Chapter XXXVI: Appendix: Relation of the Zambals (1)

By Domingo Perez, O.P. MS. dated 1680.

Source: A certified copy of the original MS., which is preserved in the archives of the convent of Santo Domingo, Manila.

Translation: This is made by James Alexander Robertson.

RELATION OF THE ZAMBALS

RELATION OF THE ZAMBAL [81] INDIANS OF PLAYA HONDA, THEIR SITUATION AND CUSTOMS. BY FATHER FRAY DOMINGO PEREZ, OF THE ORDER OF PREACHERS AND VICAR-PROVINCIAL OF THE RELIGIOUS WHO ASSIST IN THE SAID MISSION. YEAR OF 1680 [82]

The very reverend father, Fray Baltazar de Santa Cruz, prior-provincial of this province of Santo Rossario of the Order of Preachers in these Philipinas Islands, having visited the villages (which we have today united and their inhabitants reduced to the said villages) and us two ministers who for the space of nine months have been busied in the reduction of said Indians, said reverend father provincial ordered me to write a treatise on the site whence we have drawn the Indians whom we have reduced, their customs, and mode of living.

In order that the evangelical ministers who have to work in this mission may be able more clearly to direct those souls redeemed by the blood of our Lord Christ along the true pathway of heaven from which they have strayed so far for so many years blinded with the darkness of infidelity and idolatry; also in order that this paper may be used so that the ministers of justice of the king, our sovereign, may subject said Indians and establish them under the obedience of his Catholic Majesty: although it is true that for more than sixty years they had ministers of the gospel, neither said ministers nor his Majesty have been able to succeed in getting them to live in a settlement so that they may be administered or have justice as today it is hoped that they will be. The most that it has been possible to obtain with them was that distinct bands of them should unite on various occasions in the mountain on the plateau where the ministers had a house and church. But they immediately broke up again, said division occasioning the wars which those Indians generally wage among their different bands, and the alcaldes-mayor were unable to punish the guilty and ungovernable because of the greater distance from the chief cities where the alcaldes-mayor live to these places, and because the coast of the sea is so rough during all the time of the vendavals and south winds, that it is impossible to navigate along it, while the road overland is so rough and blocked by mountains full of black enemies (those mountains being very rough in parts), and in the ravines there are very great rivers with very strong currents, so that in the rainy season one can have no communication from this place, with Pangasinan, or with Mariueles, or with Pampanga; and during the dry season these Indians are generally with the blacks in the mountains trading wax: consequently, they have never been obedient to the alcaldes-mayor, and hence, neither to his Majesty nor to the gospel ministers whom they have hitherto had. Although they have had ministers of great virtue and most ardent zeal for souls, as can be seen in the annals of their sacred order and even today, there are ex-provincials who have been their ministers whose signal virtues are apparent to all the community.

Of the site and district of Playa Honda

Playa Honda begins at the doors of Mariueles and extends along the mountains which border Pampanga to the point of Sunga and near Pangasinan, which is distant more than forty leguas from Mariueles to the visita of the Christian Baga Indians who are administered by the minister of Mariueles. They perform their duties toward the Church every year, notwithstanding that they show very many imperfections, a fact which is not surprising, since the minister cannot be with them all the time that he would like, as the coast is inaccessible all the time of the vendavals. During that time they must necessarily live without a minister to instruct them. That visita has thirty tributes. Although they have a village laid out with its church and house for the minister, they do not live in the said village except when the minister goes to visit them. They live in their rancherías whence they get molave wood in abundance. They have sufficient fields in said village for all, and for twice as many more if they cared to cultivate them, but they apply themselves more earnestly in cutting said timber than in farming their fields. They get considerable help for [cutting] said wood from the blacks of the mountain, for those blacks are excellent woodsmen. All those blacks are tributary and pay twelve reals annually for their tribute. The tribute is managed by the Indians, and the encomendero does not meddle with them in the collection of the tribute from the blacks, but the Indians pay the said tribute for the blacks. Hence the black serves the Indian all the year, without the black having other profit at the end of the year than his tribute paid. This is the reason why the village is continually without people, because the Indians, on account of the profit from the work of the blacks, go to live with the blacks, or near the pass of the mountain, where said blacks live, in order to assist them in the work, for the blacks unless assisted physically do not work. Four leguas from this visita toward the north is another visita called Mariyumo, administered also by the said father minister of Mariueles. Its people are Christians, although very bad ones, and seriously lacking in the faith, and have very many imperfections. They have very many superstitions and are much given to omens. Not all of them are very fit to receive the annual communion. They also have a village laid out and a church and house for the minister. However, they do not live in the said village, but in their rancherías, much divided among themselves as are those of Baga; although they are not such absolute masters of the blacks as are those of Vaga, they also have blacks under trust on which account they receive many vexations from the encomendero, for it is the regular thing for them to pay the tribute for the blacks. The latter are more free than the blacks of Vaga, for they have more land where they can spread out, which those of Vaga do not have. Those Indians also possess considerable molave timber, but they are lazier than the Indians of Vaga. Consequently, there is no one to cut the wood unless the corregidor of the island who administers justice to them, forces them to cut said wood. It would be doing a great service to God to unite the latter Indians with those of Baga, so that our holy Catholic faith might be well administered to them. They number about forty tributes, and, if they are united with those of Vaga, they can have a minister in residence where they will be well administered, and where they have lands sufficient for their farming, and timber in abundance. In such case there would not be so great a scarcity of that product in the city of Manila.

