots, or dog-eaters, are small but strong, and remind one
of our American Indians. They are peaceful farmers now, but in days gone
by they fought their neighbours on the north, and so lances and shields
are still to be found among them. "The first American civil provincial
government established in the Philippines was in Benguet, and
governmental control has been continuously exercised there since
November 23, 1900. They are gladly availing themselves of the
opportunity now afforded for the education of their children, but insist
that this education be practical."
In order to show the progress that had been made in the Philippines, a
party of Igorots were brought to the St. Louis Exposition. Part of the
exhibit was a model schoolroom. Visitors were amazed at the bright,
eager little children, and at their keen interest in their lessons. But
they were even more amazed one day to see these same model pupils when a
dog suddenly barked outside. For the school simply went to pieces, the
children making for the nearest door. The last seen of them, they were
in full cry after the unfortunate dog.
Although we found the dog-eaters interesting, there are other tribes of
far greater interest, such as the Negritos, the warlike Ilongots and
the Tingians, as well as the people of the Bashee rocks of the north,
who are hardly ever seen.
The Negritos are diminutive and uncivilized black people who live to-day
in a few mountain areas. They are the aborigines of the islands in this
part of the world, and are as primitive as the Australian blacks, having
no social or political organization but that of the family. They live in
hollow trees or under little lean-tos of grass and brush, and subsist
principally by hunting and fishing, at which they are very expert. Their
weapons are poisoned arrows and the blow gun. The poison, which is made
either from the leaf of a tree or from decomposed meat, is placed in the
arrow-head of hollow bone. On striking, it injects the poison into the
flesh as a hypodermic needle would do, quickly resulting in death.
The only agricultural implement of the Negritos is a pointed stick
hardened in the fire. To prepare the ground for cultivation, on the
space they wish to clear they girdle the trees, which will soon die.
They are then set on fire and the ashes distributed over the soil.
Later, holes are made with the pointed sticks, and _camotes_, sugar-cane
and tobacco are planted.
These people are very timid, and if their suspicions are aroused in the
slightest manner, they immediately disappear into the forest. Very
little success has attended any effort to civilize them. Their religion
is nature worship with many local divinities and good and bad spirits of
all sorts.
They ornament their bodies with scar patterns, made by cutting the skin
with sharp pieces of bamboo and then rubbing dirt into the wounds. In
this respect they are like no other tribes in the Islands but resemble
the most primitive of the native Africans, who also make scar patterns.
The men often shave the crowns of their heads in order, they say, "to
let the heat out." The Negritos, like the Bagobos of the south,
sometimes point their front teeth, but not by filing them as one might
suppose. They are chopped off with a bolo.
Worcester says the Negritos "believe that each family must take at least
one head per year or suffer misfortune in the form of sickness, wounds,
starvation or death." Heads are buried in the ground under the "houses"
of the men who take them.
In regard to the Tingians of northern Luzon I also quote from Worcester,
who has given us the most reliable account of them:
"The women of this tribe ornament their arms with a series of bracelets
and armlets, which often extend from wrist to shoulder. They constrict
the middle of the forearm during early girlhood and continue to wear
tight armlets on the constricted portion throughout life, so that their
forearms become somewhat hourglass-shaped, this being considered a mark
of great beauty in spite of the unsightly swelling of the wrists which
results....
"Their cooking utensils are taken to the river and scrubbed with sand
after every meal. If a wife offers her husband dirty or soggy rice to
eat, the offense is said to afford ground for divorce....
"When a man dies, whether his death be natural or due to violence, the
other members of his family repair by night to some village of their
enemies, cut pieces from their turbans, and throw them down on the
ground. This is interpreted as an intimation that they will return and
take heads sometime within six months, and they believe that the dead
man knows no peace until this is done."
The Ilongots, who live in the province of Nueva Viscaya, are especially
wild and great head-hunters. They are striking figures in their deerskin
rain-coats. No young man can take to himself a bride until he has
brought back a head to prove his prowess. The favourite time for
these gruesome excursions of the tribe is when the blossoms of the fire
tree show their red beacons on the mountain sides. As an especial mark
of beauty and valour, because a good deal of pain has to be endured in
the process, the men cut off the upper front teeth on a line with the
gums.
[Illustration: ILONGOT IN RAIN-COAT AND HAT OF DEERSKIN.]
Woe betide the man who rides a white horse into the Ilongot country, for
above all things white hair is desired, and unless he stands guard over
it, he will find its mane missing and its tail cropped to the skin.
Most of the mountain people still retain their ancient myths and
traditions. Even among these Ilongots there are tales of the long ago
when they came across a "great water" to their present abode. This, of
course, merely explains the general migration of the Malay tribes. By
the way, this Malay migration is still in progress, and is exemplified
by the Samal boatmen who come from Borneo and further south in Malaysia
to the southern Philippines.
