258 AUSTRALASIA. 



Benguet Valley and surrounding hilly districts. North of them are the Tingui- 

 anes, whose Christianity is limited to the possession of crucifixes used as talismans ; 

 eastwards the upper Cagayan basin is held by the Ilongotes, Ifugaos, Catalanganes, 

 Irayas, and other pagan tribes. The Tinguianes, whose complexion is almost 

 white, are regarded by most observers as half-castes of Chinese origin, whereas the 

 Igorrotes appear to be Tagals, who have hitherto preserved their primitive religion 

 and usages. They believe in a supreme God, and in other deities in whom are 

 personified the phenomena of nature. To these they offer sacrifices, although 

 their chief worship is that of their anitos, or ancestors, whose souls rustle in the 

 foliage of the sacred tree planted at the entrance of every village. These anitos 

 also appear at times in the form of animals, and in many parts of Luzon, as in 

 Celebes, the fish ponds are stocked with eels which are tended by the natives with 

 filial piety. 



Strict laws of solidarity bind together the family group, and all outrages must be 

 avenged by death ; hence the hereditary feuds, and the prevalence of head-hunting 

 amongst these tribes. The Ifugaos use the lasso to seize the passing foe and drag 

 him suddenly under the sharp knife. Amongst the Igorrotes certain practices 

 survive pointing at former Brahmanical influences, and the very term dim ta, 

 applied to the national deities, is of Hindu origin. 



In JMindanao, the " Infidels " comprise numerous communities, which are often 

 grouped by the whites under the collective name of Manobos. But this term 

 should properly be restricted to the natives of the north-east, who occupy the 

 Agusan basin and the Surigao peninsula. Some of those dwelling near the coast 

 have been conquered and converted by the Spaniards, others in the interior present 

 the Malay type of the Yisayans more or less modified by Negrito crossings. But 

 most of the tribes appear to be of the Indonesian stock, which is closely allied to 

 the eastern Polynesian, and characterized by high stature, fair complexion, and 

 well-proportioned figures. The lobe of the ear is usually pierced for the introduc- 

 tion of bone and other ornaments ; the teeth of the young men are filed according 

 to a different pattern for every clan ; the heads of the children are artificially de- 

 formed in many communities, and various systems of tattooing prevail amongst the 

 different tribes. 



The expression " Land of Terror," applied by Montano to the eastern regions 

 of Mindanao, might with equal truth be extended to nearly the whole island. 

 When the Manobos, led by their high priest with his divine talisman, have suc- 

 ceeded in surprising their sleeping enemies, they slaughter all the men and carry 

 away the women and children into slavery. After the victory the high priest 

 opens the breast of the victim with the sacred knife, plunges the talisman in the 

 flowing blood, and eats the heart or liver raw. The Mandayas, who slay for 

 honour, have a special term, bagaiii, to designate the hero who has cut at least 

 fifty heads, and who has alone the privilege of wearing a scarlet turban. Vast 

 territories have been transformed to solitudes by this incessant intertribal war- 

 fare. 



Of foreigners settled in the Philippines the most numerous are the Chinese. 