One legua from Mariyumo begins the bay which lies back of the mountains of Abucay and Samal, where we commenced to get the Indians whom we have collected in this Nuevo Toledo. The said bay has plenty of fish. Its mouth is about one legua wide, and is closed by a small island surrounded by many reefs on the southern side, but on the north it is very deep--so that any sized ship can enter even when laden. But the said bay has no port and lies in the course of all the vendaval and the south winds. It is five leguas long stretching toward the east, and as many wide. Along all that bay, which it will take two days to coast, were scattered twenty-two families, who are today living in this village of Nuevo Toledo where they have their houses and fields. Having passed the said bay and entered the mountain, one legua inland in the mountain, one enters a very level and long plain. One-half legua inland in the plain, is situated the first village called Nuevo Toledo. That plain is six leguas wide and eight long. It is bounded on the east by some very rough mountains which lie between the province of Pampanga and that plain; at the foot of those mountains were the rancherías of Balacbac, which has fourteen families; Lacnipan which had seven; Sigle which had fourteen more; Aglao which had thirty-three. All those families were scattered, so that in no ranchería did five families live together. The sea properly called Playa Honda bathes its western coast. On the sea-coast were thirty-six families of very pernicious Indians, all of whom we collected into the village of Santa Rossa de Banguen, where they possess their houses and fields. Those Indians were scattered along the creeks and carrizals [83] near the sea, along six leguas of coast and level land beyond the plain running toward the north two leguas. At the foot of some very rough mountains between the sea and Buquil, there were fourteen other families whom we have also collected in said village of Santa Rossa de Banguen, which today consists of fifty families. That said village of Santa Rossa is six leguas from that of Nuevo Toledo over a stretch of level land in which there is a very great abundance of game. Many were supported by that and had no fields and wherever they caught the deer or carabao they stayed there until they finished eating it. But at present they possess their gardens in the village, and since care is taken in this, they will not be lazy, and will live in the village where, having their gardens and the food from them, they will not have so great need of the hunt. Six leguas farther on in another site called Nalso, a plain where are stationed the presidio and fort of Pinauen in a corner of said plain at the foot of the mountains of Buquil, was a little village of about forty families, which the very reverend father, Fray Joseph de la Santísima Trinidad, ex-provincial of his order, had collected in said district. There were there, moreover, twelve families who had recently descended the mountains of Buquil, whom, since they were far from the fields, and the flight to the mountains was very near and five families had returned to the mountains, and there was no assurance of the others if left in said site, we transferred to the visita of Alalam, which is now composed of eighty families. The latter place is seven leguas from the village of Santa Rossa de Banguen. Those who have had most difficulty have been the thirty-three families whom we moved from the site and district of Aglao, as they were very wild Indians, and little or not at all softened until the present, and said site is distant six leguas from the village of Nuevo Toledo where we stationed it. Three leguas of the road are very bad, and there is not a drop of water to be found for four leguas, during all the dry season. The road is over sandy ground which is very large and full of rocks left by the river which flows from the mountain of Pinatuba; and in those places where there are no rocks, but only the sand, the road is also very wearisome because that sand has no cohesion, and the least wind that blows lifts the dust which blinds the travelers and has thus cost the greatest hardship to those of this district who take that road in going and coming between the village and the mountain. In the month of January of this year of eighty, we had them all ready in the village, and I, taking them to the mountain so that they might bring down their possessions and rice to the village, and each family having brought down five baskets of rice, one-half the distance along the road, more than half of the people fell sick, because of the great labor which it cost them to pass the said sandy ground. On that account I ordered them to abandon their rice and possessions and to bring it down little by little, and in order that they might make their gardens before the season should expire, and so that they might finish their houses. They have already finished them, and their gardens are at a musket-shot's distance from the village, according to the edict which Governor Don Juan de Vargas Hurtado, knight of the habit of Santiago, changed for them for that purpose. Even in these slight things, his Lordship has been active on account of his so great desire that the Indians be reduced and be reasonable, if we may so say, for as will be seen in their customs in which they have been reared until the present, they were wandering very far from nationality and civilization.

