The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-02-11
FTLIPINos AND SNAKES.
They Play Weird Melodies on a Crude
Flute and Reptiles Dance.

Iney RAY Welru MelOulSS oi q SlooS
Flute and Reptiles Dance.
In general, it may be stated that the
Filipino Indians are passionately fond
Of music. Some play the guitar or
mandolin, others metal wind instru-
ments, many the flute, the violin, the
anti anti, the .sif1on, the langueta, the
rave; but the flute or uito of wood and
the pito Of cane are the fayorites, and,
with the braves, are the Characteristic
instruments of the Indians who live
in the native settlements and form
tribes in the mountains.
The pito of cane is Of especial inter-
est, because it is the instrument by
means of which lovers are able to COM
municate with each other. 1t consists
of small piece of cane with a tongue
cut out five centimetres from a knot,
forming the closed end. This tongue
is scraped until 1t is as thin as thick
paper. Three holes, two centimetres
apart, are cut in the cane. 5.-
The Indian places the reed in his
mouth so that his lips cover the reed
tongue, and with his finger covers or
uncovers the holes as he plays. With
this pito Of cane he plays waltzes, pol
kas, schottisches and everything that
he hears after hearing an air once.
Upon this, instrument he also makes
prayers and supplication"
The pito of cane serv.J the In. =
for all his festivals and merrymakings,
and particularly for serenading his
sweetheart in the hours Of the night;
above all to announce to her from afar
his approach. Between them there is a
melody agreed upon beforehand and a
code for conversing together.
The Indian plays his melody from
afar, and at the end sounds a certain
note or series of notes, asking her IL
she can come to him at the rendezvous
agreed upon between them. She re-
plies with the notes previously ar
ranged for the answering call. The
meaning of the notes is known to them
! alone.
When the parents Of an Indian maid
en- object to her keeping company with
her lover, and do not allow her to go
out, the two use pitos for conversing
together. Beforehand the Indian has
i LebuEIU tll6 S"CCIiC1LL q opCIiCS vi uid"
logue, or vocabulary, for conversing
without anybody being able to under
stand them. TRANQUILITY, therefore, in
their cabins the two draw their pitos
and h2gin to question and reply to
| each other as much as they wish. That
is to say, with the pito the Indian forms
an alph and syllables.
| The Indians in general are charmers
of reptiles; in particular, the Igorrote
| youth of the Guiangan who live in set
Elements or tribes and inhabit the
mountains These Indians are almost
all semi-savage, and when they are
maddened the only thing which will
calm them is music. 1t is custom of
theirs to spend hours in tall trees, II
may be, playing some melancholy re-
frain with the wooden flute or playing
warlike airs with the pito of cane.
When in their wanderings they meet
a snake they Immediately raise the pito
of cane to the mouth and play a parti-
cular air to call to their help the spirits
Asnany, Alfalfa and Anani. They be-
lieve that on playing the favorite air
of the spirits these come running to
them, and their touch makes reptiles
| insensible.
Without fear the Indians approach
the snakes and play on the wooden
| flute certain airs which seem to affect
the snake. Then with small switch
in the right hand they give the snake
light blows on the head without wound
/ ing it, until it becomes lethargic. In
| stantly they seize 1t and place it in g
leather bag.
Having so captured snake, they
| carry it to their hut, placing it immed-
lately In a depository to domesticate
| 1t, and at the sound of music to make
> it dance before the public and in theil
family diversions. The receptacle Of
depository is an earthen jar, a metre
! high, with a circumference Of 1.5t
metres. This jar has two handles. Tt
one of them the cover is fastened with
| thongs of leather. The cover Is crossed
i with thick fibres of the palma brave
wild palm) in the manner of net.
The cover is of circular form ant
made, likewise, Of the wild palm; thi:
wood is so hard that lion canno
break it with his teeth. 1t has han
die like that of the jar, into which i
fastens
The reptiles eat once a month, ant
their meal consists of wild pigeons
magpies, parrots and little monkeys
At times when the Indian charmer il
sick, or hunting on the mountains, o.
away warning with another hostil,
tribe, and has forgotten to give tn,
snakes their meals at the proper time
they become so lathargic that they ap
4 pear to be dead.
When the Indian arrives with thu
provisions and sees them in such 1
state, he sprinkles them with nipa pain
iela---a p o s'