Negrito women in camp to sell vegetables today, dressed in rags resembling American dresses, necks open to waist, revealing with unconcern large drooping breasts. In native dialect they told Miss Ganahan they would fight to protect Americanos if Japanese came to camp, if we treat Negritoes right. (By “right” they meant pay good price for produce.) To help Americanos they will dig holes covered with brush on mountain pathway to trap soldiers who will fall in, also will shoot the soldiers from ambush with homemade bows and arrows. But if we don’t treat the Negritoes right they might do the same to Americanos instead of Japanese. So went a very serious conversation in strange babbles. When it was over and interpreted in English we assured the Negrito women by nods and smiles that we would treat them right and they could kill Japs and not Americanos.
Elizabeth Vaughan
Elizabeth Head Vaughan (1905 - September 29, 1957) journalist and Sociologist. Interned in the Bacolod Internment Camp and Santo Tomas internment camp in Manila, 1942-45.
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