Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-06-30
The Wild Tribes Of the Philip
pines.
(By Prot. J B steere in Scientific

and the Negritos or Atlas. These same
divisions existed at the coming of the
Spanish in 1919, through their relative
numbers location and other conditions
must have changed greatly since that
time
The wild and civilized Indians and
the Mohammedans seem to be all OF
Malay origin and are closely related TO
each other and to the native tribes OF
ForInosa on the north and Borneo ana
Celebes to the south
The civilized Indians have increased
rapidly since the Spanish occupation
and are the real citizens and inhabitants
of the Philippines. They occupy the
coasts and the rich, level lands of the
northern, central and eastern islands
and have lately occupied new territory
in Mindanao. Basilan Palawan and
Mindoro They number, according to
Spanish accounts. between six and sew
en- millions.
The Mohammedans are decreasing IN
Importance and probably in numbers al
so. but are still powerful in the south
of the archipelago where they occupy
the Sulu Islands, great part OF Mind
anao and Basilan, and have foofhold
in Palawan They number, according
10 Spanish statistics, about three hun
dred thousand. They appear to have
been derived originally from native
tribes of the same degree of civilization
as the Christian Indians, but have fal-
len far behind them in progress, while
the two religions have caused such sep
aration and difference of customs and
such mutual hatred as to make them
really distinct peoples.
The Negritos or Atlas are supposed to
| be of Papuan stock. and are, no doubt,
| the oldest living human inhabitants OF
| the Philippines. They appear to have
| been driven by the flood OF
Malay invasion far inland into
| the mountains, where they
| have dwindled to few thousand wan
dering homeless savages. They are
still found in Gel tain portions of Luzon
| Panay. Negros and according TO some
authorities, in Mindanao.
| The uncivilized Indian tribes occupy
much of the interior and mountainou:
| parts of all the large islands of the
| group, except Cebu and Bohol in which
| they have either been Christanlzed anc
| merged with the civilized Indians ol
have been driven ont. They still oc
| cupy nearly all the territory of the
| great islands of Mindoro and Palawan
| They number according to Spanish est
| mates, some three or four hundred thou
sand, belonging to over fifty dlfferen
| tribes
| They are shut off from the sea anC
| means of communication with one an
other and the outside world by the civi
lized Indians about them, and probabl.
| remain in much the same condition o
| savagery as when first observed by thu
| Spanish.
| 1t has been contrary TO Spanish polio,
| in the Philippines to subdue them b.
| force and, as they have usually remain
| ed at peace with their more powerful
and better armed Christian neighbors
| they still continue to exist beside them
| Missionary priests are still maxim!
| some impression upon them in few 10
calities, and few are baptized and be
come a part of the Christion communl
ties but this process is a slow one, TO
| several reasons One of these, no doub
is the general apathy of the priests
But the Spanish treatment of the civil
| lied Indians must have much to do II
making these sayages content with thel
| present cOndltlOn
All persons of Indian blood whJ ar
Spanish subjects are compelled to pa.
an annual tribute of few dollars, grad
uated according to age and sex. The.
are also compelled to live for a portion
of the year at lea st in the incorporated
towns, in which are churches, priest
and government officials. These, will
other forms of compulsory and unpaid
service to the government and church
are claimed by the Spanish to be aids il
civilization; the tribute making it nee
essary that the Indian, naturally indol
ent and inprovident, earn or save some
| thing besides what he eats and wears
and the compulsory residence in tn
tpyxps hifa hi rpfaa Isrftt ia 1H1ffffffe
civilizing agencies.
| These exactions of the Spanish COVER
nment ale enforced by the officials o
the towns by hogging and Imprisonment
in the stocks.
The Indians find this system hard tC
| bear and their resentment is shown il
| the present and former rebellions
| Their feeling toward the imposition o1
| tribute is shown by their saying thai
| the monkeys could talk if they would
| but they keep silent so as not to have
| to pay tribute.
Numbers of the civilized Indians
| when in debt and unable or unwilling
| to pay tribute longer, escape to the
mountains and forests, where they
either join the sayages directly or form
little settlements of their own The
| Spaniards call these by the express
| i've term of remontados, men who have
again mounted into the saddle of savage
ry The aggregate of these remon
tados in the islands must be consider.
able While at the town of Arevalo, in
1887. one of these men who had not en-
tered his native town for three years,
except as he had stole in at night, paid
his back tribute and other dues, from
the money he earned as hunter for our
party, and again became citizen A
system which is driving many back to
savage life can have little attraction for
the Indians, and while in many cases
they allow their children to be bap-
tized, they generally prefer their liberty
to the advantages of civilized life
Like the civilized Indians, the sayages
are brown in color with coarse.
straight, black hair and little beard
They seem to be somewhat smaller and
slighter of figure than their Christian
neighbors
Their language shows close kinship to
those of the civilized tribes adjacent
and also as close to those of the savages
of Formosa Few of the tribes possess
lands fit for the cultivation of lowland
rices, and fewer still have the necessary
skill and implements and plow beasts
(bufialoes) for cultivating such lands.
Their recourse is the common one of
savages nearly the world round-they
cut off small portions of the forest dur
ing the dry season, and after burning
this over, they plant, at the beginning
of the rainy season, upland rice, maize,
sweet potatoes, etc, among the black
ened logs and stumps. The supply of
food thus gained is usually insufficient,
and after it is eaten up they lead mis-
cradle existence, securing the woods
for game and wild fruit and going to
the sea beach wherever they can reach
it for shell fish and other food. Their
method of cultivation compels continual
change of place Their little patches of
cleared forest can only be cultivated in
their rude way for one or two years,
when they are abandoned and new
pieces of forest chosen. In hunting |
have repeatedly found heaps of shells
and bones and bits of earthen ware.
proofs of former occupation, in the
midst of apparently virgin forest.
Their houses are usually built after
the plan Of those of the civilized Indians
a basketlike structure of bamboo and
palm leaves raised upon posts above the
ground, but they are not well built and
are occupied but for few years. They
are built into compact villages, but
few scattered houses are formed with
out streets, but near enough to be with
in call Necessarily, what can be said