All the wild people have customs of their own, which distinguish them,
especially the manner in which they cut their hair and wear their loin
cloths. They have slightly different methods of fighting, some fighting
singly with a kind of sword, others in pairs with spears and arrows,
while the sword is used only to decapitate the fallen enemy. Others
display considerable ability in organization and operate large bands,
under especially designated chiefs. All are very fond of dancing and
have different dances to represent war, love and the chase.
They have their own explanations for everything, and their stories about
the creation of the various birds and animals are quite interesting and
not unlike those found among some tribes of aborigines in North America.
One of them relates that one day the Creator was making the different
birds. Before him lay bodies, wings, necks, heads and feet. He would
begin with the body and build it up with appropriate parts, so that it
could apply itself to the purpose for which it was intended. In every
case, the Creator was particular not to put on the wings before the bird
was complete, for fear that it would take flight in an imperfect
condition. One day while he was engaged in making an especially fine
specimen of the feathered world, the evil spirit approached and engaged
the Good Spirit in conversation. Ordinarily he would have attacked the
Evil One and quickly put him to flight, but as the bird was nearly
finished and already imbued with the spark of life he wished to complete
him. But the Creator's anger that the Evil One should overlook his work,
became so great that, without thinking, he put on the wings before the
legs had been fitted. Instantly the bird flew off. In haste the Creator
grabbed the first pair of legs he could lay his hands on and threw them
at it. They attached themselves exactly where they struck the bird, near
the tail. This is the reason, so the story goes, that the loon's legs
are so far back that he cannot walk in an upright position on land. His
peculiarly sad cry is a lament because he must stay in the water
practically all the time and cannot enjoy himself on land as other good
birds do.
[Illustration: ILONGOTS RETURNING FROM THE CHASE.]
Many of the people who live along the foot of the mountain ranges,
although Christianized sufficiently to contribute to the Roman Catholic
churches, still retain many of their aboriginal customs, especially
those pertaining to marriage, birth and death.
Beyond the shores of Luzon, stretching northward for nearly two hundred
miles, is an interesting archipelago of diminutive islands known as the
Bashee Rocks, the Batan and the Babuyan Islands.[19] The natives still
retain many of the characteristics which were observed by Dampier in his
visit to these islands in the seventeenth century.
The inhabitants of the Batan group are like those living on the Japanese
island of Botel Tobago, which is only sixty miles north of our most
northern possession.[20] No missionaries or other persons had been
allowed by the natives to land on their shores until a few Japanese
police arrived in 1909. They are mentioned in passing because they are a
present-day example of what the people in the northern islands of the
Philippine group were before the coming of the white men and the friars.
Their dwellings are very peculiar. Each family has a stone-paved court
surrounded by a low wall of stone. Within this enclosure they have three
houses: one with its sides sunk down into the ground, in order to give
protection from high winds; one with ordinary walls for use during
normal weather; and a third built on poles about ten feet above the
ground for use during the hot season. From these elevated houses a
constant watch is maintained for schools of fish. The people are expert
fishermen and make excellent nets, and they have beautiful boats with
high bows and sterns.
In Dampier's day the people were friendly and hospitable, as they are at
the present time. They valued iron more than gold, and gladly exchanged
it for iron. The ancient diggings are still to be seen, but the "pay
dirt" is of such a low grade that it is not worth while to work it. The
precious metal is washed out by the natives in cocoanut shells, which
take the place of our prospectors' "gold pan." Many gold ornaments of
attractive design are still to be found in these islands. Some of those
taken from graves remind one strongly of Chaldean work.
The graves of the ancient inhabitants were placed high upon the
mountains, some near the smoking craters of the volcanoes, others on the
crests of the non-volcanic hills. It is supposed that the graves near
the smoking craters were those of persons who had a bad reputation in
the community, while those on the tops of the ridges contained the
bodies of the good, and that by this method of burial the ideas of
heaven and hell were carried out in a practical manner. The bodies were
placed in _ollas_, or earthenware jars, some of which had a high glaze
and were profusely ornamented. The corpse was inserted into the jar in a
sitting position, and the orifice was sealed by placing an inverted olla
over the mouth of the first. These jars were then placed on end and a
small pyramid of stones built around them, on the top of which a little
tree was planted. A number of these graves ranged around the edge of a
smoking sulphur crater are an uncanny sight, which the natives take good
care to avoid.
The women of the Batan Islands, when walking or working out of doors,
wear a distinctive headdress, consisting of a long grass hood, which
stretches from the forehead to below the hips. It protects the head and
back from the sun, wind and rain, so that it is worn at all times and in
all seasons. It is one of the most original and useful of all primitive
garments.
