PREFACE 



The following myths were collected by the writer in 1907-8 during 

 a stay of sixteen months with the Tinguian, a pagan tribe of northwestern 

 Luzon in the Philippines. The material, for the most part gathered in 

 texts, was partially translated in the Islands, while the balance was 

 worked over during a brief visit to America in 1909. In this task I was 

 assisted by Dumagat, a full blood Tinguian, who accompanied me. 



While not, in all cases, giving a literal rendering, I have endeavored 

 to follow closely the language of the story-tellers rather than to offer a 

 polished translation. In some cases, where it was impossible to record 

 the tales when heard, only the substance was noted, a fact which will 

 account for the meagerness of detail evident in a few of the stories. 



The Tinguian tribe numbers about twenty thousand individuals, 

 most of whom are found in the sub-province of Abra, and in the moun- 

 tains of Ilocos Sur and Norte. Their material culture, beliefs, and 

 ceremonials are quite uniform and exceedingly complex. It is my inten- 

 tion to publish a study of this people in the near future, but realizing 

 that it will be quite impossible for readers unacquainted with Tinguian 

 life to understand many references in the tales, I have added such foot 

 notes as will enable them to grasp the meaning of certain obscure pas- 

 sages. 



In the introduction, an attempt has been made to bring together the 

 culture of the people as it appears in the myths, and to contrast it with 

 present day conditions and beliefs. In this way we may hope to gain a 

 clearer insight into their mental life, and to secure a better idea of the 

 values they attach to certain of their activities than is afforded us by 

 actual observation or by direct inquiry. It is also possible that the 

 tales may give us a glimpse of the early conditions under which this 

 people developed, of their life and culture before the advent of the 

 European. 



It should be noted at the outset that no attempt is here made to 

 reconstruct an actual historical period. As will appear later, a part of 

 the material is evidently very old; later introductions — to which ap- 

 proximate dates may be assigned — have assumed places of great im- 

 portance; while the stories doubtless owe much to the creative imagina- 

 tions of successive story-tellers. 



A comparison of these tales with the folk-lore of neighboring tribes 



3 



