23. The Peaceful Tasaday “Have No Words For Weapons, Hostility, or War”
As Elizalde described the Tasaday: “They didn’t realize there was a country. They didn’t realize there was a sea beyond Mindanao. … they did not even know what rice was.” They were also complete pacifists: “They have no words for weapons, hostility, or war“. Overnight, the Tasaday went from unknown to globally famous.
Their pictures appeared on magazine covers, including National Geographic, and clips of the tribe were featured on news programs. Numerous documentaries were made about the stone age primitives, and a bestselling book, The Gentle Tasaday, was written about them. Celebrities flocked to visit and be photographed with them.