PALAWAN. 
131 
the various rivers, and are, like the Sulus, Mohammedans. They work harder than the 
Sulu, not having the trade monopoly, are dark-skinned, usually ugly, and badly dressed 
in Sulu fashion, being poor. 
The Palawan Dusuns differ in many respects from those of Borneo, being greater 
barbarians, having experienced but little if any of the ancient Chinese civilization. I never 
saw a Palawan Dusun wearing anything but the chawat. This garment is generally 
composed of two colours, red and white ; sometimes a short jacket of flimsy blue cloth 
worked with rows of china buttons, and a head-cloth of the same material, is worn, like his 
Kina-Balu relations. Physically he is a finer man than the Bornean, taller, but longer in 
the leg, often lanky ; his hair is straight, and some have clean-cut features. His weapon 
is the Sumpitan, which differs from the wooden tubes of the Borneans, being made of 
bamboo. The outer tube is seven feet long, in which are inserted two tubes of smaller bore, 
very carefully fastened together; the ends are fastened with wax, a large lump of the same 
material fixing on the sight. These blow-pipes are often tastefully ornamented with 
patterns burnt in. The dart-cases and darts are slightly different to those seen in Borneo. 
The Palawan Dusun also carries a small basket in which he keeps his sirih-chewing and 
smoking necessaries, the small bamboo boxes in which these articles are kept being 
tastefully decorated in cut patterns. I never saw much attempt at ornamentation in 
North Borneo, the handles of swords and some paddles being the only articles thus 
beautified. The women, both young and old, wear nothing but a short petticoat, generally 
made of cheap white trade-cloth. 
The Dusuns are the agriculturists, their numerous clearings may be noticed on the 
mountain-slopes from the sea. Their houses are small and apparently contain one family 
only. I saw no signs of heads in their campongs, and, as far as I could ascertain, head¬ 
hunting is unknown. Their treasures, curiously enough, consist of common earthenware 
plates and bowls, which are utterly useless to them, and hang in racks round the house. 
These plates form part of the “ burrihan ” for a Dusun bride, and at one time, before they 
became too common, one plate was considered sufficient; but now plates, bowls, rice, and 
brass ware are required to satisfy the bride’s family : such is the march of civilization even 
in distant Palawan ! 
The houses of these people are constructed of bamboo planks and poles, the roofs of 
lalang-grass attaps, the grass being fastened between two laths, like the sago-leaves in 
Borneo. I never saw the Nipa palm growing in these parts of Palawan, but sago attaps 
are used by the Sulus. 
Of the wild interior tribes, or “ Orang-Utan,” of Palawan I only encountered two 
individuals accidentally in the mountains. We were resting quietly on the top of a slope 
when two of these wild men came up the mountain path, and were within a few yards of 
our party before they noticed us—too late to turn back; so they put on a bold face and 
passed us, halting for a few minutes when we tried to speak to them. Their heads were 
covered with big mops of towzled hair, tied back with a piece of dirty rag; they had well- 
developed moustaches, wore an apology for a chawat, and were covered from head to foot 
with that disgusting skin-disease “ kurrup.” These men are the inhabitants of tbe 
mountains, over which they wander, subsisting, the Sulus say, on roots and what they can 
s 2 
