90 THE MANOBOS OF MINDANAO— GARV AN IMMO {vo? A xxn" 



what we might call the sandpaper plant. 18 Once burnished they are protected from rust by- 

 applications of hog fat, a little piece of which is suspended from the roof whenever a pig is killed. 

 Another point of difference between the Manobos, not including those of the upper Agiisan, 

 and the above-mentioned peoples is the infrequency with which the former make use of racks 

 for their fighting weapons. The Mandayas and the Debabaons very commonly have ornamental 

 racks in which they keep their weapons. 



DEFENSIVE WEAPONS 



THE SHIELD 



Two varieties of shield are in use, the Mandaya and the Manobo. The diffusion of the 

 former is limited to the district south of the 8° latitude, not including the Ihawan and Baobo 

 River district; the latter, to the rest of the Agiisan Valley with the exception of the portion 

 where Banuaon influence is prevalent, 19 such as the upper Agiisan and rivers to the north of it, 

 which are the western tributaries of the Agiisan. In general, shields are made of l*aldntas 20 

 wood, varying from 90 to 100 centimeters in length. In the center is a projecting knob resem- 

 bling a low truncated cone about 4 centimeters high and varying in width at the base from 8 to 

 15 centimeters, and at the truncation from 7 to 8.5 centimeters. The inside of this knob is hol- 

 lowed out in such a way that a longitudinal piece is left on the inside of it for holding the shield. 

 The upper end has a transverse piece of the same material as the rest of the shield dovetailed 

 into the main body, the object being to prevent the body of the shield, whose grain runs longi- 

 tudinally, from splitting as a result of a blow. 



As a further protection against splitting, two strips of palma brava or of bamboo in upper 

 Agiisan types, and in other types three strips as wide as the shield itself are set horizontally on 

 each side, facing each other, and are held in position by sewings of rattan slips passing through 

 perforations in the wood. 



The ornamentation of all shields consists of a coating of beeswax, and of thin scallops 

 painted with beeswax and pot black, passing in a single series around the shield and near its 

 edge, and in a double series longitudinally down the center. 



The operculum, 21 of a seashell, or very occasionally some bright object, may set off the knob. 

 Not infrequently tufts of human hair secured in some war raid are stuck into holes at distances 

 of about 3 centimeters on both sides of the shield, and are considered highly ornamental and 

 indicative of the valor of the owner of the shield. One might be inclined to think that the 

 employment of human hair is a relic of head-hunting, but I was unable to find a single tradition 

 of its practice in eastern Mindanao and I doubt if such ever existed. 



The typical Manobo shield has a straight top about 35 centimeters broad. From the corners 

 the sides gradually curve inward for a distance (measured upon the central longitudinal line of the 

 shield) of about 25 centimeters, at which point they curve out to the original width at a distance 

 of about 10 centimeters farther on, where the strengthening strips are fastened on both the inner 

 and outer surfaces. Thence the sides curve in to form the second segment, in the center of which 

 is situated the knob, and at the end of which are placed two more sustaining crosspieces. Beyond 

 this section, the sides gently curve to the bottom of the shield, which is about 25 centimeters 

 broad and practically straight. 



The Mandaya type, as adopted from the Mandayas by the Agusanon Man6bos n differs 

 from the Manobo shield in being generally narrower — about 17 centimeters at the top and about 

 22 centimeters in the central section. From the top, where the transverse protective piece is 

 placed the sides slope out gently to the first sustaining crosspiece placed at a distance from the 

 end of about one-fourth of the entire length of the shield; thence they run parallel for a distance 



19 Ficus fishei and Ficus fiskei adorata (moracae). 



"The Banuaon types of shield seen by the writer were circular in form, concave on the proximal side, and made of plaited rattan painted with 

 tabon-tdbon pulp. 



* La-nip-ga. 



" Called pas-U-tan. 



" Also by the Mafigguafigans and by the Debabaon and Mansaka groups. The Manobos and other peoples of the upper Agusan call themselves 

 Agusanon. 