The village of Nuevo Toledo was composed of more than one hundred families, and that of Santa Rossa de Banguen, of fifty, in the month of January of this year 1680. All declared themselves before Adjutant Alonso Martinez Franco, superior commandant of the fort of Paynauen. The latter, at the evident risk of his life, and with the continual watchfulness and zeal of a fervent religious, without heeding his own interest which he would have had if he wished to pay no heed to the order of his superior, and to receive the offerings of gold which the Indians made to him so that he should not oblige them to leave their recesses, has aided us to his own great credit in collecting the Indians whom we have today in the two said villages. He made lists of the people who were in the two villages above mentioned, who amounted to seven hundred and seventy persons. Those people persevere even yet in the said two villages, and will persevere so long as the efforts which are being made to reduce those who are yet intractable in the mountains, do not cease. The said adjutant and superior commandant of the said presidio also formed the new village of Alalam by withdrawing its ancient inhabitants from the places where they lived before, and brought them within a musket-shot of their fields. They were before that one legua distant from their fields. That site has a small bay, which the sea forms there, where there is very good fishing, and where boats can safely enter. The said village did not have such a bay before, in the former site. He also made lists of the Indians whom he brought to the said village, who are the ones of Nalso who were located at the foot of the mountains of Buquil, and those who descended said mountains. I was not present when the said lists were made and hence do not know the number of the persons there, but it is evident to me that those gathered in the said village number more than fifty families. I have seen their houses which are already finished, and are excellent buildings, made of strong and hard materials. Those Indians also will retain in the said village, which is large, the horror which they have for the Spanish arms, and more, if the raids of the Spaniards on the Indians who still keep to the mountains are repeated.

Of the idolatries of all those Indians

Having to treat of the idolatries, superstitions, and customs of the Zambals, I think I ought first to mention that my purpose is not to discourage the ministers of the gospel, who have to plant our holy Catholic faith among those Indians, but to impart to them the brief information which I possess of the little which I have ascertained in respect to the great amount which there is to ascertain, and which will be discovered with the lapse of time, concerning the customs of that blind people, who have lived so misguidedly and so far from reason at the doors of the true evangelical light which we profess. Although they are surrounded by provinces whose inhabitants are excellent Christians, such as the provinces of Pampanga, Pangasinan, and Mariueles, yet notwithstanding they have been influenced very little or not at all for the good by the customs of the Christians, on account of their lack of communication with them; for they only go to the said provinces to trade and traffic for a brief space of time, and then, if anybody is careless they cut off his head. Hence, as I have said, they have but little communication with reasonable people. On the contrary, I think this paper of mine will serve as a stimulus for us religious, who, leaving our convents of our fatherland España and our friends and relatives, being moved by the zeal for souls, come to these Philipinas Islands to publish our holy Catholic faith, to preserve it, and teach good morals. All this drags us from our provinces in España, and deprives us of our fatherland. Here, then, among these miserable Zambals, we shall find much to do. It is unnecessary to go to seek infidels in other kingdoms, for we have them here, although few; and at the same time we have one to subject them for us and place them under our obedience. I say then that this paper of mine will serve as a stimulus to the ministers of the gospel to come to employ themselves in the service of our Lord and His holy Catholic faith, when they consider the great evil that there is to tear out and eradicate from the hearts of these Indians, and the great good that they lack to make them Christians. And although there are very many baptized persons among them, yet in nothing at all are any of them different from the others, if one considers their customs and mode of living. Those baptized are as idolatrous as those not baptized. I am not surprised at this, for until now the former ministers have not had any opportunity for living in residence among them, since they have not cared to collect them into a settlement. And if they have collected them, it has been for a short time only, and their evil customs have taken them again to the mountains and recesses whence we have drawn them, but today according to the efficacy which the governor of these Philipinas Islands places in the spiritual and temporal good of these wretched creatures, we have excellent hopes that they will persevere in their settlements and will be able to be taught the true pathway to heaven.

