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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



terminates in Pungian Point ; also the 

 mountain peaks of the CordiUera be- 

 tween Saboi and Malalag, and the Saran- 

 gani Islands, which lie immediately south 

 of the southernmost point of Mindanao. 



The mountain dwellers are attacked 

 and enslaved by neighboring tribes, but 

 those living in the Sarangani Islands 

 have proved abundantly able to protect 

 themselves. 



No special study of the people of this 

 tribe has ever been made and no reliable 

 information is available as to their num- 

 ber (see page 1166). 



THE BUKIDNONS (SEE PICTURES, PAGES 

 I 164 TO I 166) 



The designation ''Bukidnon," which 

 really means "mountain people," is gen- 

 erally understood to refer to a tribe which 

 inhabits the subprovince of the same 

 name in northern Mindanao, and in one 

 or two places extends over the mountain 

 barrier which forms the dividing line be- 

 tween Bukidnon and Butuan. At pres- 

 ent they number 25,000 to 30,000. They 

 are frequently called "Monteses," but this 

 name is a Spanish term meaning "moun- 

 tain people." 



Many of the men and women are con- 

 spicuously tall. The hair of some indi- 

 viduals is straight and lank ; others have 

 wavy hair; while a limited number, in 

 whose veins there doubtless flows a con- 

 siderable amount of Negrito blood, have 

 rather closely curling locks. Many indi- 

 viduals are of very prepossessing appear- 

 ance. One's attention is immediately at- 

 tracted by the small and often very slen- 

 der hands and feet of the women. 



Well-to-do men wear long trousers 

 reaching to the ankles and hanging out- 

 side of these long shirts with full sleeves. 

 Trousers and shirts are made of pieces 

 of bright blue, scarlet, and white cotton 

 cloth carefully stitched together in more 

 or less elaborate geometric patterns and 

 are of very striking appearance (see page 

 T166). Trousers often have cufifs at the 

 bottoms of the legs. 



Datos who have killed large numbers 

 of enemies wear a most remarkable head 

 ornament, fashioned from cloth of gold, 

 with elaborate scarlet, blue, or white tas- 

 sels (see page 1164). So far as my ob- 



servation goes, no other Philippine tribe 

 has anything in the least like it. 



The women wear long-sleeved upper 

 garments of scarlet, blue, and white 

 patchwork. Their skirts are long and 

 may be fashioned of the above-mentioned 

 materials, or made of solid pieces of cloth 

 purchased from the Filipinos of the north 

 coast or the Moros who live to the south 

 and west (see pages 1165 and 1166). 

 Most of the women have very large silver 

 ear ornaments of characteristic form 

 "buttoned" into great holes in the lobes of 

 their ears. Their hair is worn banged 

 across the forehead, with enormous love- 

 locks hanging down in front of their ears. 

 They wear rings of brass or silver on 

 their fingers and toes, the number in- 

 creasing with the wealth of the owner 

 until individual digits are completely cov- 

 ered and hence become practically useless 

 (see page 1165). 



A Bukidnon man is supposed to have 

 but one wife, but frequently keeps, more 

 or less openly, a number of concubines. 



THE MOUNTAINEERS SETTLE ON THE 

 PLAINS 



In the past the Bukidnon people have 

 preferred to live scattered through the 

 mountains in isolated families or small 

 groups. During Spanish days Jesuit 

 missionary priests brought considerable 

 numbers of them together into villages, 

 and since the American occupation al- 

 most all of them have been persuaded to 

 forsake the forest-clad mountains in fa- 

 vor of the level, fertile plains, where the}^ 

 have built good houses grouped in beau- 

 tifully kept and sanitary villages, which 

 have broad plazas and clean, well-drained 

 streets (see pages 1232 and 1236). 



The Bukidnons are naturally a peace- 

 ful and a very industrious agricultural 

 people, but in self-defense have been 

 compelled to stand off the neighboring 

 more warlike tribes of the interior and 

 their Christian Filipino neighbors as well. 



Since 1907, when the subprovince of 

 Bukidnon was cut off from the province 

 of Misamis, active efforts have been 

 made to protect these kindly and natu- 

 rally industrious, intelligent, and progress- 

 ive people, and the results obtained have 

 been most satisfactory. 



