PEIMITIVE WEAPONS AND ARMOR OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 97 



The general appearance of the shield is that of a trough 3 to 5 feet 

 long and 10 to 12 inches broad. 



The other type of rectangular Filipino shield occurs in Mindanao, 

 among the Negritos, and the pagan Ilongotes of Luzon, Ibilao, and 

 elsewhere. In this shield the high elevation of the median ridge is 

 lacking, as are also the crests at the narrow ends. The wavy out- 

 line occurs instead along the longitudinal sides. The boss is 

 rounded; longitudinal edges are sometimes convex and tasseled or 

 fringed with tufts of hair. The surface is sometimes elaborately 

 carved, as among the Bagobo, who are inclined to richly decorate all 

 of their weapons and are equally capable in brass work and in wood 

 carving. 



The rounded shield of the Moro shows not Malaysian but Saracen 

 influence. Some of these shields are even made of hides and skins, 

 a material which is not used in the other types of Filipino shields. 

 Most of these shields are made of wood, however, and some of them 

 are inlaid with shell TurhhieJJa rapa., which is also employed on 

 the oblong Malaysian shields. The shield including a circular 

 handle on the concave reverse is frequently made of one piece of 

 wood with basketry rim consisting of a warp of heavy coils bound 

 with a cross lacing of rattan. 



Materials from which the shield is formed usually vary witli the 

 use to which this defensive weapon is to be subjected. Shields de- 

 signed to serve as target for arroAvs were preferably fashioned £rom 

 soft wood in which the arrow became embedded and so retained; 

 shields designed to ward off blows from the sword or spear were 

 constructed of extremely hard wood. Choice of materials for shield 

 construction was also dependent in part on the prevailing fashion 

 in weapon construction, so that, for example, the rectangular shields 

 vary in dimensions from the extremely narrow troughlike longi- 

 tudinal forms occurring in eastern Malaysia to dimensions in west- 

 ern Malaysia sufficiently wide to completely shelter a man. 



Moro oblong tufted shields are similar to those of north Celebes 

 and are produced mostly by the Moro living nearest to Avesterti 

 Malaysia. The Rio Grande and the Cotobato River Valley tribes 

 produce a heavier shield, without tufts of hair on boss and lateral 

 edges, and use a hardwood, such as camagon, for reinforcing splints. 

 The Jolo and other sea island Moro shields have a greater variety 

 of form, more pronounced median ridge-pole elevation, also a greater 

 obverse curvature from the top to base of body. Both types have 

 inlay of lime on the carved wood surfaces and brass studs or rivets 

 driven in the surface by way of ornamentation. The Bagobo shields 

 have a diamond-shape extension at the to]) of "chief," purely orna- 

 mental ; the surface is ornamented with beads and " dulao " dye : 



