
THE ISLANDS AND THEIR POPULATION 59 
The interior of Luzon is exceedingly rugged, whereas 
Mindanao, is traversed by only one large mountain 
chain and contains two great river systems. 
Then, at a later period, but still before the arrival of 
Europeans, came the Mohammedan advent. ‘This 
proceeded from Borneo or followed its coasts and 
launched itself upon the Sulu Islands and western and 
southern Mindanao. It had only just begun to reach 
some outposts in Luzon when the Spaniards put an end 
to the propaganda. The wild tribes of Mindanao 
however continued to receive many articles in trade 
from the Moros, and even those who remained 
thoroughly pagan adopted something of their skill in 
working steel and brass, and their weapons and clothing. 
Of the two regions, then, Luzon is somewhat more 
representative of the rude civilization that prevailed 
over the Philippines a thousand or two thousand years 
ago. 
Pagans of Luzon. The most northerly pagan 
group in Luzon are the Apayao, who are perhaps the 
least known of any. They are situated between the 
Ilokano and Cagayan; in speech and therefore origin 
they are said to incline more to the latter. 
To the south of them, on the westward slopes toward 
the China Sea, are the Tinggian, who may be considered 
as little more than un-Christianized Ilokano. They 
have however received from the latter people elements of 
civilization, especially of a material kind, which put 
them somewhat in advance of most of the other pagans. 
They are a scrupulously cleanly people. 
To the south of the Tinggian live three groups of 
people, the Bontok, Kankanai, and Nabaloi, who are 
often spoken of collectively as Igorot. The latter term 
has been used with a great variety of meanings. Some 
authorities, including the American census of 1903, 

