Personal Adornment, Dances, and Musical Instruments 439 



The teeth of both sexes are blackened with iron salts and tan bark, 1 

 but they are not cut or mutilated, as is common with many Philippine 

 peoples. 



While both sexes are proud of heavy heads of hair, they do not 

 look with equal favor on face and body hairs. These are plucked out 

 either by grasping them between a knife blade and the thumb nail, or 

 with a bamboo device known as tming. This consists of a section of 

 bamboo split into several strips at one end. A hair is placed in one 

 end of the slits, and the bamboo is bent into a half circle, causing it 

 to take a firm hold, when it is jerked outwards. 



Prized necklaces (paliget) made of small strands of twisted silver 

 wire, are placed on the neck of a corpse, and on some occasions are 

 worn by the living. During dances the hair is adorned with notched 

 chicken feathers attached to sticks, while circlets made of boar's tusks 

 are placed on the arms. 



Dances. — Two dances, one ceremonial, the other suitable for all 

 occasions, are very popular. 



The ceremonial dance known as da-eng takes place at night, and 

 is carried on to the accompaniment of a song. 2 An equal number of 

 men and women take part. The women form a line facing a similar 

 row of men, about twenty feet distant. Locking arms about one an- 

 other's waists and with one foot advanced, they begin to sway their 

 bodies backwards and forwards. Suddenly they burst into song, at 

 the same time stepping forward with the left foot. Keeping perfect 

 time to the music, they take three steps toward the men, then retreat 

 to their original positions. The men then take up the song and in a 

 similar manner advance and retreat. This is repeated several times, 

 after which the two lines join to form a circle. With arms interlocked 

 behind one another's backs, and singing in unison, they begin to move 

 contra-clockwise. The left foot is thrown slightly backward and to 

 the side, and the right is brought quickly up to it, causing a rising and 

 falling of the body. The step, at first slow, becomes faster and faster 

 till the dancers have reached the limit of their vocal and physical 

 powers. 



The da-eng is sacred in character, is danced only at night and then 

 under the direction of the mediums. It is, however, in great favor, 



1 Blackening of the teeth was practised by the Zambal, also in Sumatra and 

 Japan. Blair and Robertson, Vol. XVI, p. 78; Marsden, History of Sumatra, 

 P- S3- 



1 See pp. 445, 456 for words and music. 



