Fire Making Outfits

Men wear on their arms rings of rattan which serve as ornaments, but which are in reality a part of the fire making apparatus. When a fire is desired the rattan is unwound and an end is held securely in each hand. The loop thus formed passes between a piece of bark cloth placed on the ground and a split stick which has been wedged open. Alternate pulling of the ends of the strip generates enough heat by friction to ignite the cloth. This device is also found in Northwestern Luzon and in Mindoro. BATAK. Northern Palawan, Philippine Islands. Robert. F. Cummings Expedition. F.C. Cole, Collector.