The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 - Volume 40 of 55, 1690-1691: Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Close of the Nineteenth Century
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 - Volume 40 of 55, 1690-1691: Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Close of the Nineteenth Century
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
The dress of the women, besides the small shirt with sleeves already
mentioned, which was shorter for them, for their gala dress had
little modesty, was a skirt as wide at top as at bottom, which they
gathered into folds at the waist, allowing the folds all to drop to
one side. This was long enough to cover them even to their feet, and
was generally white. When they went outside the house they wore for a
cloak certain colored short cloaks, those of the principal women being
of crimson silk or other cloths, embroidered with gold and adorned with
rich fringe. But their principal gala attire consisted in jewels and
ornaments of gold and stones which they wore in their ears, and on the
neck, the fingers of the hand and the wrists of the arms. But now they
have begun to wear the Spanish clothes and ornaments, namely, chains,
necklaces, skirts, shoes, and mantillas, or black veils. The men wear
hats, short jackets [ropillas], breeches, and shoes. Consequently, the
present dress of the Indians in these regions is now almost Spanish.
110 [i.e., 100]. Besides the exterior clothing and dress, some of
these nations wore another inside dress, which could not be removed
after it was once put on. These are the tattooings of the body so
greatly practiced among the Visayans, whom we call Pintados for that
reason. For it was a custom among them, and was a mark of nobility and
bravery, to tattoo the whole body from top to toe when they were of an
age and strength sufficient to endure the tortures of the tattooing,
which was done (after being carefully designed by the artists, and
in accordance with the proportion of the parts of the body and the
sex) with instruments like brushes or small twigs, with very fine
points of bamboo. The body was pricked and marked with them until
blood was drawn. Upon that a black powder or soot made from pitch,
which never faded, was put on. The whole body was not tattooed at
one time, but it was done gradually. In olden times no tattooing was
begun until some brave deed had been performed; and after that, for
each one of the parts of the body which was tattooed some new deed
had to be performed. The men tattooed even their chins and about the
eyes so that they appeared to be masked. Children were not tattooed,
and the women only on one hand and part of the other. The Ilocans in
this island of Manila also tattooed themselves but not to the same
extent as the Visayans. The dress of both men and women among the
Ilocans is almost alike in that province. Thus far the dress. We
shall now say somewhat of the food and their customs in eating.
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