Native Food

Their ordinary food is:

• rice pounded in wooden mortars, and cooked—this is called morisqueta. [232]
  • It is the ordinary bread of the whole country
• boiled fish (which is very abundant)
• the flesh of swine, deer, and wild buffaloes (which they call carabaos).
  • Meat and fish they relish better when it has begun to spoil and when it stinks. [233]
• boiled camotes (which are sweet potatoes), beans, quilites [234] and other vegetables
• all kinds of bananas, guavas, pineapples, custard apples, many varieties of oranges, and other varieties of fruits and herbs, with which the country teems.

Their drink is a wine made from the tops of cocoa and nipa palm, of which there is a great abundance.

They are grown and tended like vineyards, although without so much toil and labor.

Drawing off the tuba, [235] they distill it, using for alembics their own little furnaces and utensils, to a greater or less strength, and it becomes brandy.

This is drunk throughout the islands. It is a wine of the clarity of water, but strong and dry.

If it is used with moderation, it acts as:

• a medicine for the stomach
• a protection against humors and all sorts of rheums.

Mixed with Spanish wine, it makes a mild liquor, and one very palatable and healthy.

In the assemblies, marriages, and feasts of the natives of these islands, the chief thing consists in drinking this wine, day and night, without ceasing, when the turn of each comes, some singing and others drinking.

As a consequence, they generally become intoxicated without this vice being regarded as a dishonor or disgrace. [236]

The weapons of this people are, in some provinces, bow and arrows.

But those generally used throughout the islands are:

• moderate-sized spears with well-made points
• shields of light wood, with their armholes fastened on the inside.

These cover them from top to toe, and are called carasas [kalasag].

At the waist, they carry a dagger called bararaos. These:

• are four fingers in width
• have the blade pointed
• are 1/3 of a vara long

The hilt is of gold or ivory. The pommel is open and has two cross bars or projections, without any other guard. They are called .

They have 2 cutting edges, and are kept in wooden scabbards, or those of buffalo-horn, admirably wrought. [237]

With these they strike with the point, but more generally with the edge.

When they go in pursuit of their opponent, they show great dexterity in seizing his hair with one hand, while with the other they cut off his head with one stroke of the bararao, and carry it away.

They afterward keep the heads suspended and displayed in their houses, where they may be seen in order to be considered as valiant, and avengers of their enemies and of the injuries committed by them. [238]

Since they have seen the Spaniards use their weapons, many of the natives handle the arquebuses and muskets quite skilfully.

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, they had bronze culverins and other pieces of cast iron to defend their forts and settlements.

• Their powder is not so well refined as that of the Spaniards.

They have many kinds of ships and boats.

On the rivers and inland creeks they use very large canoes, each made from one log, and others fitted with benches and made from planks, and built up on keels.

They have vireys and barangays, which are certain quick and light vessels that lie low in the water, put together with little wooden nails.

These are as slender at the stern as at the bow, and they can hold a number of rowers on both sides, who propel their vessels with bucçeyes or paddles, and with gaones [239] on the outside of the vessel.

They time their rowing to the accompaniment of some who sing in their language refrains by which they understand whether to hasten or retard their rowing. [240]

Above the rowers is a platform or gangway, built of bamboo, upon which the fighting-men stand, in order not to interfere with the rowing of the oarsmen. In accordance with the capacity of the vessels is the number of men on these gangways.

From that place they manage the sail, which is square and made of linen, and hoisted on a support or yard made of 2 thick bamboos, which serves as a mast.

When the vessel is large, it also has a foresail of the same form.

Both yards, with their tackle, can be lowered upon the gangway when the weather is rough.

The helmsmen are stationed in the stern to steer.

It carries another bamboo framework on the gangway itself; and upon this, when the sun shines hot, or it rains, they stretch an awning made from some mats, woven from palm-leaves.

These are very bulky and close, and are called cayanes [241]

Thus all the ship and its crew are covered and protected. There are also other bamboo frameworks for each side of the vessel, which are so long as the vessel, and securely fastened on.

They skim the water, without hindering the rowing, and serve as a counterpoise, so that the ship cannot overturn nor upset, however heavy the sea, or strong the wind against the sail.

The entire hull of these vessels have no decks. They might fill with water yet remain afloat because of these counterpoises.

These vessels have been used commonly throughout the islands since olden times.

They have other larger vessels called caracoas, lapis, and tapaques, which are used to carry their merchandise.

These are very suitable, as they are roomy and draw but little water.

They generally drag them ashore every night, at the mouths of rivers and creeks, among which they always navigate without going into the open sea or leaving the shore.

All the natives can row and manage these boats.

Some are so long that they can carry 100 rowers on a side and 30 soldiers above to fight.

The boats commonly used are barangays and vireys, which carry a less crew and fighting force.

Now they put many of them together with iron nails instead of the wooden pegs and the joints in the planks, while the helms and bows have beaks like Castilian boats. [242]