22 THE MANOBOS OF MINDANAO— GARVAN lMM( Tvo? xxh£ 



instruments are made of bamboo and are, in every sense of the word, of the most primitive kind. 

 The strings are of vine, bamboo, or abdkd fiber. 



The drum is the instrument of most frequent use. It is played during all dancing and at 

 other times when a tribesman feels inclined. It is used as a signal to give alarm or to call an 

 absent one. During the dance, religious or secular, it is nearly always accompanied by the gong. 

 The use of the other instruments seems to depend upon the caprice of the individuals, though two 

 of them appear to have a religious character. 



With the exception of the gong and the jew's-harp, all of these instruments can be made to 

 produce varied and pleasing rhythms or music, according to the knowledge and skill of the per- 

 former. Each strain has its appropriate name, taken frequently from the name of the animal 

 that it is supposed to imitate. 



Instrumental music, in general, is of minor tonality, melancholy, weird, and suggestive in 

 some ways of Chinese music. 



Bamboo stampers are sometimes used to give more animation to a dancing celebration, and 

 bamboo sounders are attached to looms to draw attention to the industry of the weaver. 



Songs are always sung as solos. They are all extemporaneous and for the most part legend- 

 ary. The language is archaic and difficult for an outsider to understand. The singing is a kind 

 of declamation, with long slurs, frequent staccatos, and abrupt endings. Of course, there are 

 war songs that demand loudness and rapidity, but on the whole the song music is as weird and 

 melancholy as the instrumental. Ceremonial chants do not differ from secular songs, except 

 that they treat of the doings of a supernatural world, and are the medium through which supplica- 

 tions are made to supernatural beings. 



Perhaps the greatest of all social enjoyments, both for men and deities, is the dance. It is 

 performed by one person at a time. Men, women and children take part. Dressed in a woman's 

 skirt and decked out in all obtainable finery, the dancer keeps perfect time to the rhythm of the 

 drum and the clang of the gong. 



POLITICAL ORGANIZATION 



System of government and social control. — Man6boland is divided into districts, more or less 

 extensive, which are the property of the different clans. Each district is under the nominal 

 leadership of the warrior chiefs and of the more influential men. In time of peace these districts 

 are open to everybody, but in time of war — and wars were formerly very frequent — only persons 

 of tried friendship are permitted to enter. 



A clan consists of a chief whose authority is merely nominal, and of a number of his relatives 

 varying from 20 to perhaps 200 souls. The whole system is patriarchal, no coercion being used 

 unless it is sanctioned by the more influential members, approved by the consensus of opinion 

 of the people, and in accord with traditional custom. 



The authority of the elder people is respected as long as they are physically and mentally 

 able to participate in public gatherings. Those who have distinguished themselves by per- 

 sonal prowess always command a following, but they have a greater influence in time of trouble 

 than in time of peace. 



Perfect equality reigns among the members of the clan, except in the one respect that the 

 recognized warriors are entitled to the use of a red headkerchief, jacket, and pantaloons, each 

 of these articles, beginning with the first, being added as the number of people whom the 

 warrior has killed is increased. 



The chieftainship naturally falls to one who has attained the rank of bagdni — that is, to one 

 who has killed a certain number of persons — provided he is otherwise sufficiently influential to 

 attract a following. His duties consist in lending his influence to settle disputes and in redress- 

 ing the wrongs of those who care to appeal to him. As a priest he is thought to be under the 

 protection of a war god whose desire for blood he must satisfy. 



The bagdni also acts as a medicine man, for he is reputed to have certain magic powers 

 both for good and for evil. The natural secretiveness of the bagdni made it difficult for me to 

 secure much information on this point, but his power of harming at a distance and of making 



