United States or Vatican City ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Considering, for the moment, the Bontoc Igorot and the Tinguian, it is found that both have certain elements of culture which are doubtless old possessions, as, for instance, head-hunting, terraced rice-fields, iron-working, a peculiar type of shield, and a battle-axe which they share with the Apayao of Luzon and the Naga of Assam.
Of the twenty-nine women twelve are brachycephalic; twelve are mesaticephalic; and five are dolichocephalic. The Bontoc woman has a "medium," or mesorhine, nose, as is shown by the above figures.
They are known in Bontoc as O-lot'. I was not able to trace any connection between the O-lot' and the Su-pa-la'-do, though I presume there is some connection; but I learned of the O-lot' only during the last few days of my stay in Bontoc. The O-lot' are said not to eat meat, not to kill chickens, not to smoke, and not to perform any of the old ceremonies.
Bontoc went for their bodies, and told Kanyu that, because they killed the children of Lu-ma'-wig, their children would always be dying and to-day Bontoc points to the fewness of the houses which make up Kanyu.
The ceremony of the ko'-mis is held before all head-hunting expeditions, except in the unpremeditated outburst of a people to immediately punish the successful foray or ambush of some other. The ko'-mis is built along all Bontoc war trails, though no others are known having the "anito" heads.
Nine-tenths of the men in the pueblos of Bontoc and Samoki wear on the breast the indelible tattoo emblem which proclaims them takers of human heads. The fawi of each ato in Bontoc has its basket containing skulls of human heads taken by members of the ato.
The seed is generally sowed by women, who carry a small basket or dish of it in one hand and scatter the seed from between the thumb, forefinger, and middle finger of the free hand. There are said to be four varieties of millet in Bontoc. Mo-di' and poy-ned' are light-colored seeds; pi-ting'-an is a darker seed the Igorot says "black;" and si-nang'-a is the fourth.
With few exceptions the breechcloths and blankets worn by Bontoc and Samoki are purchased for money, though it is not very many years since the bark breechcloth made in Titipan and Barlig was worn, and in Tulubin, only two hours distant, Barlig blankets and breechcloths of whole bark are worn to-day.
In many pueblos the people try to buy for money the articles the American brings in for barter, although it is true that barter will often get from them many things which money can not buy. To the northeast and south of Bontoc barter will purchase practically anything.
The Ilokano sent these men a letter, and the Igorot sent a messenger, begging them to come to the help of the pueblo. Three men went on August 27, 1900; they were Truman K. Hunt, M.D., Mr. Frank Finley, and Mr. Riley. The disagreement was settled, and several Ilokano families left Bontoc under the protection of Mr. Riley.
Word Of The Day