Meet the Negritos - Part 1

That is just what a group of us did recently. We met the Negritos, who live in the mountains behind the huge American military base at Angeles, north of Manila.

Who are they? A friendly people, found in the Philippines mainly around the island of Luzon. A pygmy race, their average height is under five feet (1.5 m), and their skin color is dark. Their features are negroid; hence, the name "Negrito" ("little Negro").

Nobody knows where the Negritos came from or when they arrived in the Philippines. Today there are about 25,000 of them. Some live a very simple life in the forests and mountains, while others are being gradually assimilated into the life patterns of their lowland neighbors.

Their Way of Life

The group we visited has settled down to a more or less permanent way of life. They live in small huts made of grass and bamboo and anything they have been able to salvage from their neighbors. Interestingly, we saw huts with no more than three feet by four feet (0.9 x 1.2 m) of floor space! The clothing is Western in style.

In other parts of the country, Negritos live less complicated lives. Described as "extremely mobile," they dwell in family groups numbering perhaps between 10 and 50, and constantly move around the mountains and forests in search of game, wild fruit and vegetables. At night, they erect a lean-to in which to sleep, but they will never stay in one place for more than a few days or weeks. Their clothing is simple: a loin cloth for the men and a short, wraparound skirt for the women, both often made of bark.

Living in the forest, the Negritos' natural senses are well-developed. John Garvan, an Irish-born scholar who lived with them for several years, reported that they could perceive the scent of fruit from quite a distance. They even claimed to be able to tell when a person was getting sick by his changing body odor, and said that they could smell what kind of meat an individual had been eating! Their hearing, too, is acute. Also, the Negritos have a well-developed sense of direction, and seem to know instinctively when game is around.

Great skill with the bow and arrow is characteristic of the Negritos. A museum authority remarked that they must have the most highly developed arrow system in the world. The Ayta tribe of Zambales has something like 50 different types of arrows-one for wild pig and deer, one for bats, one for fish, and so forth.

Negritos still living in the forests have unusual ideas about personal appearance and adornment. Some will make scars all over their bodies "for beauty's sake." Others wear bangles on the arms and ankles, while still others stain their teeth black and chip them to a point, "to enhance their looks."

When we entered a Negrito settlement near the Filipino village of Sapangbato, we received a very friendly welcome. Small black faces grinned at us from the huts as we made our way to the village captain. He and the Methodist pastor-himself a Negrito-were very happy to spend time discussing the important message that we had.