CHAPTER II 



PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE 

 MANOBOS OF EASTERN MINDANAO 



PHYSICAL TYPE 



DIVERGENCE OF TYPES 



There seem to be differences in physical type between the Man6bos on the lower part 

 of the Agusan as far as the Bugabus River and those of the Ihawan and the upper Agusan Rivers. 

 On the upper Agusan the variations become more noticeable as we approach the confines of the 

 Mandayas and the Debabaons, both of whom differ from the Man6bos in physical character- 

 istics to such an extent that even an ordinary observer can not fail to notice it. Again, on the 

 upper Agusan, in the vicinity of Tagusab, we find types that remind us of the Mafigguafigan 

 with his manifestly Negroid characteristics. Over on the Tago River, too, and on the far 

 upper Wa-wa, there are groups of so-called Man6bos who are clearly descendants of Mamanuas. 

 With these exceptions the following delineation holds good, I think, for the great mass of Manobos 

 with whom one comes in contact throughout eastern Mindanao. 



GENERAL PHYSICAL TYPE 



In general, the Manobo man is of athletic build and of strong constitution, although he is 

 often short of stature. His muscular development denotes activity, speed, and endurance 

 rather than great strength. Corpulency and prominence of the abdomen are never present, 

 so far as I have observed. His skin, as a rule, is of a reddish-brown color that turns to a some- 

 what dark brown after long exposure to the sun, as in the case of those who engage in fishing 

 in the lake region. 



The hair is abundant, long, black, straight, and coarse. As we approach the domains of 

 the Mafigguafigans and of the Mamanuas, the hair is a little less abundant and shows traces 

 of curliness. Occasional waviness may be observed also among those Manobos who live near 

 the territory of the Mandayas, Debabaons, and Mansakas. 



Beard and body hair are not abundant. In this respect the Manobo differs from the Man- 

 daya and from the Banuaon, both of whom have a more copious growth (though I can not be 

 definite as regards the latter people), and, in some cases, beards that are abundant enough to 

 suggest admixture with white people. 



The head appears to be well developed, being rather high and arched, as compared with 

 that of the average Bisaya. 1 There is no flattening of the occiput. This roundness of the 

 posterior part of the cranium, due, as Montano 2 states, to the prominence of the parietal bumps, 

 becomes very apparent when comparison is made with the heads of Bisayas of other islands. 

 The occipital arch of the latter is invariably flattened. 



Owing to the prominence of the jawbones and to the above-mentioned height of the cranium, 

 the face is decidedly lozenge-shaped, a feature that distinguishes it, on the one hand, from the 

 long face of the Mandaya and of the Banuaon and, on the other, from the short, round face 

 of the Mamanua and of the Mafigguafigan. Montano 3 says that this peculiar shape is due to 

 the development of the zygomatic arches or cheek bones and to the diminution of the minimum 

 frontal line, that is, the shortest transverse measurement of the forehead. 



1 In physical comparisons between Manobos and Bisayas no reference is made to the Bisayas of eastern Mindanao, the great majority of whom 

 are undoubtedly of Manobo or other pagan origin. 

 » Une Mission am Philippines, 349, 1906. 

 1 Loc. cit. 



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