These Indians have their priests and priestesses, although such have no jurisdiction over the others; for here everyone is master of his own will, and they alone recognize superiority in one in so far as he gives authority to the other priests and priestesses for some special sacrifices. This last is done to the one who pays well for it. This priest is called bayoc, and he dresses like a woman. He wears a tapis [84] or apron, and ties up his hair like a woman, although above the tapis he wears and girds his catan, on the left side, and on the right side, his yua [85] as other men. Those are the weapons of all these Indians and no one goes without them, even though it be within his own house. The idol to whom this bayoc principally offers sacrifice is called Malyari, which means "powerful." This idol is made with a wooden head and its body and hands of straw. They dress it up like an image after their manner, place it on its altar and niche, then light for it torches of pitch for lack of wax candles. All the people of the ranchería assemble to make the sacrifice. Having built his altar, the bayoc takes his spear in his hand and makes three holes in the earth with it. Those holes are filled with wine, and the spear, having been thrust into the ground, the bayoc begins his sacrifice, with a leaf of wild anahao or wild palm in his hand. He commences to shiver, his whole body trembling, and making many wry faces by means of his eyes, he generally talks, sometimes between his teeth, without anyone understanding him. Sometimes he contents himself with the wry faces which he makes with his eyes and the tremblings of all his body. After a few minutes he strikes himself twice on the knee with the hand in which he holds the palm-leaf, and says that he is the anito to whom the sacrifice is being made. At this the sacristan (for the devil has even in this the semblance of God and wishes to resemble His Divine Majesty) explains the need of the person who orders the sacrifice made. The bayoc promises to fulfil the desire of the person who is having the sacrifice made, and immediately the bystanders begin to sing certain songs in praise of the anito or idol. While they are being sung, they give the bayoc and the sacristan something to drink, and after those two, all those present drink. But no one drinks or eats anything that has been offered in the sacrifice until the bayoc eats or drinks, for they say they would die if they ate or drank before the anito, and for the anito to eat or drink is no other thing than for the bayoc to eat or drink.

The office of sacristan, although the bayoc gives it to whomever he wishes, is not of great estimation, and in the absence of the one appointed for such office, the bayoc substitutes in his place the first one he lays his eyes on. But the office of bayoc is held in high estimation among them, and I am not surprised, for it possesses such advantages that for certain honors which he performs for a deceased person, they generally give him ten taes in gold. Those honors are performed so that the soul of the deceased may leave its relatives, for they say that the said soul always follows them until said honors are shown it. [86] Those honors are not shown to all, because all people do not have the means for those expenses. When they are performed, all the relatives and friends of the deceased are invited to be present at them. They offer food made of rice, buyo, tobacco, and wine to the amount that seems sufficient for the guests. Then clothing Malyari as abovesaid, and presiding over the ceremonies in a two-fold manner, [87] there is pure disorder. Some lament, some sing, some play their musical instruments, and some dance after their manner. But whatever those who lament and those who sing, lament and sing is in memory of the deceased. Finally, what is offered is consumed, and when they finish eating and drinking, the sacrifice is finished, and each of the guests takes his cup from which he has drunk, although some are accustomed to leave them, but they are the fewest. Consequently, if one hundred persons attended the honors one hundred other cups would have to be obtained for each person to take his cup. It is to be noticed that they do not always dress the anito Malyari, for only the bayoc has it, but whenever said bayoc offers sacrifices for any deceased person he dresses it, although some sacrifices are also made to other anitos without dressing said Malyari.

