A class of warriors known as _bagam_[101] dress in red and wear turbans
of the same hue, while women mediums, _ballyan_,[102] may also make use
of red cloth.
[101] See p. 180. [Transcriber's note: This is page 167.]
[102] See p. 174.
Other women wear blue cotton jackets, in the fronts and back of which
are many artistic embroidered designs. Their hemp cloth skirts, like
those of the Bagobo, are made tube-like and are held at the waist by
means of belts. They are very careless about the hang of these garments
and one side may be above the calf of the leg while the other drags on
the ground (Plate LXVII). No head coverings are worn, but quite
elaborate combs (Fig. 48) are thrust into the knots of hair at the back
of the head. Wooden ear plugs (Fig. 49) ornamented with incised silver
plates and with bead and silver pendants fit into openings in the lobes
of the ears. Like the men they wear necklaces of beads, sweet smelling
herbs, and seeds. Many of the latter are considered to have medicinal
value and are eaten to cure pains in the stomach. One or more silver
disks are worn on the chest or over the breasts, while anklets, such as
are used by the women of the other tribes, are frequently seen. Both
sexes are fond of bracelets of brass, shell, or vines, as well as of
finger rings of tortoise shell and silver (Plate LXXI).