The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-08
IN A FILIPINO VILLAGE.
Tub Drinking BY the wonen-The Natives
Fashion Of Beginntns the Day.

| BINALhA0AN, NeHTOs, T. L. N"S hhN
mangoes are ripe on Negros and can be bought
for a dukko or two ~apiece-great, big, yellow,
luscious ones. fairly bursting with juice, Con-
gress should enact q law obliging every anti
imperialst to spend the mango season on
these islands. The natives over here make
a brine pickle from green mangoes that beats
the olive az a relish, Another delicacy Is what
I call the cocoanut cabbage. I've tried in
vain to memerize the native name. II Is the
big bud that grows in the top of a cocoanut
tree. 1t IL spicy and rich In flavor and OF
unrivalled delicacy. The natives have a proc
ess Of preserving II. The supply is unlimited
but nevertheless 1t is hard to secure for the
reason that when II Is cut from a tree the sap,
from which the natives make tuba, ceases
to flow. Both the supply and the demand
for tuba are The temperance
people In the States talk about the consump-
tion of beer per capita they should see these
people drink tuba. And, rs is also the case
with tobacco and bcial, the women appear
to be the largest consumers.
Market day comes but once a week In each
| pueblo. But the tuba stalls are open during
the morning and evening hours every day.
The evening tap Of tuba Is brought down from
the trees In tho cocoanut groves at about 4
o'clock. At about that hour the native women
begin to congrcgate around the tuba stalls
In the market. They squat In groups around
the stalls and the bright red calico that they
wrap around their waists makes the groups
look at a distance like great circular red
splotches against the green grass OF the market
place. At about 4 O'Clock the tuba nsn arrive.
each carrying two big buckets nearly as big
as beer kegs. The tuba is dipped up in cocoa
nut smells and the shells pass rapidly from
hand to hand. The chatter Of the women
rapidly takes a higher and shriller key until
bv nightfll it can be heard across the plaza.
Small bonftres are lighted and many Of the
women stay on, growing more tipsy and talka-
tive every moment. And the men returning
from work Join the groups, unless their women
folk have taken n supply Of the intoxicant
to their nipa huts. Tuba is not the only even
ing attraction at the market place. AZ there
IL always a chucE-a-luck and a monte game.
where the sportively inclined native can lose
odd dukkos.
Ore odd custom here. Of which one soon
forgets the oddly, because Of It's common
use, il the native fashion Of making the ges-
tire to indicate or acc mpany the words:
Come hc,e e." In all Occidental countries,
! believe, the gesture for Come here" is made
by extending the right hand palm upward
and then bringing the palm up toward the
head, describing The arc Of a circle and in he
movement exhibiting the back Of the hand
TO the person to whom the ges ture Is made.
In the pueblOs where the natives are some
what accustomed to American ways this style
Of motioning Come here" Ia now understood.
But 60 any place out Of town and hail a native
with the words "Pa9 carl dir" lcome herel,
at the sam time making the gesture Ameri-
can fashion. and the native will take to his
heels and sprint In the opposite direction.
The proper way, according to native notions.
is this: Extend the right arm upward until
the hand is a trihe above the head and Inclined
toward the person hailed. the hand open. palm
outward and toward the person hailed, Then
drop the hand at the wrist Joint and bring
both hand and forearm down and in toward
the body. No doubt this custom Is a survival
Of the days when every man $ hand was against
was accompanied with a display Of the open
palm to prove that II contained no weapon.
II the back Of the hand only was displayed.
lite weapon op these Islands. Consequently.
the native still considers a gesture with the
back Of the hand outward as a threat, no mat
ter what words accompany It.
1t may interest people at home to know how
an ordinary workday begins In a native town.
This is the way II appears to the soldier who
changes. The change rs so sudden and sharp
that It is noticeable and both natives and sol
The wind changes from tho east to the west,
BLOWING toward the rising sun. There is a
som. n GhHi IN .tir tss and a., every r1e a iGets se. G moS:
grel dog in town howls. There are from four
TO ten dogs at every nipa hut. The women
prayers. 4 musical senia; a block away be-
a Iisht appears y a nlpe hut The women
< sls w Sa.anf n ~ Eh sh Sq tns s ACROSS Ssst sse s stIseE PTSs ssins
to sing and the soldier puts his fingers in his
ears and says his prayers backward. A woman
spies the figure Of the soldier and lodges back.
Then 2 man comes and looks and sees that II
Is a soldier. He says something to the woman
out, for TIVE women push UP the door and climb
down the ladder: They gather some, chips
and g smn 1I6'n Srs II t 3ss mIad tie N n'p r. h.. .t, and b Ths
MAJ comes down the ladder with an old pair
Of trousers, a woman's shirt and other odd
FL IsG IT, e s.f fss'i IL. T aIs P sesS . SGSst his RIB iSso Sssea
bring out a measure Of unhulled rice. One Of
them wtnnows It In a fiat, panlIke basket.
fSSss'ns to % blow &c sn out Il the to ch az 's When 1f t !. ally 81 =
a railroad tie but with a big bowl like aper-
m nHIf HG piSs iS1o oh the o bowl. t TSsyn p pSsy Take tss u ap
fong, and Ave inches thick and blunt, bnlsins
anu lltdNN NJ Wv VIM uV oIflr tdht Is
at lifting this up and letting II drop back into
the bowl. bruisins the grain. In this way they
s sSs m tds rice m nsfess Fry m fSs the It.. m ST ,Ss and md
and shivers and looks on.
y tho time the rice is milled 1t is the break
similar groups, When the rice Is ready for
cooking the man either does II or superintends
the work. And the rice is cooked admirably,
light, dry ard 1aky. Then tho men SQUAT
around q big bowl Of II and eat II by the fsiful.
When they have completed their meal the
women take their PLACES around the BOWL Az
ter the morning meal fresh tuba just brought |
down from the trees Il frequently INDUCED in.
The natives appear TO have no knowledge of
tea or coffee save what they have gained from
the Chinese and Americans. I am informed.
though, that coffee Ia raised on some OF the
other Islands; there Is none on this. and II can
not be purchased In the stores.
After the morning meal. both the men and
the women. i II Ia really a workday, go Mt once
10 their work in the cool OF the morning, Dur
ing the four or Ave hours of excessive heat In
the middle. Of the day no one works, But the |
actual workdays here are comparatively few.
There are 10 legal holy DAYS. Observance of
which is demanded by the Church as a religious |
duty, This IA IN addition to Sundays. More
over. a native always tries TO take one day of
before n festa to get ready and another day
after to sober OF. While rice usually consti- |
tites the only dish AT the morning meal. some
times a little fish. sun-dried raw. Is added.
FRUITS ~ COLD STORAGE.