The Wild Tribes of Davao District, Mindanao: The R. F. Cummings Philippine ExpeditionCole, Fay-Cooper
History
The Wild Tribes of Davao District, Mindanao: The R. F. Cummings Philippine Expedition
Cole, Fay-Cooper
Ethnology -- Philippines -- Mindanao Island
OTHER BUILDINGS.
Near to each farm house or settlement will be seen one or more
granaries, in which rice is stored (Plate XIV). Four poles form the
support for a rectangular base from which the sides of the structure
slope out at an angle of about 25 degrees from the perpendicular until
they meet the roof. The sides and roof are of bamboo beaten flat, the
latter covered with a topping of straw.
In the hemp fields is an occasional shed where the fiber is sometimes
stripped, but more often these buildings, thus hidden from the public
gaze, house the forges on which the smiths fashion knives and spears, or
cast the bells and betel nut boxes so dear to the heart of each Bagobo.
Aside from the shrines or altars, which we shall describe later, the
Bagobo erects no other buildings. He sometimes encloses a rice or
cornfield with a fence, but this requires no special skill in building,
since it consists of two parallel lines of uprights, between which
bamboo tubes are laid to the desired height (Plate XVIb).
FOOD AND ITS PREPARATION.
It is impossible, without including about everything edible in a
vegetable line to be found in the district, to give a full list of
foods; hence no such attempt will be made. Chief of all is the rice,
many varieties of which are grown in the mountain-side clearings.[11]
[11] Back of the coast there are no irrigated fields to be found in the
Davao District.
Next in importance is the _camote_, or sweet potato, and then follow in
the order of their importance: corn, banana, sago and cocoanut.
Fish, eels, crabs, grasshoppers, monkeys,[12] deer, pigs, and chickens
form a part of the food supply; in fact, the people seem to draw the
line at nothing but crows, snakes, mice, rats, goats, horses, dogs, and
cats. Despite the assertion of a number of worthy informants that the
last three are on the prohibited list, it is the opinion of the writer
that it is the scarcity of the supply rather than any feeling of
prejudice which causes them to be included.
[12] Some people refuse to eat monkey meat.
Salt and pepper are used as condiments. The former is secured in trade
with the coast natives and Chinese, while the latter is produced by
mashing the fruit of a small wild pepper, locally known as _katombal_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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