Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-05-25
Canniba|S
Still Collecting
Human Heads

- HIS may sound incredible in the year 1e41 A D.
tribe Of headhunters is still causing the Philippine
] constabuary plenty of trouble The headhunting
gentry descendants of the fierce nongot tribe and
like their ancestors still nhab the mountain Businesses
along the provincial boundaries of Tayabas Neuva Vzcaya
and Nueva Ecija the Island of Luzon.
Although the natives have been civilized TO the
of wearing loincloths when they go 10 town they still
practice headhuntng at certain Of the Since
the latest outbreak, in which three and
decapltated in Baler Tayabas home President
Manuel Quezon, the constabulary has made study OF
the tribes social life to find motive their savagery
They found that the victims invariably Christian
Filipino settlers who live near the nongots' hunting
grounds and the latter apparently believe that the Chris
tians deprivng them of their wild and forest
products. AS consequence, the constabulary recon-
mended increase in the number of police attachments
for concerted campaign to stamp out the ancient practice
Few persons realize that the head-hunter really
American He is probably the most peculiar and certainly
the most ferocious of those who can claim that title
Numerically the Iongots OF the least important
of the nsular tribes for they live only the wild Sierra
Madre Mountains of northern Luzon and in way that
cannot support great numbers His small numbers
pretty nearly the only good thing about him.
The Iongots have thin lips straight black hair regular
features, small hands and feet They make their homes
in the inaccessible mountains often many miles
their fields rice paddles From much climbing they
develop strong wry limbs.
There good Iongots but dead Head hunting
is their religion and they all good church members
Every just as their planted they
start after trophies" They claim that If no
secured that time their crops will fail and all Of them
will starve They hunt heads between times well and
this crop-pantng is just kind of religious revival
skilled males dark armed with spears
and wcked-loolung head-axes They decide beforehand
certain ranchera or Filipino settlement probably 20
80 miles away Travelling is done entirely night The
headhunters follow any trail but steal through the
mountain forests managing TO reach their destination
just at dawn
When the Fipnos come out of their houses the head
hunters swoop down kill every they possibly can cut
off head apiece and before the villagers fully
realize what has happened II they at their desna
ton during the night burning brand is thrown onto the
matched roof Of house and as the pancstcken inmates
their blazing the nongots slay them
the spot sparing neither woman child
When the expedition has been successful the head
hunters return. If only head has been taken, it is
up equally and divided among the members of the
party When they reach home they have big feast and
skulls of their victims then placed among
others previously collected and suspended in baskets al
the entrances 10 their dwelngs-unt the consabulary
its rounds Then the trophies spirited away
until the unwecome visitors departed
Sometimes Iongots hunt in pairs. Then they generally
lie by the side of The trail having first placed little sharp
spikes of wood the path that any passing will
wound his While the luckless is pluckng out
svers the hidden head-huner spears him. cuts Off his
head with and carries home the trophy in special
kind Of head-baskct slung his shoulder
favorte method which defes detection is 10
employ the silent spear" sapng beside jungle
trail bent into bow and javein attached to it
that when catch spring concealed in the middle OF
the path is touched the deadly weapon is released with
terrific and at distance from the ground
spending to the height of the victim.
Sometimes the head-hunter himself falls victim to
this murderous shaft although this rarely happens for
leading TO the danger spot the ongot places certain signs
which his tbesmen Of the device The silent spear
generally planted 1t certainly
effecua device for gathering heads, and frequently
enemy who endeavors to steal upon Hongot village
during night is found impaled the next morning
recent outbreak Of head-rads the constabulary
found following tribal customs and beliefs partially
responsible
When nongot marries he must bring the head Of
a Christian a doWry 10 the bride.
2. When the fire tree blooms. male Ilongots behead
they will be considered brave and be doized
by the females
Rebeading n Christian during pjanting season the
Ilongot believes is the sign Of good harvest and
prosperity.
a. The Ilongot also believes 1t Will relieve him Of any
aiment with which he may be afflicted