28 THE SUBANU. 
The Subanu are fond of bright colors in clothing and jewelry. 
The more grotesque the variety and arrangement the better are they 
pleased. ‘This fondness for adornment among the women and young 
men leads often to the undoing of the family by reason of the fact that 
the ornaments (always of brass, copper, and colored glass) are sold to 
them by Filipino, Chinese, and Moro traders at prices outrageously 
above the true value. The writer has investigated many such cases 
of swindling and fraud and has brought to justice some of the perpe- 
trators of such acts. One instance may be cited to show the artlessness 
and folly of a Subanu who was persuaded to exchange a full-grown ox 
for a brass ring with a colored-glass setting. ‘The animal was worth 
not less than 70 pesos and the ring much less than 1 peso. ‘To save 
these hill people from much suffering through the operations of defraud- 
ing traders, the writer devised and organized the Moro exchange system 
of public markets and trading stores in the early part of 1904, and 
opened the first establishment at Zamboanga on September 1 of that 
year. Since then more than thirty such trading stations have been 
opened inthe District of Zamboanga, where the hill peoplehave gathered 
by thousands and ascertained and obtained the highest current market 
value, through the government superintendent, for the products of 
their labor, and made purchases of necessary manufactured articles at 
the lowest current market price. 
Various methods are resorted to in counting, such as tying knots 
in a strip of split beyuco; arranging objects in a line, such as shells, 
small stones, kernels of corn or rice. In some instances the fingers are 
used or a combination of the fingers and small objects. For example, 
the shells, stones or kernels are arranged in groups of five, corresponding 
to the fingers of one hand. ‘These groups are counted up to ten, corre- 
sponding to the number of fingers on both hands. Insome cases count- 
ing is accomplished by cutting notches on a stick and these notches 
may be cut in groups of five or arranged consecutively, according to 
the fancy of the person thus engaged. Counting by use of objects 
arranged in lines and groups may have been acquired from the Chinese 
traders who have worked over the islands for centuries. 
Upon arriving at the age of puberty many of the men and women 
grind and blacken their teeth. ‘This practice is not only very painful, 
but greatly detracts from their personal appearance and leads to diges- 
tive troubles through want of proper mastication of food. Sometimes 
the teeth are ground down to the gums and the stumps fall out and 
painful ulcers ensue. ‘The writer has persistently followed a course of 
constant opposition to this pernicious habit with rather small but en- 
couraging success. ‘The practice is not of religious origin, but appears 
to have been resorted to many years ago by reason of the belief that 
pearly-white teeth belonged to animals like dogs and cats, of which 
the Subanu have many, and that man, as a superior animal, must 
