54 THE MANOBOS OF MINDANAO— GARVAN tMEMOI (voL NA xxin; 



The whorl of a sea shell, 8 ground and polished into white heavy rings, whose cross section 

 is an isosceles triangle, form a very common forearm adornment for women on the upper Agusan. 

 Sometimes as many as five of these are worn, ordinarily on the left arm. The weight of a full 

 equipment of shell bracelets may amount to at least a kilo. The use of such cumbrous adorn- 

 ments is confined to festal occasions except in the case of unmarried maidens, who nearly always 

 wear them. These shell bracelets with the black alternating rings of sea coral are very becom- 

 ing indeed, as they tend, by the contrast of jet black and marble white, to set off the color of 

 the skin to advantage. 



It is noticeable that as one approaches the Mandaya country, the similarity in dress and 

 personal adornment to that of the Mandayas becomes more apparent. This is true on the upper 

 Simulau, Agusan, and Ihawan, another indication of the influence of Mandaya culture on the 

 Man6bo. Hence in those regions one finds forms of bracelets that are typical of Mandaya 

 adornment. Thus bands of beaten brass wire, 1 centimeter broad approximately, are seen 

 occasionally. Also flat braided bands of jungle fiber covered with white beads are sometimes 

 used. On one occasion the writer saw a hollow circular brass bangle into which a piece of lead 

 had been inserted, and which with every movement of the arm produced a tinkling sound. 



In the central Agusan region and among the Man6bos of the Pacific coast, one finds the 

 use of a small whorl of a sea shell 9 as a bracelet but its use is uncommon, especially on the Pacific 

 side. This is due to the fact that only an occasional shell has made its way into the country. 

 In these regions the Man6bo is particularly poor in arm adornments. 



KNEE AND ANKLE ADORNMENTS 



Men, especially unmarried ones, often wear on one or both legs just below the knee a ligature 

 similar in every respect to that worn on the upper arms. Its purpose, too, is twofold, to strengthen, 

 and, at the same time, to adorn the legs. On the upper Agiisan one sees beads sewn on these 

 bands. 



Women have similar ligatures on one or both legs just above the ankles. They are worn for 

 decorative purposes, but it is said by some that they are a sign of virginity and that upon marriage 

 it costs the husband the value of one slave to remove them. But the fac* that married women 

 occasionally wear them seems to contradict this statement. 



Women wear at festal periods and especially during dances a few rings 10 of stout brass wire 

 some 6 millimeters in diameter. The rings are large enough to allow the foot to be passed through 

 them, hence they hang loosely at the ankles. In number they rarely exceed two to each leg. 

 During a dance they tintillate to the jingling of the hawk bells that depend from the girdle and 

 are considered highly ornamental. 



BODY MUTILATIONS 



GENERAL REMARKS 



The purpose of most body mutilations among the Man6bos is ornamentation. The one 

 exception is circumcision which will be discussed later. 



Scarification is nowhere practiced in eastern Mindanao except among the Mamanuas. In 

 1905 I came in contact with several Mamanuas of the upper Tago River (within the jurisdiction 

 of Tandag, Province of Surigao) and noticed that they had cicatrices on the breast and arms. 

 I concluded that the scars were due to the practice of scarification. Inquiries since that time 

 made among both Man6bos and Bisayas have confirmed these conclusions. Head deformation 

 is not practiced in eastern Mindanao. 



No painting of the body is resorted to other than the blackening of the lips with soot. To 

 effect this a pot is taken from the fireplace and the bottom of it is dexterously passed across the 

 lips, leaving a black coating that, with the fluid from the chewing quid made up of tobacco, lime, 

 and mdu-mau frequently becomes permanent till moistened by drinking. It is a strange sight to 



•Tftk-lobo (Tridacna gigai). > Called Id-gang. 10 Di-tut. 



