The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1918-03-22

men. they live in the northwestern
section of the island of Luzon, and
number about $4,000 Theirs is
mountainous country, six days march
inland from the nearest civilized town.
They are mixture of savage, barba-
rian and civilized people.
Worship One God.
They have one god, Lumawig, and
their religious system is sort of wor-
ship of the spirits Of the departed,
whom they believe to inhabit the earth
just as before they died, except that
they are invisible to mortal eyes. The
Igorots are moral and upright, from
their standpoint, and their code OF
conduct, although simple, is strict.
They worship in their homes, and In
the fields, but have no priests.
They have no written language and
no literature of any sort. But they
have a number of curious folk tales.
One is somewhat akin to the Adam
and Eve story. Lumawig, out OF love
for his people, sent an old couple to
earth with a new food for the Igorot
tribes. The old couple on a certain
day were to explain it's use to the
mortals, but the latter became curious
and could not wait until the appoint
| ed time. Two of the IgOrOts stole the
bag in which the new food was hid
| den. This so angered Lumawig that
he said the Igorots thereafter would
have to till the ground and gain their
/ food by the sweat of their brows. The
new food was rice. 1t today is the
great staple of the people. Rice
and sweet potatoes are the only things
they raise.
Another legend tells Of the origin of
head hunting. In warfare the lgorot
always brings home the heads OF his
victims. One day the Moon, which is
a woman, was beating out brass. The
young child of the Sun stood near by,
watching. His scrutiny angered the
Moon, and she threw stick at him,
causing decapitatiOn. The Sun then
appeared and put his child's head back
on his trunk, declaring that because
of the Moons wanton act mortals
would henceforth cut off each others
heads when In wrath.
- Know How to Irrieate.
Although primitive in their planting
/ and harvesting the Igorots mastered
all the details of irrigation. This is
the source of their prosperity. They
have terraced all the mountainsides
and raise two crops of rice year.
While the Igorots as a race are
small, they are exceptionally well de-
veloped. They are great mountain
! climbers. Dress reform does not both
er them. A thin breechcloth and q
happy smile make up their costume,
which they wear the year round. They
are much like the aboriginal Indian of
America in many customs, one in par
ticular being that the women do all
the work, while the men sit around In
indolent ease, smoking green tobacco
in ill-smelling pipes. The women and
children smoke, too.
Superstition enters into their cures
for sickness. When part Of the body
is injured they tattoo little stars all
over the spot, believing that by this
means they will drive out the little
devils that have taken up their abode
there. Being exposed to the sun and
weather at all times they are constant
ly shedding their skin. When death
occurs In family the natives take
chicken meat and other foods and a
great feast is held, followed by wild
dance similar to the dances of the
American Indians. The body is then
buried, and the personal belongings of
the dead person are handed among the
relatives and the visitors depart.
They relish dog meat, and after they
have fattened a dog on rice they have
barbecue and a wild dance.
But with all their quaint@and saw
age customs the Igorots are patriotic
to the American flag now, and want to
oO RI tho trpDchaS for tho Grpaf An0