The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-10-05

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1NATIvE BUNGALOW.
colony was that of 1875, and that states
officially that the figures do not include
the savages, the untaxed natives, the
mountaineers, the fishermen and the
Soulous.
The population given by that census
was 6, 100, 900. The estimates Of the FIVE
exceptions mentioned was 440, 600, SO
that the total in 1875 was $3.50, 600.
This must be regarded as below the
truth, as it allows practically nothing
for the rich and beautiful island of
Mindanao, in the southeast Of the
archipelago. This noble territory and
the adjacent islands are well populated,
the inhabitants being at least four times
,s many as the official estimates.
The rate of increase is no less than 2
per cent per annum in the districts
which are under Spanish rule, a trife
less than what it is IN the independent
communities. at this rate the popula-
tion today is 10, 800, 900 at the lowest
estimate. The highest estimate is 49,
900, 900, made by the Hongkong Tele-
graph, one Of the leading journals Of
the far east. The German geographers
put it at II, 600, 600 and -. 100000.
No attempt worthy of the name has
been made to consolidate the Philippine
peoples into a uniform whole. The
Spaniards have, on the contrary, en-
deavored to encourage the clan and tribe
spirit in order to prevent any local in
surrectionary movement becoming gen.
eral. The native languages are pre-
served and only a minority speak Span
ish. The Tagals look down ON the low
half castes, the Visayas despise the
Tagals, and the Soulous detest them all
This policy had many advantages. 1t
converted the natives into isolated or
disconnected tribes and enabled the ad-
ministration to employ troops Of one
tribe against malcontents of another.
Only in the latest rebellion has there
been widespread and concerted action
on the part of the native population.
The people of the Philippines are
such a mosaic of yellow, brown and
black men as to disconcert the ablest
ethnogapher. The natives all agree
that tho original dwe1lers on the is
lands wsre the tribes known as Negri-
tos. They were and their descendants
are very dark in color, some Of the
clans being nearly as dark as Kongo
negroes, while others are q rich red
brown, like some of the negro-Indlan
half breeds of the United States. They
are distributed over all the islands If
the group. Many of them are civiliz<
others live in a state midway between
civilization and savagery, while third
and large class are as savage today as
when Magellan discovered the archi-
pelago in 1921.
The Tinguianes are branch Of the
Negritos who live in tree Euts- These
are situated in tall trees and are often
50 and rs feet from the ground They
are built Of bamboo and other light,
strong timber, thatched with palm and
similar leaves and securely lashed to
the trunk and boughs with wirelike
vines and native rope. They look f1ail
and unsteady, but are remarkably
strong and durable. On a platform or
in his living room the occupant keeps
a stock Of stones, which are used to
drop on the heads Of enemies Small
children are protected from the danger
of falling off by stout cord tied firmly
around the body just under the arms
and fastened to some pole or rafter Of
the building.
The word Negrito is a lazy Spanish
term which seems to mean much, but
does not 1t is used to cover all the
darker skinned natives, regardless of
race or language 1t includes the black
Igorrote, who looks like negro, or
Papuan; the Tinguianes, who resemble
the dark men of Borneo; the fierce Ma
lay Moslems of Soulou, black people
in Morong who look like Tamils, or low
caste HlndoOS, anG the head hunting
Gaddanes, who seem to be related to
the Dyaks. At least four races are in
cluded under the term Negrito, whose
only common point is very dark skin.
More numerous than the Negritos and
of later arrival in the Philippines are
the Tagals Of the north and the Visayas
in the center of the group. They are
rather fine looking men of red color
intermediate between Sandwich Is
lander and Sioux These Tagals form
the bulk of Aeuinaldos army. TO these
two divisions may be added the Mos
lens of Soulou. These are the original
races of the Philippines They have no
history before 900 \. D. The only men
ton cf them is found in the Chinese