Note 8 — RELATION OF THE ZAMBAL1 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 16802

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,8 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.