The Project Gutenberg EBook of Philippine Folk Tales, by Mabel Cook Cole

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Title: Philippine Folk Tales

Author: Mabel Cook Cole

Release Date: March 27, 2008 [EBook #12814]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Philippine Folk Tales

Compiled and Annotated by

Mabel Cook Cole

1916

PREFACE

From time to time since the American occupation of the Islands,
Philippine folk-tales have appeared in scientific publications, but
never, so far as the writer is aware, has there been an attempt to
offer to the general public a comprehensive popular collection of
this material. It is my earnest hope that this collection of tales
will give those who are interested opportunity to learn something
of the magic, superstitions, and weird customs of the Filipinos,
and to feel the charm of their wonder-world as it is pictured by
these dark-skinned inhabitants of our Island possessions.

In company with my husband, who was engaged in ethnological work for
the Field Museum of Natural History, it was my good fortune to spend
four years among the wild tribes of the Philippines, During this
time we frequently heard these stories, either related by the people
in their homes and around the camp fires or chanted by the pagan
priests in communion with the spirits. The tales are now published
in this little volume, with the addition of a few folk-legends
that have appeared in the _Journal of American Folk-Lore_ and in
scientific publications, here retold with some additions made by
native story-tellers.

I have endeavored to select typical tales from tribes widely separated
and varying in culture from savagery to a rather high degree of
development. The stories are therefore divided into five groups,
as follows: Tinguian, Igorot, the Wild Tribes of Mindanao, Moro,
and Christian,

The first two groups, Tinguian and Igorot, are from natives who
inhabit the rugged mou