The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1907-05-16

.hority, but their influence is very
strong toward a tribe that is peaceful
and living according to regulations
which have in view the good of all.
They have created for themselves |
system and family relation,
and they see to it that these relations
are not disturbed. This respect for
which is absent on many of
the other islands is an element of
strength to these people and is the
for their social structure.
They marry young, the girls at eleven
and the boys at fifteen, in fact the
girls are mothers at thirteen or four
teen. Unlike the Moros of Mindanao,
they have no female slaves.
l remember that many of our SOL
diers who were to be stationed on Kag-
ayan Bulu permanently, deliberately
undertook to upset the marriage rela-
tion of these tribes because they were
not precisely what we have in our own
country. As this was striking at the
very foundation of the strength of
these little brown gu-gus, their old
men, much wiser than our soldiers, OBJ
jected. At first we thought them OBJ
stinate, but later were convinced of
our error, for immortality does not pre-
vail among the Kagayans. Of course
there are two ways to look at every
question, and there is point of view
from which the ideas and notions of
these people can be seen to be correct
and useful. They have worked out
their social problems according to their
own needs and are entitled to have
their solutions given proper consider
alton by those who visit the islands.
In our library are several books
which tell us that the use of shells for
money was vefy common among the
primitive people of ancient history,
one particular kind having been used
so much, that it was called the money
cowry, cowry being the name of the
group of shells to which this particular
one belonged. Now on some Of these
islands kind of shell money is used
1t is said that when the Kagsyans be-
gan to use this money it exerted two
kinds of influence over them. First, it
made fighting unpopular and put an
end to their tribal wars. The reason
for this is that among savages there il
always a way of settling for any kind
of injury by payment. So long az
these people had nothing with which
to pay, their attention was not calleG
to the money value of injury. Bu
when they had money, and any mar
who was injured could demand none!
for his injury, or if he was killed hi
tribe could demand money for his life
the natives saw that such demand
would diminish the strings OF shel
money which they had collected. Ol
! the other hand, tendency toward av
arice was developed.
Before that time man held his LAM
, by his labor, now there was establishes
the independent wealth Of the indlvid
ual Each one tried to get as man
! yards as he could, just as we in tn
United States are trying to see who ca
> get together the most Of our money.
might add that this shell money is al
ranged somewhat similar to the wan
0 pun that was used by the North Amer
!, ican Indians of early history. So 0
Q the islands where shell money is use
: the natives are troublesome, avariciou
q and hardhearted, very much like the
J. civilized brethern.
Their religious views are very pecu
s lar; they believe in Master of Lii
r who made the world and whose bount
a they celebrate by having great feast
y twice year, and in an Evil Spirit wh
o might bring upon them famine or d.
# feat in war. They expect another lii
8 after death, and have their weapon
y and sometimes a baboe buried wit
y them for use In the other life. At q
o their religious observances or "bylie'
Il as they are called, dancing, singing an
d feasting, which may continue for Sc
y eral days are the chief features.
lie Not wishing to take up too much
re your valuabte time will close this a
ir1 ticle with q brief description of the 8
% cret societies Of those tribes which a
re found on every island. The writ
,e with several comrades had an opport
Q. nifty to attend one Of the festivals 81
u en- by the members Of one Of the