He would only talk when addressed. He used only the third person when speaking. For instance, he would say, "What would my chief wish?- and never "What do you want?-.
When members of a family walked together, the woman walked ahead of the men. The women, especially of the nobility, were held in high esteem. The early codes of law considered acts against them punishable by slavery or death. They enjoyed a higher position than woman of pagan countries. They had equal rights as men. They could inherit property, engage in trade and hold positions of responsibility. This high respect for women is one of our finest traits today.
Personal Habits. Our ancestors were clean and neat. They bathed usually at the end of the day's work. They used a tree bark, called gogo, to wash their hair. Then they applied perfume. They arranged their hair carefully and kept them as black as possible.
They cleansed their mouth and teeth after eating. From that, we may well assume that they kept their homes clean too.
Typical Dwellings. They had homes made of simple materials such as wood, bamboo, and nipa or cogon. Each house had a roofless katalan where kitchen utensils and jars of water for cooking and washing were kept. The houses of the lower classes usually had only one room, with little or no furnishings. The houses of the nobility had several rooms.
Dressing and Clothing. Our ancestors dressed scantily and simply. A man would wear a bahag, a strip of cloth around his waist which passes down between his legs. With this, he wears a short-sleeved garment without any collar which reaches slightly below his waist--- the kangan. Around his head is a strip of cloth called potong. The kind of potong one wore was important. For example, a red potong meant the wearer had killed a man in war while one who had killed at least seven people signified so by wearing an embroidered potong. They also wore necklaces, armlets or kalombiga, earrings, rings, and anklets, usually made of gold and precious stones.
