Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-09

very best moral specimens OF his race. II
he were Christian he would be rated
among church prelates. To become one
would involve no change in his public or
private life. He possesses the genius OF
solomon TO get at the core OF right. He Ia
positive and proud as a prince. but kindly
and meek as a man. Datto Tantom has ten
wives, but Tantom's sister Is Datto -Saka-
lin s only wife. He loves his home. his wife
ana children, his dogs and his chickens, and
his slaves are his friends. Tantom is a
hardier nature and a severer master. One
OF MS slave women, about twenty years old,
sought refuge one night in the garrison. Al
daybreak the guard found her crouching
near the water behind a rock. The case
was investigated and IL was discovered the
girl had fed from her princely master 20
escape logging. OF course, under the treaty
with the Sulu sultan. the fugitive slave had
TO be restored to her master The Moham-
medan law requires all persons TO assist in
returning the slave TO the rightful owner
We dared not violate the religion of the
Moro: he has divine dominion over wives,
children and slaves.
In returning the slave woman to Datto
Tantom, the military commander exacted as
condition that she be not whipped, where
upon the datto offered her as a gift to the
captain and seemed quite amazed when the
latter said that as he had no place for her
he could only accept her and make her free.
Among the Natives.
Many of the slave population there, by
the way, are quite as decent looking, or It
might be better to say quite as indecent
looking. as their masters and their families
The mass of Moros. like the mass of In
dams or negroes, all look more or less
alike. Sakalin and Tantom had something
or the patriotism in their makeup. but
their wives and children appeared little diff
ferent from the rabble. None of the chill
dren, as a rule, wear any clothing until
they are six or eight; and after that not
any more than they can help. They have
no idea of consonance of colors The gau-
dlest hues delight them best and yellow
green and red often ornament one garment
ne Bongao maiden is one of the most
graceful creatures that ever danced. But
strange to say they do not rely upon their
feet for shifting their poetic poses II is all
hand and arm work body writing, twist
ing and turning, bending and bowling that
DEFY description. The boys, too are grace
fui. Theirs is the weapon dance-the i'm
ltatlon or their fathers and grandfathers.
Moro men and women dance until they die
After some girl has finished her graceful
toiling to music land such musicD her
grandmother may rise and amid tumultous
applause, proceed to do her part. Men, wo-
men and children applaud everything in
each other at the festive gatherings. They
thoroughly appreciate each others efforts
good or bad. They are a simple good
natured and affectionate lot of happy hu-
man creatures, who sing and play and sell
dom weep. They all seemed TO vie with
each other in doing honor TO their new
governor. They brought him conks and
smells and eggs and chickens galore They
helped him TO build his home and then
seemed honored TO be allowed 10 sit near
him on his porch.
Any average smart native can build a
home. At Bongao they built a number of
shacks for the soldiers, each big enough to
hold four men, for s. Mexican or 81 50
American money. In building their own
houses the Moros a Bongao.never use nails
Indeed, they never saw one excepting in the
modern packing boxes. They have neither
saw nor hammer nor plane. Their building
tools are two only, one the barong, large.
heavy knife, and the other a sort of toma-
hawk-looking Ratchet.
Building Methods.
With the barong they cut and dress TIM
Der and do nearly all their heavier work.
Instead of mailing or joining, they tie their
joists to upright poles with vine or bark
of certain trees Instead of boards they
use nipa and palm, through which the high
winds whisper and whistle. Strange to say,
their homes stand the severest tornadoes.
Upon one occasion, when all Of the officers
tents at Bongao, strongly fastened and pin
Toned as they were, flattened in nights
terrible storm, none of the shacks fell. The
governor finally had a shack built for him
self, and when the next typhoon-like storm
came he rested easy in his big throne chair.
Market day, which is Sunday, is a gala
occasion for everybody. OF the twenty odd
islands IN the Tawi-Tawi archipelago eleven
are now Inhabited. Among them are CT
vided and segregated the different trades
and industries, and Bongao, the dattos
home is the common mart or exchange.
The silversmiths and metal workers of Sem
mol bring their rings. buttons and other
trinkets; the matmakers of Bulatan bring
their bed mats, the -Sicubon boat builders
their skiffs and paddles and the chicken
raisers of other islands their fowls and
eggs. Dried fish and fruit are in album
dance, and their vendors are usually the
first to sell out. Among themselves their
nriCpS low. FOREIGNERS high In
lier times the Moros had a small rude iron
coin, ten thousand of which it took to make
a Mexican or Spanish peso. Each coin
could buy something, but now even bana-
mas (and they are the sweetest in .he
world sell for a penny apiece.
All in all, these people are the most SIM
pie and peaceful of our new possessions.
Although included in the grand Philippine
system, they hate the Filipinos and would
gladly fight them One warlike datto at
Jolo once offered to raise thousand vet
eran MoroS to go against the turbulent FL
ipinos of Mindanao, but 1t was refused.