_Of the inhabitants of the Pintados Islands and their mode of life_
The natives of the Pintados Islands are not very dark. Both men and
women are well formed and have regular features. Some of the women
are white. Both men and women wear their hair long, and fastened in a
knot on the crown of the head, which is very becoming. The men tattoo
their entire bodies with very beautiful figures, using therefor small
pieces of iron dipped in ink. This ink incorporates itself with the
blood, and the marks are indelible. They are healthy people, for the
climate of that land is good. Among them are found no crippled, maimed,
deaf, or dumb persons. No one of them has ever been possessed by evil
spirits, or has become insane. Therefore they reach an advanced age in
perfect health. The Pintados are a courageous and warlike race; they
have continually waged war on both land and sea. They bore their ears
in two places and wear beautiful ornaments, not only in their ears,
but also around their necks and arms. Their dress is neat and modest,
made generally of cotton, medriñaque, or silk (which they get from
China and other places). They are greatly addicted to the use of
a kind of wine which they make from rice and from the palm-tree,
and which is good. Very rarely do they become angry when drunk,
for their drunkenness passes off in jests or in sleep.
The men are very fond of their wives, for it is the men who give the
dowry at marriage. And even if their wives commit adultery, action
is never taken against the woman, but against the adulterer. An
abominable custom among the men is to bore a hole through the genital
organ, placing within this opening a tin tube, to which they fasten
a wheel like that of a spur, a full palm in circumference. These
are made of tin, and some of them weigh more than half a pound. They
use twenty kinds of these wheels; but modesty forbids us to speak of
them. By means of these they have intercourse with their wives. [13]
The inhabitants of the mountains do not follow this custom; all,
however, circumcise themselves, saying that they do it for their
health and for cleanliness. When they marry, they are not concerned
whether their wives are virgins or not.
The women are beautiful, but unchaste. They do not hesitate to commit
adultery, because they receive no punishment for it. They are well
and modestly dressed, in that they cover all the private parts; they
are very clean, and are very fond of perfumes. It is considered a
disgrace among them to have many children; for they say that when
the property is to be divided among all the children, they will
all be poor, and that it is better to have one child, and leave
him wealthy. The Pintados are very strict as to whom they marry;
for no one marries below his station. Therefore chiefs will never
marry any but women of rank. All the men are accustomed to have as
many wives as they can buy and support. The women are extremely lewd,
and they even encourage their own daughters to a life of unchastity;
so that there is nothing so vile for the latter that they cannot do
it before their mothers, since they incur no punishment. The men,
however, are not so vile as the Moros. The Pintados love their wives
so dearly, that, in case of a quarrel they take sides with their wives'
relatives, even against their own fathers and brothers.