This is an historically significant ethnographic work by Dean C. Worcester, who served as the United States Secretary of the Interior for the Philippine Islands from 1901 to 1913. Published in The National Geographic Magazine in November 1913 , the article summarizes the cultural characteristics, territory, and populations of the various indigenous groups referred to by the American administration as the "non-Christian peoples". These groups, including the Moros, Igorots, and Ifugaos, occupied approximately half of the Philippine territory at the time. The document is a primary source reflecting the early American colonial government's efforts to classify and administer these populations, contrasting their traditional customs, such as head-hunting , with the perceived benefits of U.S. rule. It provides an account of the progress made under American oversight, highlighting initiatives like public order maintenance by indigenous police , the establishment of sanitary villages , industrial education , and efforts to combat the exploitation of the "wild man" through government exchanges. The text served to inform the American public and justify the colonial administration's paternalistic policies toward these minority groups.
The non-Christian peoples of the Philippine Islands: with an account of what has been done for them under American rule