Negritos of Zambales | Page 7

subject and could find no trace of Negritos. Expeditions of the
Constabulary into the interior have never met with the little blacks
except a single colony near the boundary line between the two
provinces just north of Tolon. A few Negritos have also been seen
scattered in the interior of southern Oriental Negros back from Nueva
Valencia, Ayuquitan, and Bais. From there no trace of them exists until
the rugged mountains north of the volcano of Canlaon are reached, in
the almost impenetrable recesses of which there are estimated to be a
thousand or more. They are especially numerous back of Escalante and
formerly made frequent visits to that pueblo, but recent military
operations in the region have made them timid, as scouting parties have
fired on and killed several of them. The sight of a white man or native
of the plain is a signal for an immediate discharge of arrows. Also in
the mountains behind Sagay, Cadiz, and Manapla live a few scattered

families. I was fortunate in securing photographs of a Negrito captured
by the Constabulary near Cadiz. (See Pl. XXVI.) He was much taller
than the Negritos of Zambales, but with very little muscular
development. He spoke Visayan, and said he knew no other dialect.
While in Negros I also secured photographs of a small colony of Ati,
who emigrated from Panay about twenty years ago and now live on a
mountain hacienda on the slope of Mount Canlaon.
So far there is no evidence that Negritos exist on Cebu, Bohol, Samar,
and Leyte. In Mindanao they are found only in the extreme northern
part of Surigao, not having been reported below Tago. They are called
"Mamanua," and are not very numerous.
We have detailed accounts of both the Tagbanua and Batak of Paragua,
by señor Manuel Venturello, a native of Puerto Princesa, who has lived
among them twenty years. These interesting articles, translated by Capt.
E. A. Helmick, Tenth United States Infantry, and published in pamphlet
form by the Division of Military Information, Manila, are especially
full as to customs, religion, language, etc., of the Tagbanua who inhabit
the central part of Paragua from the Bay of Ulugan south to Apurahuan.
However, the Tagbanua, although perhaps having a slight amount of
Negrito blood, can not be classed with the Negritos. But, in my opinion,
the Batak who inhabit the territory from the Bay of Ulugan north to
Caruray and Barbacan may be so classed, although they are by no
means of pure blood. They are described as being generally of small
stature but well developed and muscular. They have very curly but not
kinky hair, except in rare cases. Their weapons are the bow and arrow
and the blowgun or sumpitan, here called "sumpit." Their only clothing
is a breechcloth and a short skirt of flayed bark. A notable feature of
their customs is that both polygyny and polyandry are permitted, this
being the only instance of the latter practice so far observed among the
tribes of the Philippines. The Batak are not very numerous; their
villages have been decimated by ravages of smallpox during the past
five years.

Conclusion

This rapid survey leaves much to be desired, but it contains about all
that is definitely known to-day concerning the whereabouts of the
Negritos in the Philippines. No attempt has been made to state numbers.
The Philippine census will probably have more exact information in
this particular, but it must be borne in mind that even the figures given
by the census can be no more than estimates in most instances. The
habits of the Negritos do not lend themselves to modern methods of
census taking.
After all, Blumentritt's opinion of several years ago is not far from right.
Including all mixed breeds having a preponderance of Negrito blood, it
is safe to say that the Negrito population of the Philippines probably
will not exceed 25,000. Of these the group largest in numbers and
probably purest in type is that in the Zambales mountain range, western
Luzon. However, while individuals may retain in some cases purity of
blood, nowhere are whole groups free from mixture with the Malayan.
The Negritos of Panay, Negros, and Mindanao are also to be regarded
as pure to a large extent. On the east side of Luzon and in the Island of
Paragua, as we have just seen, there is marked evidence of mixture.
The social state of the Negritos is everywhere practically the same.
They maintain their half-starved lives by the fruits of the chase and
forest products, and at best cultivate only small patches of maize and
other vegetables. Only occasionally do they live in settled,
self-supporting communities, but wander for the most part in scattered
families from one place to another.
CHAPTER II
THE PROVINCE OF ZAMBALES