During the dry season but little rain falls in these islands, and as
there are few streams or springs, every means is employed to catch
the least drop. Even the trees in the yards have pieces of rattan
twisted around their trunks and larger branches, to make the water drop
off into earthen jars.
[Illustration: WOMAN OF THE BATAN ISLANDS WITH GRASS HOOD.]
During the autumn migration of hawks and eagles from the north, men are
stationed on the thatched roofs of the high dwellings to seize the birds
by the feet as soon as they alight. Great numbers are caught in this
manner every year and form quite an element of the food supply.
Many of the islands are excellent places for the production of cattle.
Itbayat Island, unique because its shores are higher than the interior,
has many thousand head of excellent cattle. The coast is so precipitous
that when they are exported they have to be lowered to the water's edge
by means of a block and tackle, as at Tangier. They then have to swim
out to the waiting ship, where they are hoisted by their horns to the
deck.
Another of the cattle islands is called Dalupiri. This beautiful spot
was given in its entirety to Aldecoa and Company of Manila by the
Spanish government. In fact, when the United States first took
possession of the Philippines, this company claimed sovereignty over the
island, but this, of course, was not recognized by the United States
Government. The cattle that are pastured here are a cross between the
black Spanish bulls of fighting lineage and the humped cattle of India.
Great care is taken that the stock be well kept up, and for this purpose
there is a constant weeding out of undesirables. The method in which
this is done is both interesting and very exciting. The cattle roam at
will and are very wild and hard to approach; as a result they have to be
hunted with great care. About twenty men are employed in their capture,
all of whom are mounted on hardy little horses. Four of them are
lassoers and the rest huntsmen. The lassos are nooses attached to the
ends of bamboo poles about twelve feet long. The rope from the noose, to
the length of about twenty-five feet, is coiled around the bamboo pole
and tied to it four feet from the lower end. When the lasso is thrown
over an animal's head the pole is dropped by the rider, the rope unwinds
and drags the pole along the ground, until it catches on a rock or a
bush and stops the mad career of the animal.
"We started out early one morning," Major Mitchell writes me, "to cut
several young bulls out of a herd of about five hundred cattle. Led by
the manager of the island, we galloped over the rough surface of the
coral-bound hilltops and through deep, waving grass until one of the
huntsmen signaled that the herd was in sight. A careful inspection was
made of the herd with a telescope, and the animals for capture were
selected and carefully pointed out to the lassoers, who immediately took
up their posts in concealment beside a little plain. The huntsmen then
proceeded under cover to points around the herd which would enable them
to drive the cattle on to the little plain where the lassoers could get
in their work. After a wait of about a half hour, the horn of the chief
huntsman pealed forth and was answered by the yells of his companions;
the herd, unable to go in another direction, dashed for the little
plain, followed by its pursuers. Crouching behind some low bushes the
lassoers waited until the cattle, now in full stampede, had come within
fifty yards, when in a twinkling they dashed into the midst of the
galloping herd.
"After a terrific race one lasso held true on a fine young bull, while
the rest scampered off into the ravines and water courses. The dragging
bamboo pole soon brought him to a stop, and after several charges at his
captors, two more lassos were placed on him, and he was securely
fastened and dragged to a tree, against which his head was tied. A
little saw was produced from somewhere, and his gallant horns were cut
off short. An old, sedate carabao, who seemed to be perfectly at home,
made his appearance, the young bull was tied to the carabao's harness
and towed off toward the corral. At first he tried frantically to gore
the carabao, but as his horns had been removed no harm resulted. The
carabao did not mind it in the least but continued tranquilly on his
way. Three more bulls were captured on that day; each furnished
exceedingly fast and interesting sport. I have seen mounted work of a
great many kinds, such as pig sticking, stag hunting, and hunting of
many kinds of game, including our own fox hunting and polo, but never
have I seen any mounted work which required more dash, nerve, good
judgment and endurance than that displayed by these herdsmen of the
northern islands."
Although these islands are bounded on the north by the Balintan Channel,
through which some of the shipping passes from America to the southern
part of China, they are seldom visited. This is because, as I have said
before, there are no ports, not even good anchorages. During the typhoon
season they are exposed to the full force of these great hurricanes,
while the waters are infested with hidden rocks and coral ledges. The
U. S. cruiser _Charleston_ ran aground on a coral reef east of the
island of Camaguin in 1900 and sank immediately. During the
Russo-Japanese war the fleet of the Russian Admiral Rojesvenski passed
on either side of Batan Island. The Japanese had observers on the summit
of Mt. Iraya on this island, who are supposed to have signaled by
heliograph to Mt. Morrison in Formosa of the coming of the fleet. The
great armada could be seen from this mountain for more than one hundred
miles.