The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-06-19
CARELESS ABOUT THEIR DRESS Sama Laut Live in Houses Over
 the Water REVERENCE THE KORAN Although DenseIy Ignorant of Its Con tents They Look Upon Holy
 Book With Awe-How Peo-
 pie Adorn Themselves.

From the Mindanao Herald.
 As the sama Laut give tone to all this region, brief resume of their more char acteristic institutions and customs will be given here.
 The costumes of the people of this re- geion consists for the men of tight jacket with long, tight sleeves, and skin tight trousers reaching to the ankles, but wide in the seat. Both jacket and trous- CTS are often of brilliant hues, such as bright greens and yelows. Sometimes the loose Chinese style of trousers are worn, especially when engaged in manual labor II q man is engaged in work which re- qulres great bodily freedoms, sarong, Ca long piece of cloth joined at the two ends) is used, folded around the waist, as the sele costume
 The women wear jackets so tight as to show every line of the bust and arms and loose trousers of the Chinese style They also wear the sarong, shifting 1t from one position to another. and some times even covering their faces with it in the presence of strangers. Upon the head they often throw loosely a large bril- liant kerchief such as the men twist into a turban.
 Children usually go about naked; and persons of both sexes and of every age frequently go naked above the waist in their own homes.
 Houses Built on Stilts.
 The houses are built in the usual Ma lay style that is. raised three to seven feet on stilts, preferably over the water, near the shore and never far from salt water. A village can be seen at a long distance as a ragged brown regiment of huts rising out Of the sea. The roofs are thatched with nipa or the fronds of the paguiian Qnferior variety of the sage palmD Refuse of all descriptions IS thrown into the water. Within the home, the furnishing consists of grisses and lances on the walls, especially if the man be a datto; large gongs their principal measure of rank and wealth; large mos quito nettings or curtains. which are-let down from a canopy at night, and under which whole families sleep, one family under each canopy and finally. pillows, mattresses and brilliant and tasteful mats woven from the leaves of the pandams plant and dyed with vegetable juices.
 Persons of both sexes smoke tobacco and chew betel nut A betel nut outfit consists of a small brass box; a knife; miniature pestle; a small package of she'll lime; few betel nuts (produced by the areka pam,) and a roll of buyo leaves. or, default of that, those of the palung or tobocdin plants. The effect of the triple compound is said 10 be the produc- tion of abundant saliva to aid in diges- tion: preservation of the teeth, relief from bodily fatigue.
 Blacken and File Teeth.
 A personal habit which attracts the ob- servers attention is the filing and black ening of the teeth. The object of the filing seems to be to give the appearance of curving outward to the front upper teeth. To this end. they are filed most to the gums. and little if at all, at the ex- tremities. This process. which is painful. Is commenced by both men and women at an early age, and extends over several years Front teeth are often filled with shining bits of copper, not to stop decay. but as ernaments Occasionally one sees even artificial teeth of horn or other hard substance, but they are useless. serving as ornaments only. The dye for the teeth is differently compounded in different localities but a common re- cipe is, lemon juice bit of rusty iron, and vegetable soap
 As a rule these people are dense1y ig- norant of the teachings of the koran. Nevertheless, the koran Is everywhere regarded with profound reverence. and this fact may sometimes be used to great advantage by the American government when it Is desired to reform ag1aw or leg islate against a vice; for aside from the exhcrtation to make war on the enemies of the faith. and from the | titude allow ed in the number of wives man may