They also have their kind of baptism, which only the bayoc has authority to administer, first making a sacrifice to Malyari in the abovesaid manner. At the same time, they clothe the one baptized according to their fashion. He looses his hair and hangs at the ends some small pieces of gold. The sacrifice having been finished, in place of water the bayoc baptizes him with the blood of a hog, either of the domestic or wild variety. The relatives of the one baptized stand all about him and the former on top of a rock. The ceremonies having been finished, the bayoc cuts the ends of the hair of the baptized person, from which hang the bits of gold, and flings them aloft, and the bystanders collect them hurriedly. That gold is afterward held in high estimation and with difficulty will they let go of it. Consequently, those nearest the one baptized and his relatives, while the ceremonies and the sacrifice are being performed, sing certain songs, and all those who are present answer them. However, there are also very few who are baptized in this manner, because the fees which are given to the bayoc are large, and generally amount to eight taes of gold. If while the sacrifice or the ceremony of baptism is being performed, the bystanders make a great racket, and if after the bayoc has ordered them to keep still, the noise does not abate, then the bayoc takes some bran, dust, or sand, and flings it into the air over the heads of those who are making the racket, and after that is done no one dares to open his mouth and all the racket stops.

The method exercised by the bayoc in delegating power to the other priests of the idols is not less ridiculous than all his other affairs. The new anitero or priest-to-be collects much wine, and the bayoc attends for one or two days a great drunken revel which must last for the space of seven days without cessation. In that revel everyone who enters or goes out, has leave to drink, and they are so long-winded in that matter that as many as gather there have to get drunk, and until he falls down and becomes dead drunk, they do not allow him to leave that place. Then the bayoc thereupon proclaims such and such a miserable wretch as master of such and such an anito. As soon as the seven continuous days of the first revel are finished, they begin another seven days counting every second day; and when those second seven days are ended, they begin another seven, counting every third day. If any of these circumstances are lacking, the bayoc says that the idol or anito will punish them, and such anito will not obey the priest. The pay which is given to the bayoc for his assistance and proclamation to the new priest of his priesthood is according to the anito which he takes; for the anitos have their hierarchies among themselves. There is one anito which costs eight taes of gold, some that cost six, some four, and some three, according to the anito which each one wishes.

Acasi. The anito superior to all seems to me to be the one called Acasi; for they sing him a song which says "Mag yaman man a Malyari monagon si Acasi," namely, "Although Malyari is powerful Acasi gets the first fruits." This is the refrain when they sing in the sacrifice which is made to this idol. That idol has few priests, for the authority given them by the bayoc to be able to offer sacrifice to him costs them a great sum. That idol, they say, is useful for the sick, and for works of importance. All his priests declare that they talk with Acasi, but no one says that he sees him or does anyone of the bystanders hear him talk. The same is true of the other idols and their priests; and all become good and drunk whenever a sacrifice is made, and the priest tells them that the idol has told him the lies that he makes up, and the others believe them as truth. This is universal among all the other sacrifices which are made to the other idols.

Manglobar. There is another idol called Manglobar. They say that that idol pacifies angry hearts. Hence, when anyone commits a murder, he sends to the priest of that idol to have him pacify the relatives of the murdered man, and to reconcile them with the murderer. That reconciliation consists in the murderer giving gold or something worth it to the relatives of the murdered person, according to the rank of the latter. If the murderer has no gold, then he gives a slave, who is generally some Negrillo of the mountain, whom they capture for that purpose. And if he cannot do that the priest kills a son of the murderer or a very near relative. If the murderer cannot do any of the above things, they kill him. The party offended also generally has recourse to such priest in order that the offender may be reconciled with the offended, and that is very general when the offender is more powerful than the party offended or has more kindred to protect him. Only a priest is able to uncover that idol.

Mangalagar. There is another idol called Mangalagar. Of that idol it is said that he accompanies the priest wherever he goes on all occasions when they invoke him (good guardian angel!) when they have to make any garro or mangao, which means to cut off some head. If they have made a catch, they give thanks to such idol, and make him a sacrifice. This is so closely followed that they will under no circumstances mount into their house without first offering some sacrifice to such idol; for they say that they will be punished by that Mangalagar, if they do not make him a feast before entering their houses, and they will have no luck another time in cutting off any other head. All those feasts are made with wine and drunken reveling. That idol has many priests, but not so many as do the anitos whom they have for their paddy fields.

Of the anitos which they have for their rice, I have not been able to discover more than five, as follows:

Aniton Tauo. He seems to me to be lord of the winds, and superior to his four associates whom I shall immediately name. They offer the pinicpig, which are the firstfruits of their rice to that one. They gather the green rice and pound it, and afterwards parch it in a jar or kettle and offer it to him, first making their bit of an altar where they hang some handfuls of rice in proportion to the devotion of each one. They call that method of offering mamiarag. Then follows Dumagan, who they say causes the rice to head well; then Calasacas, who makes it ripen; then Calasocos, who they say dries it. Accordingly, they sacrifice to him so that he may not dry it up. Then follows Damolag, who they say keeps it from the hurricanes when it is in flower. Those anitos or idols have very many priests and priestesses, although, as I have said, no one sees the said idols or talks with them. They do not even paint them or have their images; but what the priest or priestess says to them they consider as an oracle and say that it will not fail. Every class of people have recourse to those sacrifices; although some Indians do not believe in it at all, yet, notwithstanding, all attend them, Christians and heathens, without excepting anyone.

