Behind the Lines in Sadanga, Cordillera, Luzon.
Oct 8, 2020 9:56:47 GMT 8
Karl Welteke and beirutvet like this
Post by EXO on Oct 8, 2020 9:56:47 GMT 8
From time to time, I am one of the"usual suspects" that people send a story to, in the hope I can either confirm or deny it - or at least provide a clue. "Behind the Lines in Cordillera, American Guerrilla, Northern Philippines, WWII" is such a story. It was submitted to Prof. Christopher Kolakowski of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum by Scott S. Robinson, and I received it indirectly from Lou Jurika. This is how it runs:
Dear Prof. Christopher Kolakowski
Wisconsin Veterans Museum
In 1982, I made a documentary film with the New People's Army of the Philippines in Bontok and Kalinga tribal villages, Cordillera region, Northern Luzon, Philippines. Sadanga, Bontok villagers hosted a small squad of US soldiers who parachuted in with a radio, behind the Japanese lines in (I assume) 1944. The "American Guerrilla", as they were called at the time of my visit, were fed and advised by the villagers of Japanese patrols roving from their nearby post commandeered at the Catholic mission in Bontok Center, Cordillera, northern Luzon.
The Bontok and their Kalinga tribal neighbors are (or were) ritual headhunters. After US forces returned to the Philippines under Gen. MacArthur's command and gained ground, Japanese forces began retreating northward from Manila and central Luzon. The Japanese platoon based at Bontok Center was no exception. Their first day in retreat took them to Sadanga village, where they surprised the village male elders relaxing in their mens' house at sunset. The US soldiers were housed nearby. The Japanese platoon, led by a Lieutenant, was welcomed into the men's house, made comfortable, given food and fermented rice wine. After nightfall, each Japanese soldier would leave the men's house to relieve themselves, but never return. The Bontok were simply taking heads outside the men's house. Realizing what was happening, the Japanese officer jumped up and ran out into the darkness, but the Bontok men were understandably in a festive mood and decided not to chase him. Because he did not know his way in the dark among the region's maze of steep rice terraces, it was assumed he would be found the following day, perhaps injured. But he was never found, much to everyone's dismay.
In 1980, when the road to Sadanga, Bontok was completed, a charter bus arrived in the village. To everyone's surprise, the Japanese Lieutenant came off the bus and requested permission from village elders to lay a bronze plaque at the place where his men had been sacrificed. Passengers on the bus were family members of his sacrificed soldiers. Permission granted, 35? years later.
I imagine there must be a record of this behind the lines radio squad dropped into Sadanga, Bontok, Philippines back when. This whole episode may be a story worth telling, and perhaps you can point me to some military historians with a potential interest in such an endeavor, if it does not interest you.
Yours cordially,
Scott S. Robinson
Social Anthropologist (ret.)
Tlayacapan, Morelos
Mexico
P.S. There is a Stanford Anthropology PH.D. dissertation focused on Sadanga village prepared by Charles Drucker.