from the ridicule of his
fellows. To keep the teeth black, tobacco treated with lemon juice which
has stood on rusty iron is chewed frequently.
Despite constant statements to the effect that the members of this tribe
are light-colored and the assertion of one writer[99] that at least one
division is white, observations made with the V. Luschan color table on
more than fifty individuals showed that while certain persons are
somewhat lighter than their fellows, as was also the case in other
tribes, there is not an appreciable difference in color between this
tribe and the others of the Gulf region.
[99] LANDOR, The Gems of the East. It should be noted that the district
from which the white tribe was reported is now fairly well known and
there seems to be no reason to believe that the people residing there
differ materially in color from the other natives of the island.
CLOTHING.
The ordinary man of the tribe wears a loosely fitting shirt and wide
trousers made of white or blue cotton cloth. (Plate LXIX-LXX). These
garments are frequently decorated with embroidered designs and are
finished at the shoulders and knees with a cotton fringe. The trousers
are supported at the waist by means of a belt, and below reach nearly to
the ankles.[100] An incised silver disk is attached to the front of the
jacket, while ornaments of beads, seeds, and alligators' teeth encircle
the neck.
[100] Along the coast this type of garment is now seldom seen, for the
men are adopting the close-fitting dress of the Moro.
When on the trail the man covers his head with a little palm bark hat
(Fig. 47). This is sometimes conical, but more frequently is narrow and
turned up at the front and back. Painted designs, betel wings, and
chicken feathers make the hat a striking decoration which compensates
for its lack of utility.
FIG. 47. MEN'S HATS.
A class of warriors known as _bagam_[101] dress in red and wear turbans
of the same hue, while women mediums, _ballyan_,[102] may also make use
of red cloth.
[101] See p. 180. [Transcriber's note: This is page 167.]
[102] See p. 174.
Other women wear blue cotton jackets, in the fronts and back of which
are many artistic embroidered designs. Their hemp cloth skirts, like
those of the Bagobo, are made tube-like and are held at the waist by
means of belts. They are very careless about the hang of these garments
and one side may be above the calf of the leg while the other drags on
the grou
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