1204 



TRE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



WHERE THE CLOTHING OE EVE IS 

 FASHIONABEE 



The typical woman's costume is a short 

 skirt woven from thread made of bark. 

 It is secured at the waist by a girdle of 

 similar material, but is usually open at 

 one side from the knee to the waist. 

 When cloth is not available, Bontoc Igo- 

 rot women often fashion really very at- 

 tractive skirts from shredded banana 

 leaves or the ornamental, magenta-col- 

 ored foliage of a plant common in the 

 Luzon Mountains. Upper garments were 

 in the past almost never worn, but are 

 now gradually coming into use as a re- 

 sult of contact with whites and Filipinos, 

 who are teaching these light-hearted and 

 innocent-minded daughters of nature to 

 be ashamed of the beautiful bodies with 

 which the Creator has endowed them. 

 Both men and women wear blankets on 

 occasion, if fortunate enough to possess 

 them. 



The women use ear ornaments similar 

 to those of the men, and in addition wear 

 in their hair and about their necks more 

 or less elaborate strings of beads, boar 

 tusks, dog teeth, and ornamental seeds. 



When there is occasion to swim or 

 ford streams or to work in the water in 

 rice fields, both men and women strip 

 without any apparent hesitation, although 

 women who have occasion to work long 

 in the fields usually, but by no means al- 

 ways, extemporize skirts of leaves (see 

 page I 167). 



The typical house of the Bontoc Igorot 

 has a grass roof which overhangs, but 

 does not meet, low board sides. There 

 is a storeroom in the roof. The ground 

 space is divided between a sleeping-box 

 at the end opposite the entrance, a stall 

 in which food is prepared, another stall 

 in which it is cooked, and a larger space 

 utilized as may be convenient. 



The houses are grouped in large vil- 

 lages, which are often readily accessible. 

 The people of this tribe depend on large 

 numbers of fighting men for protection 

 rather than on inaccessibility. 



CEUB-HOUSES EOR THE UNMARRIED 



The villages are divided into atos, or 

 wards, in each of which there is, or 



should be, a group of three buildings, of 

 which one serves as a common sleeping 

 place for girls, unmarried women, and 

 widows ; a second answers a similar pur- 

 pose for boys, unmarried men, and wid- 

 owers, while the third is a sort of men's 

 club, which contains a secret room, in 

 which are kept the skulls of enemies 

 killed in war, and has a second room 

 opening off from a stone court. In this 

 court unoccupied men loaf and talk, and 

 here are held councils to settle important 

 questions. The room opening from it 

 affords a convenient refuge during in- 

 clement weather. 



The Bontoc Igorots build immense 

 systems of rice terraces with strong re- 

 taining walls. They are excelled only by 

 the terraces of the Ifugaos. Camotes, 

 however, form their principal food. 

 They raise some beans, corn, and millet. 



They not only keep hogs and chickens, 

 but raise carabaos in some number, al- 

 lowing them to run half wild and never 

 using them for draft purposes, but eating 

 them on ceremonial occasions. 



They have manufactures of some im- 

 portance, making head-axes, metal and 

 clay pipes, earthen pots, salt, woven bark 

 cloth, cotton blankets, well-woven clouts, 

 and other small articles. 



The Bontoc Igorots have been inveter- 

 ate head-hunters, and were formerly con- 

 stantly at war not only with neighboring 

 tribes, but among themselves. Fortu- 

 nately, head-hunting has now ceased al- 

 most completely throughout their terri- 

 tory. 



They are very fond of music and danc- 

 ing, in which they indulge on all possible 

 occasions. The only instruments used 

 are gansas, one of which is carried and 

 played by each dancer throughout the 

 performance. 



The Bontoc Igorots, like the Ifugaos 

 and the Benguet Igorots, are spirit wor- 

 shippers. Their religious practices con- 

 sist chiefly in efforts to propitiate the 

 anitos, or spirits of the dead, who are 

 believed to have power for good and 

 evil. 



They are monogamous, but have a 

 curious system of trial marriage, under 

 which young people live together for a 



