A KALINGA WAR DANCE 

 The beating of the tom-toms becomes faster and faster as the warriors warm up to their 



work (see text, page 877) 



tiful feather plumes similar to those 

 worn by the men. Almost every Kalinga 

 woman also wears a pair of heavy brass 

 ear ornaments of a conventional pattern, 

 and all who can afford it have in addi- 

 tion great mother-of-pearl ear ornaments 

 shaped like a solid figure 8. 



Many of the Kalingas construct large 

 and well-built houses, with hardwood 

 frames, removable rattan or runo grass 

 floors, and thick, convex, thoroughly 

 water-tight roofs. The floors of these 

 houses are taken up daily and washed 

 in the neighboring streams. On a raised 

 ledge at one end of the single room sit 

 ancient and highly prized jars of basi, 

 an alcoholic drink made from boiled and 

 fermented sugar-cane juice. There is 

 usually a shelf for plates and other 

 household utensils, which extends the 

 whole length of one side of the house. 

 China plates and glazed earthenware jars 

 are highly prized by these people, and 

 many of those which they have are 

 doubtless very old. 



TREE DWELLINGS 



In regions where life and property are 

 especially insecure they often build their 

 houses in trees, pulling up their entrance 

 ladders in case of danger. 



The houses are ordinarily grouped in 

 small villages, which are quite perma- 

 nent in character, although a village is 

 sometimes abandoned upon the advent of 

 smallpox or other dangerous communi- 

 cable disease, or after being successfully 

 raided by a hostile war party. 



Until within a short time the Kalingas 

 have been fierce and inveterate head- 

 hunters, constantly at war among them- 

 selves and with their non-Christian 

 neighbors of other tribes. Furthermore, 

 they frequently wiped out Filipino hunt- 

 ing parties and even attacked small Fili- 

 pino settlements. Their weapons of 

 offense are strong, skillfully fashioned 

 lances and gracefully shaped but deadly 

 head-axes. Their defensive weapons are 

 beautiful black shields ornamented with 

 scarlet and yellow or black and white 



875 



