438 The Tinguian 



fastened tightly above the wrist, causing that portion of the arm to 

 swell. Slits of bamboo are usually placed under the beads, and may 

 be removed if the pain or annoyance of the constriction is too severe. 

 The upper arm beads are removed with little difficulty; but those on 

 the forearm are taken off only once or twice a year, when new threads 

 are substituted, or when the owner is in mourning. Beneath these 

 ornaments a delicate fretwork of blue lines is tattooed, so that the 

 woman's arms may not be white and unsightly when she is without 

 her beads. 1 



Most of the women have their ears pierced, but in the valley towns 

 only a small proportion wear earrings. In the mountain sections heavy 

 ornaments of gold or copper are worn, the weight often drawing the 

 lobe of the ear far down on the neck. 



When at work, the woman discards all clothing from the upper 

 portion of her body, but at other times wears a short-sleeved jacket 

 which reaches to her waist (Plate LXXVII). The waist is cut so low 

 in the neck that the head can pass through. There is no shoulder seam. 

 A straight piece set over the shoulder extends down in square, both 

 front and back, to a line about even with the breast, where it is sewed 

 to the garment proper. A narrow skirt (dingzva), with colored bor- 

 der, extends from the waist to the knees. It is held in place by draw- 

 ing it tightly and then tucking one corner under the upper edge, or by 

 pressing it beneath the girdle (Plate LXXVIII). 



When a girl becomes a woman, she dons a girdle (palingtan) of 

 braided grass or rattan which fits over the hips, and to which a clout 

 is attached (Plate LXXX). As a rule, the girdle and clout are not 

 removed when bathing, as are the other garments. 



The woman seldom wears a hat, except when she is working in the 

 fields, where sunshades large enough to protect the entire body are 

 used (Plate LIV). Frequently a cloth or a skirt is twisted about the 

 head as a protection against the sun. 



On chilly mornings one often sees the people covered from head 

 to ankles with their sleeping blankets, or a woman may draw a par- 

 ticularly wide skirt about her body just below the armpits so that 

 she is protected from her breasts to the knees. 



1 This tattooing is accomplished by mixing oil and the black soot from the 

 bottom of a cooking pot, or the pulverized ashes of blue cloth. The paste is 

 spread over the place to be treated, and is driven in with an instrument consisting 

 of three or four needles set in a piece of bamboo. Sometimes the piercing of 

 the skin is done before the color is applied ; the latter is then rubbed in. 



