CHARACTERISTICS AND HABITS. 29 
change the color of his teeth if he wished to maintain his supremacy 
over the lower animals. ‘The writer has discussed this question with 
many Moros and Pagans who follow the practice and has pointed out 
to them the fact that the colored races, generally throughout the world, 
consider the white man as of a superior race and seek in various ways 
to modify the color of their skin by bleaching it and by marriage with 
the white races; that in preparation for marriage many Moro and 
Pagan women resort to a slow and rather painful process to whiten 
the skin, even though only temporary results are attained; that the 
white races highly prize white teeth as a sign of cleanliness, good health, 
intelligence, and civilization; that therefore the Moros and Pagans 
should aspire to follow the habits of the white man regarding his teeth 
and avoid much suffering, as well as vastly improve their appearance. 
some success has attended this effort to improve sanitary conditions 
among the hill people and the shore people. In some cases the men 
have brought their wives and children to the governor to show him the 
progress made in the proper preservation of their teeth. 
The superstitious nature of the Subanu and Moros is also illus- 
trated by their refusal to give their names except through a third party. 
The interrogator should always ask an acquaintance, friend, or some 
member of the family of the person questioned, for information as to 
his name, and the reply must come from such third party without 
inquiry of the second party. ‘The reason assigned is that these people 
do not wish to be considered like the egotistic crow who cries about and 
incessantly calls his name. ‘The natives throughout the Philippines, 
where crows abound, have named the bird according to their interpreta- 
tion of its well-known call, for example: in Subanu, quak; in Visayan, 
awak; in Magindano Moro, kuak; in Sulu Moro, wak; in Tagalog, wak; 
in Malay, gagak; in Yakan, uwak.* 
The Subanu practice polygamy, but not as extensively as the 
Moros. ‘They have a high regard for the marriage bond and are faith- 
fulin the maritalrelation. Polyandry is occasionally resorted to where 
men are too poor to provide the /axa (dowry) required to secure a wife, 
and two of them join in the purchase of one woman. ‘The laxa is paid 
to the father of the bride. In some Subanu communities the women 
are considerably in excess of the men, but even under such circum- 
stances and the ignominy of remaining celibate, these native women 
are opposed to the practice of polyandry. Marriages are performed 
by the tzmuaz or chief of a settlement, and he may be rewarded for his 
*The custom is of wide extent among primitive people in many widely scattered regions, 
and, so far as we have been able to collate the reasons assigned, this objection of the Subanu 
is but a pretext. In general the name is so much a part of the spiritual essence of the man 
that the man hesitates to give it over to the possible thaumaturgy of a stranger. In the 
Semitic system and in later developments therefrom the highest observance of religion 
involves the avoidance of the ineffable name, the employment of substitutes, and in the 
highest act of worship the utterance of the name indistinguishable in the din of the temple 
instruments of music.—W. C. 
