Phoenix weekly herald. [volume] (Phoenix, Maricopa County, Ariz. Territory) 1896-1899, 1898-09-29
ishment. Their method of hunting

pISllIueuJ. Iuelr meCnOQ OF hunting
is to poison the tips of the arrows with
q peculiar substance, which induces
terrible thirst in the animal or person
wounded. and on drinking, death takes
place. The hunter then cuts immedi-
ately away the poisoned parts, so that
the rest of the meat will not be in
fected.
All efforts to civilize the Negirtos
have so far proven futile and there is
a good story told on a former Bishop
of Manila, who had taken in charge
and educated for the priesthood a
young man of the tribe. Growing rest
less under restraint, the man threw
aside his clerical garb, returned to his
tribe in the mountains and out-Herod-
ed Herod in his savage ways. Having
no horses they wander about on foot;
camping in the forests where game
abounds. and when they have made
good killing, remaining on that spot
till the meat is exhausted. Each tribe
numbers about sixty people and is
headed by a chief, who is usually the
oldest man in the party. With no
house to care for they simply gather
about the fire, around which they lie
at night in a circle, with the head to-
ward the flames.
Ut is said that their speech is strange
" like that of chirping birds, but that
fact may be due to the foreigners igno-
rance of their tongue Unlike most
barbOrouS races, each man has but one
wife, and their manners are remark
ably chaste. When a young man goes
courting his girl, the custom is for her
to literally take to the woods" at sun
rise and remain there till sunset, she
hiding from his sight If he is skilled
enough to capture the coy maiden,
she becomes by this his wife. Of
course. 1T depends on the girls own
taste whether or not she shall be
| found.
Great reverence is paid by these peO-
| pie to their dead. and it is their Gus
J tom each year to lay on the grave of
| a friend a bit of betel nut, while the
| bow and arrows of a man are always
| buried with him.
The next most interesting race in
habiting the Philippines is the Malay
nation known as Tagals, who are nu-
merous, live in the lowlands on pile
| dwellings and are semi-civilived, being
| a numerous people and in intercourse
with the whites governing the island.
| They are rather handsome in appear
ance, with round head, low brow, fiat
| nose. thick lips, dark eyes and COM
| pleXion and possess a strangely accu-
rate sense of smell. Their usual cos
tune is a shirt worn on the outside
of linen trousers, and a big straw hat.
! They have small plantations on which
are grown such crops as rice, tobacco.
sugar, coffee, mangoes, potatoes and
hemp, the latter staple being one of
the largest exports of the island.
These Taglas are a kind and gener-
Gus race, but make fierce soldiers.
,,.I, Il, of
| gaudy ornaments, and it is this taste
! belonging to this race which led Agui-
naldo to decorate himself with gold
medals in truly barbaric style in honor
of his elevation by his success in arms.
Their huts are surrounded by a fence
of bamboo stakes and though some of
the windows are fashioned with moth
er-of- peril, instead of glass, which is
hard to get. the household furnishings
are of the most primitive sort. These
consist of mats, which serve as floor
covering and beds, crockery made by
the women. utensils of stone or cocoa
nut shells, baskets of wicker work and
platters carved of wood, cloth woven
on the ancient looms, while the corn
is ground by the women with the old
fashioned mortar and peStle. They are
expert carpenters and also adopts at
metal working.
These primitive people have many
excellent proverbs, among them being
the sayings:
Don't fling a stone; it may fall on
your own head.
\ monkey dressed up is but mon
key still.
Answer nonsense with nonsense.
In beating for frdit, beat not the
tree.
Vyho r,oao,. bova no uI11-ca
Wake not the sleeping.