Evening star., 1924-10-05

and New Orleans, there are hundreds
of thousands Of other wild men. none
of whom believes in Christ or Mo-
hammed, who make problem even
more complicated.
| might mention the names OF the
peoples. but they would mean nothing
to the average reader. The savages
of Bukidnon. for instance, live large
ly in trees TO be out OF the way of
their enemies. They are exceedingly
tmid. and in such cases as those
where our officials have been able to
get them down into villages and
started on little farms. the slightest
alarm sends them back to the woods
The Mandayas, who live at the head
waters Of the Agusan River still use
bows and arrows. They carry shields
which their blacksmiths hammer out
on rude anvils. They were great
lighters and slave traders in the past
and man by his dress showed the
number of people he had killed A
Bagani, for instance, wore a red coat
when he had killed half a dozen, but
ne could not put it on If he killed only
five.
The Manobos, who are the second
most powerful pagan tribe of Min
dano. live along the Gulf Of Davao
and in the lower valley of the Augu-
san River. They were dwelling in
small groups of thatched shacks scat
tered throughout the forest until the
Americans came. They had slaves and
not infrequent(y sacrificed human
beings. DR.. Worcester says it was BY
no means uncommon for a man OF
that tribe to tie a slave to a tree and
let his small boys learn the proper
strokes of the lance by thrusting IT
into the quvering flesh of the VIC
tim.
THESE Manobos have now been
gathered into villages along the
river banks. Schools have been es-
tablished and they are improving.
but they need to be handled care
fully lest they go back to the bar
barous state of the past. They are an
intelligent people, fond of music and
dancing. but superstitious to an ex-
treme. With them nearly every tree
has its spirit and the priests, who
seem to be possessed of devils, COM
municate with the spirits and inter-
pret their wishes. The Manobos are
light skinned, and they have wavy.
black hair. They are especially skill
ed in weaving and in the working OF
metals.
There are other savages here who
can not count up TO fOuF. Among lheSe
are the Mangyans, who indicate all
sums above three by tying knots in
strip of rattan, although it is said
the most intelligent Of them can
count as high as 20 by using their
fingers and toes. These people are
found in Mindoro and I am not sure
but that they exist in the mountains
of Negros. They are long-hafred and
sometimes wear turbans. In some
places they go almost naked and in
others the women wear cloth skirts
over their geestrings. They some
times have Jackets as we'll. 1t Is SAID
that the Mangyans still use an al
phabet, which has come down from
their forefathers, writing the letters
from left to right on banana leaves
or joints of bamboo. They are musi-
cal and sing to the accompaniment
of Stringed instruments and bamboo
flutes. They telegraph from village
to village by pounding the trunks
of certain sonorous trees. They num-
Der about $4,000 in all.
How would you like to have re-
porter. a plain clothes man, constant
ly with you? One who knew your
every thought and act and took IT
down to report 1t when you got to
the judgment seat Of the great here.