Of the superstitions of the Indians

I believe that the errors which they possess in this matter of superstitions are not less than those which I have mentioned of their idolatry, although I have not investigated it as thoroughly as the matter of their idolatry. But with the lapse of time, they will be discovered and ascertained. There is a bird which they call salacsac. Its beak is red, as are also its feet. Some of its feathers are green and some blue with black and white spots. That bird gets its food in the river. If it appears on the right hand of any one journeying to any place, he returns, for he says that some accident will happen to him, or some great trouble on the road, or in the place where he is going, such as being killed, or being shot with arrows, or something similar. If the said bird appears on his left hand he says that the same thing will happen to those whom he leaves at home, such as his children, wife, father, mother, or very near relative, and on that account he also returns. However, if the bird sings like a man who is laughing, then he goes on, and says that that bird is favorable to him. But if the said bird sings or croaks in any other way he returns, for he says that it announces some very great danger to him. There is another bird smaller than a gurrion which they call pasimanuquen. They say the same of this as of the salacsac. They say the same of the tocó, so called by the Tagálog, and chacon by the Spaniard. If they go to the mountain or near it and any tree falls, they say the same as of the chacon and of the two birds above mentioned. If they go on a journey and hear anyone sneeze they also return, and if they are prepared and about to do anything, they leave it then if anyone sneezes. If they hear any crow cawing at night, they say that it announces the death of a very near relative. If any dog which belongs to them breaks any of its teeth or falls down, they either kill the dog or give it to some one; for they say that it announces some death to them. If the dog jumps out of the window when it wants to leave the house, they also say that it announces the same thing. If they dream that the clothing that they have is ragged, they throw it away because they say that they will die. If they dream that the house falls down on them and burns them, they destroy it, for they also say they will die. The devil also has attempted to discredit the holy rosary among them, and when they go hunting they take it off, for they say that the dogs will bite the deer or wild boar if they wear a rosary. Not one of these Indians eats if he is alone, because they say that they will die. Consequently, what they do is generally to make their food ready and carry it until they find a company before whom they may eat. They have also dedicated some places of the mountain and bamboos to the anito, and, consequently, they cut nothing there, for they say that they will die and that the anito will kill them, although they do not know to what anito it is dedicated, or who dedicated the said mountain or district to such and such an anito, and know only an old observance which they have received from their ancestors. In their marriages they also have their superstitions. After any marriage has been performed, husband and wife go to the mountain to seek the salacsac or the pasimanuquen, and if the bird sings well they return very happy; but if it sings badly they return very sad. If it sings well they carry along the road a bombon or pitcher of water, and by means of the said water, which is drunk by all the bystanders, the two newly-married people will have children. For the bird to sing well, it must sing on their right hand and in the manner of the said bird which laughs. To sing ill means nothing else than to sing on the left hand, so that the bird is somewhat hoarse and sad. In such case they say that said marriage will have a bad ending, and that one of the two will die in a short time. If they do not see the bird, they say that they will have no children.

