ETHNOLOGY OF THE PRESENT DAY. 297 



present day. By the Chinese they had been taught a knowledge of weights 

 and measures, and a current coin called patty was found amongst them. 

 On the whole the Philippine Malays are esteemed good-natured, kind, and 

 sociable ; the cruel treatment, however, and bad example of their oppress- 

 ors have made most of them malignant, indolent, hypocritical, and covetous. 

 The Spanish government forced upon them by revolting tyranny the 

 Roman Catholic faith, but only succeeded in making seeming Christians of 

 the people. They are excessively fond of games of chance ; cockfighting 

 and combats with paper kites are among their favorite recreations. Neither 

 pains nor expense are spared in breeding gamecocks, in manufacturing and 

 decorating large paper kites, and training themselves in their management, 

 in order to be able to give a public cockfight or kite battle. Young and 

 old assemble to witness both these amusements, and considerable wagers 

 are staked upon such occasions {pL 40, fig. 2, a cockfight). As a general 

 thing, cockfights have been common amongst the Polynesians since the 

 earliest times. The cocks enter upon the conflict without any other 

 weapons than those furnished by nature. No particular color is preferred, 

 but compact wings, necks properly furnished with feathers, and long tails 

 are considered essential points in the birds. Fights for wagers occur 

 sometimes between individual owners of gamecocks ; at others, entire sec- 

 tions of the island take sides. A particular god presides over these fights, 

 Ruai-fatoa (the god of gamecocks), one of the inferior deities. To the 

 recreations customary amongst the Polynesians belong wrestling, boxing, 

 and swimming matches. Races for wagers on foot and in canoes occur^ 

 and military games are performed, among w^hich the Vero-patia (hurling 

 the javelin) is most worthy of notice. Ball-playing is also practised, in 

 which the ball is struck with short sticks ; football also is one of their 

 amusements. Another game of ball is customary, however, only among 

 women. A place is chosen upon the beach, the ball thrown aloft, and 

 both parties endeavor to get possession of it. Very frequently it is driven 

 into the sea, and then some twenty women are seen to plunge into the 

 waves, and continue the struggle whilst swimming. Numerous and varied 

 are the dances of the Polynesians. At times both sexes take part in them, 

 sometimes only one. Flutes, drums, and sometimes singing, form the 

 accompaniment. Most of these dances represent a kind of pantomime, in 

 which the arms and feet are moved. The prettiest of these dances, called 

 hura, is usually performed by daughters of chiefs, five or six in number. 

 The most important families of the neighborhood are invited to be present, 

 and the dancers recommended to the attention of the young chiefs, in the 

 hope that the latter, transported by their charms, may demand the young 

 ladies in marriage. The pauses between the dances are filled up by 

 clowns, who by means of their grimaces and capers must draw laughter 

 from the spectators. 



The aboriginal negroes of the Philippines are now called Aetas, and the 

 Papuans, who came across from the island of Codemantan, are denominated 

 Igolotes or Negritos. Upon many large islands, like Buglas and Panay, 

 they are readily distinguishable. The former are soot-colored, the hair 



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