i 9 o 5 ] METZGER— THE FILIPINO. 9 



of the aboriginese, scarcely number five thousand at the present 

 time and are scattered widely over all the northern islands, living 

 in the most remote and dense parts of the hill country. They are 

 pygmean in stature, barely reaching four and one half feet in height 

 and resembling closely the Alfoor Papuan of New Guinea. Al- 

 though small in frame they are powerful andfleet of foot. Unlike 

 any of the other tribes of this archipelago they are the possessors 

 of a closely matted kinked head of hair. The Negrito is of very 

 low intellect and appreciates no conception of social order. He 

 is cowardly and indolent, but exhibits a marked respect for the 

 aged and dead such as is not seen among any of the other tribes. 

 Frequent attempts have been made to civilize these little people 

 but without success, for they will neither endure social or military 

 restraint but prefer to return to the mountain fastnesses and their 

 nomadic state. Model villages of bamboo and nepa were built in 

 Upper Pampanga by the Spaniards with the object of domesticat- 

 ing these strange people. They were supplied with food, clothing 

 and all the necessaries of life for a period of one year or until such 

 a time as they could till the soil and provide for their future but the 

 experiment was an utter failure and in a short time the subsidy was 

 discontinued. They have never been either individually or collec- 

 tively brought under the influence of the Church but to this day con- 

 tinue to worship the sun and elements as did their forefathers. 

 The Negrito subsists wholly upon reptiles, fish, herbs and wild moun- 

 tain rice. They wear no clothing except the breech-clout and 

 their customs and habits are those of the savage. Ablution of body 

 is something almost unknown to them. These little people have 

 no permanent abode but wander about in little bands of five to 

 twenty living in trees as a matter of safety. They are more or less 

 peacefully inclined but do occasionally make incursions into the 

 territory of some neighboring tribe for the purpose of carrying oft 

 cattle. Their means of defense is a bow made from the palma- 

 brava and poisoned arrows, and with these they are indeed expert 

 marksmen. There is no doubt but that at an early period in the 

 history of these islands these dwarfish-people were in great numbers 

 and as rulers levied heavy tribute upon the accessors of some of the 

 present day tribes, but as emigration increased they were gradually 

 forced into the background and subsequently, upon the advent of 

 the white-man, were forced, through terror, to take definitely to 

 the mountain fastness. 



