
130 PEOPLES OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Tagalog ladies, for instance, wound their hair in a knot. 
The practice of tattooing has everywhere yielded 
before Christianity and Mohammedanism, but appears 
to have been nearly as general a custom as the habit of 
wearing the hair long, especially among the men; and 
is therefore a similar index of status of civilization. 
Tattooing is undoubtedly an ancient Malaysian institu- 
tion. Like the head cloth, it tends to be used as a 
means of indicating prowess. It is however clear that 
tattooing, long hair, and head-hunting tend very strongly 
to coexist and to go out of use together. Of the tribes 
now civilized, the Bisaya were by far the most given to 
tattooing, covering almost the entire body. So striking 
was their appearance, that for the first generation 
or two their customary name among the Spaniards was 
Pintados, ‘‘the painted ones.” The Tagalog tattooed 
very much less. Of the Luzon tribes now civilized, the 
Ilokano seem to have been the most addicted to the 
practice, which agrees well with the strong hold which 
the custom still retains among the pagans adjacent to 
them. The tribes of Mindanao were much less inclined 
to tattoo than the Bisaya, in spite of their geographical 
proximity to them; and today follow the custom very 
sparingly. Mohammedan example is the probable 
cause. | 
The Negrito has already been mentioned as scarifying 
his body instead of tattooing it, because the natural 
pigment in his skin is sufficient to prevent any intro- 
duced coloring matter from being conspicuous. 
The overwhelming majority of Philippine tribes 
agreed with their kinsmen of the East Indies in filing 
and blackening the teeth. The chief exception, other 
than the Negritos, is furnished by the mountaineers of 
Luzon. These do not follow the practice today, and 
appear not to have done so formerly. It is therefore 
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