46 THE MANOBOS OF MINDANAO— GARVAN [MEM °tvo?xxii£ 



A second form of head covering, in use in the parts of the Agusan River Valley not men- 

 tioned above, as also among the Manobos of the Pacific coast, 6 is circular. It is made of the 

 sago palm or of bamboo. It varies in diameter between 25 and 35 centimeters and has the shape 

 of a low broad cone. The edges, like those of the hat already described, are reinforced with 

 rattan painted with a mixture of beeswax and pot black for preserving the rattan against atmos- 

 pheric influences. No paint is applied to the sago sheath, but the beeswax is applied to the bam- 

 boo as a preservative against cracking. Neither are any decorative incisions or tracings used in 

 this form of hat, it being primarily and essentially for protection against sun and rain. Two 

 parallel strips of rattan fastened at the ends of a diagonal serve to hold the hat in position on the 

 head. 



A noteworthy feature of this hat is that within the area mentioned above, it is frequently 

 worn by women. I know of no other headdress that is employed by the female members of the 

 Manobo, Mandaya, and Debabaon tribes. 7 



Besides the headkerchief, 8 worn universally by warrior chiefs 9 and recognized warriors 10 

 throughout all tribes in eastern Mindanao, a kerchief u bound round the head is very often 

 worn by Man6bos of the Argawan and Umaiam Rivers. 



THE JACKET 



In general the jacket is close-fitting, square-cut, and closed. It has long sleeves and a 

 tongue-shaped opening for the head extending from the neck downward in front. Ordinarily the 

 jacket is scarcely long enough to reach the top of the trousers. It is not rare to find a narrow 

 strip of cloth of a color different from the rest of the jacket inserted between the sleeves and body 

 of the garment or running down the waist between the two pieces that form the body. This 

 sidepiece in the jacket of men and women serves to give the desired width to the garment and 

 the variation in color secured by it is regarded as an addition to the general ornamental effect. 

 The jacket is embroidered more or less elaborately according to the skill of the embroiderer and 

 the amount of imported cotton yarn available. This embroidery is done on the back from shoul- 

 der to shoulder in a band from 4 to 6 centimeters broad, and in continuous narrow fines around the 

 neck opening, along the seams between the sleeves and body of the garment, on the lower parts 

 of the sleeves, around the waist at the bottom of the garment, and down the arm at the joining 

 of the sleeves; in a word, over all seams. 



In the central portion of the Agusan Valley and on the Pacific coast, the most common form 

 of jacket is made of unstained abated fiber cut like the one just described. It has, however, 

 inwoven in the cloth, horizontal parallel lines of dark-blue yarn on the back and the upper part 

 of the front. These dark-blue bands are set at intervals from each other and usually amount 

 to from six to nine lines in number. Tufts of cotton in a continuous recurrence of red, yellow, and 

 dark blue, without any interstices, cover all the seams. If there is any embroidery, it is upon 

 the lower part of the sleeves, on that part of the jacket that covers the back of the neck, and 

 along the seams between the sleeves and the body of the jacket. The distribution of this style 

 of garment is very wide. I have seen it on the Tago River (Pacific coast), on the upper Umaiam, 

 Argawan, Kasilaian, and Simulau Rivers. 



On the upper Agusan, including the upper Bahai-an, Ihawan, and Ba6bo Rivers, a style 

 that resembles the Mandaya is most frequently to be seen. The jacket is made of a gauze-like 

 abated cloth dyed black, or preferably of black or blue imported cloth. One frequently finds, for 

 ornamental purposes, just above the wrists or between the sleeves and the body of the jacket, 

 or down the waist between the main pieces of the garment, thin strips of white cloth inserted. 

 Usually there is no embroidery as such, the previously described alternating tufts of cotton yarn 

 covering all, or nearly all, the seams. When, however, it is desired and it is feasible to adorn 



• The Manobos of the Pacific coast inhabit the upper waters of the Kantflan, Tandag, Tago, Marihatag, Hubo, Bislig, and Liflgig Rivers. 

 7 The Manobos of the lower Agusan, inhabiting the towns of San Vicente, Amparo, San Mateo, Las Nieves, and surrounding regions are not 

 referred to here. The Debabaons are looked upon as forming a separate tribe till further investigation. 

 ' Ti-bang. 

 > Ba-gi-ni. 

 » Ma n-lk-i-ari . 

 " P6-dung. 



