The Inhabitants of the PhilippinesSawyer, Frederic H.
History
The Inhabitants of the Philippines
Sawyer, Frederic H.
Ethnology -- Philippines; Philippines -- Social life and customs
These people live in the south-west corner of Nueva Vizcaya, about
the head-waters of the River Magat. They are numerous, and occupy
many towns and villages, amongst them Bayombong, Dupax, Bambang,
and Aritas. They were formerly warlike head-hunters, and are said to
have devoured the hearts and brains of their slain enemies in order
to inherit their courage and wisdom. This is a Chinese idea, and is
even now practised in Canton, where pieces of the heart and liver of
a particularly hardened and desperate criminal are retailed by the
executioner at a high price for the above purpose. They wear their
hair long like the Ilongotes. Their weapons were the lance, shield,
or wood-knife, and in their customs and religion they resembled the
Igorrotes. They were said to ornament the hilts of their swords with
the teeth of their slain enemies. All these detestable customs have
now disappeared; they have been converted to Christianity, and now are
peaceful agriculturists and hunters. Game and fish abound; a telegraph
line runs through their territory with a station at Bayombong. This
is part of the line from Manila to Aparri.
Ibilaos (14).
These savages inhabit the hilly country about the sources of the River
Casepuan, which, according to D'Almonte's map, is a tributary of the
River Casiguran, which runs into the Bay of Baler; but, according
to Olleros, is a tributary of the Rio Grande de Cagayan. However
this may be, their habitat is on the borders of Nueva Écija and
Nueva Vizcaya. Some of these people have been subjugated, but the
others live a nomadic life in the mountain forests, and resemble the
Negritos. Their pleasure is to lie in wait and shoot the passers-by
with their arrows. Like the Italones they are said to ornament
their weapons with the teeth of the slain, and, like them, wear
their hair long. The independent Ibilaos live by the chase, and on
jungle produce, and do no cultivation. They are small of stature and
weak. It is possible that they are a hybrid Negrito Malay race. Their
bloodthirsty propensities make them a curse to their neighbours.
Ilongotes (15).
The Ilongotes inhabit the rocky fastnesses of the range of mountains
on the east coast, called the Caraballo de Baler, the whole length
of the Distrito del Principe, the north-east corner of Nueva Vizcaya
and a strip of the southern part of Isabela.
Their neighbours on the east are the Negritos, who live along the
sea-shore. These people are also their neighbours on the north,
where they inhabit the mountains.
On the west they have the Ifugaos in the northerly part of their
boundary, and civilised Indians of mixed races in the southern
part. Their nearest neighbours to the south are some scattered Tagals.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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