Philippine progress prior to 1898, by Austin Craig and Conrado Benitez.

PHILIPPINE PROGRESS PRIOR TO 1898

(calombiga), and armlets of gold, cornelian and agate were much
worn, and he was reckoned a poor person who did not possess several
gold chains. Hernando Requel, writing home to Spain, stated:
"There is more gold in this island of Luzon than there is iron in
Biscaya."
The Tinguianes had a peculiar custom of wearing tightly-compressed bracelets, which stopped the growth of the forearm, and
caused the hand to swell. Women wore the lapis, a bordered and
ornamented cloth wrapped round the body, which was confined by
a belt, and descended to the ankles. The bust was covered with
a wide-sleeved camisita, or waist (baro), to which was sometimes
added a handkerchief. The women of Luzon were without headdress, but made use of a parasol of palm leaves (payong). Among
the Bisayans the women wore a small cap or hood, and in the northern isles they were permitted the luxury of being carried on the
shoulders of slaves. Both sexes wore the same dress among the
Ilokanos, the chief article of attire being a loose coat (cabaya)
similar to these of the Chinese. The dress of the Chief's wives was
more elegant than that of women of the common people (timaguas).
They wore white robes, and others of crimson silk, plain or interwoven with gold, and trimmed with fringes and trinkets. From their
ears were suspended golden pendants of excellent workmanship,
and on their fingers and ankles were massive gold rings set with
precious stones. The timaguas and slaves went barefooted, but the
upper class wore shoes, the women being daintily shod with velvet
shoes embroidered with gold. "Both men and women were very
cleanly and elegant in their persons and dress, and of a goodly mien
and grace; they took great pains with their hair, rejoicing in its
blackness, washing it with the boiled bark of a tree called gogo, and
anointing it with musk oil and other perfumes. "They bathed
daily, and looked upon it as a remedy for almost every complaint.
On the birth of a child the mother repaired to the nearest stream,
and bathed herself and the little one, after which she returned to
her ordinary occupation. Women were well treated among these
people, and had for their employment domestic work, needle work,
in which they excelled, the spinning and weaving of silk and cotton
into various fabrics, and also the preparation of the hemp, palm,
and banana fibers.
The Philippine natives, with the exception of some of the hill
tribes, were diligent agriculturists, this being their chief occupation.
In some mountainous regions they adopted a system of terrace cultivation similar to that of China, Peru, and Northern Mexico in
bygone times, and which may also be seen in Java. They cultivated rice, sweet potatoes, bananas, coconuts, sugar-cane, palms,
various vegetable roots and fibrous plants. They hunted the wild
carabao, deer and wild boar. The flesh of the carabao, or water
buffalo, was preserved for future use by being cut into slices and
dried in the sun, when it was called tapa. Rice was prepared by
being boiled, then pounded in a wooden mortar and pressed into
cakes, thus forming the bread of the country. They made palm
wine (alac or mosto) from the sap of various species of palms. Food
was stored in raised houses similar to the pataka of the Maori. The