Of the customs of these Indians

Although those Indians have their kind of rank, since some are chiefs, and others not, and there are others who are descended from slaves, yet notwithstanding that they have no obedience one for the other. The poor man does not obey the rich, nor does the chief have any authority over him who is not a chief. Those who are obeyed (although but little) are the old men, when they assemble as if in council or meeting of the old men. But, in private no one dares to order another one, neither the chief him who is not a chief, nor the rich man the poor man; for here every one is master of his own will, and each one thinks that he is greater than his neighbor. Their method of governing is by fear, and accordingly each one tries to make the others fear him more than any other. In order to accomplish that each one endeavors to beat the others in committing murders, so that the others may fear him. They commit those murders by treachery. In order that the relatives of the murdered man may not slay the murderer, the latter pays such and such a sum of gold to the kindred of the murdered person, according to the rank of the deceased. For if such deceased was a chief or had many kin, his murder costs more and is redeemed by a greater sum. The lowest price with which a murder is generally redeemed is five taes of gold. If the murderer has no gold, he redeems the said murder with silver at the rate of eight pesos per tae of gold, although gold is valued at ten pesos per tae among those Indians; for it is very low grade gold, and as I have heard said does not reach fourteen carats. The little gold that they do possess is much adulterated with silver, copper, and bronze. But if the said murderer has no gold or silver with which to redeem the murder that he committed, he goes to the mountain and deceives some black or steals him and drags him to his ranchería, and delivers him to the relatives of the murdered man so that they may slay the said black. There is [no] great difficulty in this for in mountains there they have many acquaintances among the blacks. Those blacks are not without their enemies in some rancherías of the blacks themselves, where they go to make the seizure. And since the blacks are very revengeful in taking vengeance on their enemies, they aid the Zambals to capture them. The Zambal gives the black, whose services he has used for that purpose, some arrows or machetes.

But it must also be noticed that they do not always kill the black who is thus captured, for sometimes they let him live, and he is made a perpetual slave. There are many such slaves today, and I even believe that all the slaves whom they have are of this kind. If the murderer gives a slave in this way, he redeems the murder that he committed. Even if he cannot give gold or silver or a slave he kills one of his sons or delivers him to the relatives of the murdered one so that they may slay him. They never hesitate to kill that son thus delivered up, for when he can bear arms he will rebel and return to his father. If perchance the child of the murderer given for ransom of the murder which he committed is a daughter, when the said daughter is married she will go to the house of her father or relatives with her husband. For among the Zambals the woman is greater than the man, and the men sometimes obey the women. The latter are very haughty, and when the husband does not obey his wife, marriages are unmade very easily. If we reach such straits that the murderer has neither gold, silver, nor anything of value and cannot get a slave in the mountain, or a black, which is the same thing for that purpose, and has no son or daughter, or very near relative, such as some small orphan child, then in such case his kin themselves help him in ransoming himself, for in any other event, the relatives of the murdered person would infallibly kill him.

Accordingly, these Indians esteem it highly to have kinship, and, although they be very remote relatives, they treat one another as brothers because of the need which they have one of the other, so that they may be aided one by the other in such cases. Notwithstanding the said estimation which they have for their relatives, we see an evil and perverse custom which they have which is worse than the most blood-thirsty beasts, namely, that Zambals are not accustomed to have more than two children, one a male and the other a female. Consequently, if they already have one male child, they kill all the sons at birth until a daughter is born. Then after they have had said daughter scarcely is the woman pregnant when they already arrange to kill the son or daughter, as soon as it emerges from the womb of the mother. But if any one begs said son or daughter, even while yet in the womb of its mother it is given to such person. But the one who has asked for it must pay its mother all the time that the said mother is occupied in suckling such boy or girl; and afterward it is considered as the child of that person at whose account it was reared and kept alive. However, I know many in this manner who have great love for their true parents. Since we discovered said custom among them, we had delivered from death three children, although to the great sorrow of their parents because they had not killed them. But as soon as we find out that any woman is pregnant, we warn her that she must not kill the son or daughter that she brings forth, for we will punish her very severely, and they, for fear of the punishment, allow their children to live.

