PRIMITIVE WEAPONS AND ARMOR OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 29 



cast brass and is mounted on a short swivel. A palmwood strip is 

 lashed to the under side of the <xun barrel by means of rattan splints. 

 The weapon " Lantaka " comes from the island of Jolo. 



Indonesian and Malayan culture survivals — One effect of Span- 

 ish occupation of the Philippines was an increase in the density of 

 the native population. Contributory causes were the development 

 of the agricultural and industrial resources chiefly throuijh the 

 encomienda system and the influence of the friars. The real influence 

 of the Spanish, however, lay in the suppression of Moro pi''acy, in 

 the abolishing of human sacrifice, in the limitation of slavery, the 

 suppression of local tribal wars and feuds, and the institution of 

 head-hunting. 



Those regions of the islands where the inhabitants were not in- 

 fluenced by the teachings of Mohammedanism or Christianity re- 

 mained to a great extent free from the domination of the Spaniard. 

 Such nationalities fall into two large divisions, one located in the 

 mountains of the central upland interior of Luzon and the oiher 

 division located in the interior of the island of Mindanao. These 

 tribal groups are of the greatest interest to the ethnologist in that 

 ihey represent the " contemporary ancestors " of the Mohammedan- 

 ized or Christianized Filipino. Of these two groups, the Mindanao 

 tribes ghow more Hindu influences in speech and customs, while tho 

 Luzon " wild " tribes, especially the Bontok-Igorot, reveal moro 

 Spanish culture traits. Still, because of the rugged mountainous 

 terrain of northern central Luzon, the " wild tribes " of Luzon repre- 

 sent a more accurate cross section of the ancient civilization of the 

 Filipino. The iron industry of northern pagan tribes of liUzon as 

 well as of Palawan Island Tagbanua and the Mangyan of Mindoro 

 is much less developed than is that of the pagan tribes of Mindanao, 

 such as the Bagobo, who have borrowed the technic of working 

 brass and iron from the expert Moro. 



Occupational, traditional, and political causes have united in 

 making of the Filipino an aggressive fighter. With all the passive 

 disregard of personal danger that accompanies the fatalism of the 

 oriental, the primitive Malay did not extend such fatalism to include 

 a doctrine of nonaggressive pacifism. He held human life of little 

 value under circumstances over which he could exercise no control, 

 but was a courageous and resourceful bearer of the warlike tribal 

 traditions. The Moro has become known historically as the superior 

 warrior in the Philippines, but only so because he was more success- 

 ful. His political organization included large enough units, the 

 so-called kingdoms and sultanates, to successfully repel the Span- 

 iards with their superior firearms. His feuds and petty local griev- 

 ances were suppressed in the fanaticism of the Mohammedan reli- 



