Social Organization. Government. The Village 369 



manufacture. Oil for them is extracted from crushed seeds of the 

 tau-tau (Jatropha grandulifera Roxb.) 



A very necessary article of house furnishing is the fire-making 

 device. In many instances, the housewife will go to a neighboring 

 dwelling and borrow a light rather than go to the trouble of building 

 a fire, but if that is not convenient, a light may be secured by one or 

 two methods. The first is by flint and steel, a method which is probably 

 of comparatively recent introduction. The second and older is one 

 which the Tinguian shares with all the neighboring tribes. Two notches 

 are cut through a section of bamboo, and tree cotton is placed below 

 them. A second section of bamboo is cut to a sharp edge, and this 

 is rubbed rapidly back and forth in the notches until the friction pro- 

 duces a spark, which when caught on tinder can be blown into a 

 flame. 1 At the door of the house will be found a foot wiper (Fig. 5, 

 No. 12) made of rice-straw drawn through an opening cut in a stick, 

 or it may consist of coconut husks fastened together to make a crude 

 mat, while near by is the broom made of rice-straw or grass. Rice- 

 mortars, pestles, and similar objects are found beneath the dwellings. 



The Village Spring. — Each village is situated near to a spring or 

 on the banks of a stream. In the latter case deep holes are dug in 

 the sands, and the water that seeps in is used for household purposes. 

 In the morning, a number of women and girls gather at the springs, 

 carrying with them the plates and dishes used in the meals, also gar- 

 ments which need to be laundered. The pots and dishes are thoroughly 

 scoured with sand and water, applied with a bundle of rice-straw or 

 grass. The garments to be washed are laid in the water, generally in 

 a little pool near to the main spring or beside the stream. Ashes from 

 rice-straw are then mixed with water and, after being strained through 

 a bunch of grass, are applied to the cloth in place of soap. After 

 being thoroughly soaked, the cloth is laid on a clean stone, and is beaten 

 with a stick or wooden paddle. The garment is again rinsed, and later 

 is hung up on the fence near the dwelling to dry. 



Before returning to her home, the woman fills her pots with water, 

 and then takes her bath in a pool below the main spring (Plate XLII). 

 All garments are removed except the girdle and clout, and then water, 

 dipped up in a coconut shell, is poured on to the face, shoulders, and 

 body. In some cases sand is applied to the body, and is rubbed in 

 with the hand or a stone ; rinsing water is applied and the garments 



1 Despite frequent assertions to the contrary, the fire syringe is not used by 

 the Tinguian. It is found among the Tiagan Igorot, the similarity of whose 

 name has doubtless given rise to the error. 