They also have their mourning for very near deceased relatives. That consists in wearing a cloth on the head, which they are accustomed to remove in no case until they have committed a murder. And as long as they wear the said mourning which they call balata, [88] they are not accustomed to sing, or dance, or play their musical instruments; nor will they attend any feast among them. Those feasts are always made with wine, and their musical instruments are played at them. But when they have cut off some head, or committed some murder, then they remove the balata, or mourning. For that purpose the relatives assemble and a great drunken revel is made where much wine is consumed and some days spent in this occupation. Accordingly, it is necessary that among these Indians many murders must be committed, for no mourning is removed until some murder has been committed, and then the relatives of the one who has been recently murdered in order to remove the previous mourning, also put on new mourning, and in order to remove that it is necessary to commit another murder. Hence, they mutually kill one another, and they are always wearing mourning, except when the murder is committed far away among the blacks, or among the Indians subject to his Majesty in the neighboring provinces. And in order that they may not proceed ad infinitum in this manner, they try to commit the murders which they do commit secretly, when it is not in their district, so that the said murder may not be attributed to them. But, having committed the said murder, then they tell it to their neighbors, and they make merry, sing, and play their music, for as long a time as they ceased to make merry during the time when they wore the balata. Thus it is commonly said that three-fourths of those who die among these Zambals die violent deaths, and one-fourth and even not that much, die natural deaths. But whenever there is any death, be it violent or natural, there is the balata which must be removed by another death, either by killing another Zambal, a black of the mountain, or an Indian of the provinces, near the said Zambals, or a black of the mountain, or an Indian. I know a man who is said to have committed sixty murders. I do not dare to assert as true that which is told me of that Indian, but what I know is that those Indians do not get angry or take it as an affront among themselves to be so cruel, but on the contrary they highly praise and assert those customs, and are vain of the murders which they commit. Thus, as among the Spaniards, one speaks and talks with courtesy of "my associate so and so," "my neighbor," "my comrade," etc., and it is a kind of discourtesy to say "Juan Fernandez" "Pedro Sanchez," etc.; so also among these Indians it is a discourtesy to be called by one's companions only men. It is a high and good politeness to be called by the name which signifies in their own language, "an accomplice in a murder" that title being "Araoc;" and thus they say Araoc Juan, etc. And as they are little given to flattery, they never give the name of Araoc to him who does not really and truly possess it; for it is regarded among them as making a jest at one to whom the said title is given, if it does not belong to him, just as among us it is a jest to give the title of a brave man to one who does not dare to draw his sword from his belt.

Their marriages are not made between relatives, but on the contrary they try to marry those who are not related to them; and I believe that the reason therefor is to acquire new kinship by means of marriage, for we see that he who has the most kindred is the most powerful, is the one held in highest esteem by all and commits more murders in which consists their greatest estate, for he has more and greater opportunity to go scotfree from those murders which he commits. Marriages are not performed until the relatives of both parties are assembled, and order the two contracting parties to eat together from one plate. All the other preceding preparations and ceremonies belong to the contract of the marriage and the betrothal. Said marriages, moreover, are [not] made by virtue of the wish of the contracting parties, for they are married from childhood when most of the contracting parties do not even have the use of their reason. The reason that has been given to me for this is so that they may be raised together from childhood, and contract love one for the other. But we see that very many marriages result badly, and after marriage the parties separate, although in this regard the men are very patient, for among these Indians, as among all those of this land, it is the custom for the man to give the dowry to the woman. Among the Zambals, it is the custom not only to give the dowry to the woman, but also another kind of dowry to all the relatives of the said woman. They call the latter dowry sambon. Among the Tagálogs it was also formerly the custom and was called sohol. That second dowry among these Indians is generally larger than the first, which is the one that is given to the woman. If husband and wife quarrel, and she wishes to separate from her husband and marry another man, and if the cause of the quarrel has been given by the man; they are divorced and he loses the dowry which he gave to his wife, as well as that which he gave to the relatives of said wife. But if the cause of the said quarrel proceeded from the wife and she wishes to be divorced, she must return all the dowry, and in such case her relatives also return that which was given to them. And since it is of some consequence to them whether the two married people live at peace or at war, it is very common for all the woman's kin to take her side, in order not to return what was given to each one. Consequently, although there may never be justice, the woman always has the argument on her side to do that which she wishes. And since there is no other justice here than the yua, bows and arrows, the tanca, and caraza, the greater kindred and those most interested always prevail; and since these are the relatives of the woman to whom the dowry was given and the husband is alone, and at the most is supported by his brothers, always or generally the argument is on the side of the wife, and the husband has to give up both dowries. Consequently, the poor Zambal, in order not to be left without wife and dowry, endures whatever his wife wishes. Besides, these Indians are not so barbarous that they do not know when they are right in what they ask, and when they are not right. Consequently, the wife will never say that she wishes to be divorced unless it is when the husband was the evident cause of the quarrel. However, sometimes they are accustomed to make friendship between the husband and wife, on condition that the husband commit a murder. In such an event he leaves the house and does not come again into the presence of his wife until he commits said murder. The murder having been committed, and said wife hearing of it, before the husband reaches the house, his wife goes to receive him with a new bajaque in her hands, in order to present it to her husband in sign of congratulation for obeying her. But in such an event the wife and her relatives have to make good the damage which follows from the said murder, and the husband is free. The ceremony of the wife going out to meet her husband with the present of the bajaque on said occasion is of so great importance among these Indians that the husband will be grieved if his wife fails in this ceremony or courtesy.