PRIMITIVE WEAPONS AND ARMOR OF THE PHIUPPINE ISLANDS 13 



with the bark of forest plants, such as the bejucos or rattans, in 

 the production of wrapping cord for fastening and reinforcing the 

 bow cords, arrow points, sword handles, and elsewhere in weapon 

 production. 



Structural fibers, such as that of the abaca {Musa textills), a 

 species of banana which grows in those sections of the Philippines 

 that have no dry season and in districts hing below the typhoon 

 belt, and the surface fibers, such as kapok or tree cotton and coir 

 from the husk of the coconut, are useful to the native in weapon 

 manufacture. 



Animal products buch as bone and dugong or sea cow ivory are 

 used in the production of the finely carved parang handles and arrov*' 

 heads. Other animal products used in a similar way are horn of 

 deer or water buffalo (carabao). TcTa much less extent is there any 

 employment of hides or skins of animals in the production of hel- 

 mets, shields, or sections of plate armor in the coats of mail which 

 are occasionally made by the Moro armorer. The use of sinew as 

 bow cord is unknown to the native Filipino weapon maker. Cotton 

 cloth is occasionally used in the wrapping of ornamental parang 

 handles, in the production of shields, or in the miscellaneous wrap- 

 pings on weapon shaftments. No use is ever made of cotton or wool 

 in the production of padded coats of mail or in cloth helmets, padded 

 armor being entirely foreign to the weapon complex of the Malay. 

 Human hair and the hair of horses is commonly used in an orna- 

 mental design on the handles of the so-called hairy kampilan of the 

 Moro, also as an ornamental fringe on the lateral edges of the Moro 

 shield. No doubt the use of human hair in wrappings of various 

 kinds was formerly more widely diffused than at present, due to the 

 decline in ceremonialism formerly associated with head hunting. 



In addition to the silicious hard rind of the bamboo and the tough 

 flexible fiber of the rattans, there are three kinds of wood used in the 

 making of native weapons. These types of wood are classed with 

 regard to their hardness and the degree of resistance offered both to 

 the inroads of pests, such as the cmi or white " ants," and in produc- 

 tion of weapons and the various weapon parts. The first group con- 

 sists of the moderately heavy woods comparable to the harder pines. 

 The}- are of the dipterocarp type, including tlie well-known red and 

 white lauans and the tanguile. The harder Avoods comparable to the 

 mahoganies have a fine grain and take on a high polish. Woods of 

 this class are the molave, the narra, and ipil. The third group in- 

 cludes the ebony-like camagon which runs from black to brown and 

 comes from the mabolo tree. The most common use made of these 

 woods is in the fine and ornately carved sword handles, but to a lesser 

 degree wood is also employed in the making of shaftments for arrows 



