XVI. Tigbanua. Ill disposed beings inhabiting rocks and cliffs in the
mountains. These last two classes are frequently confused with the
_buso_.
In addition to these, the old men of Malilla gave the following:
1. Tagareso. Low spirits who cause people to become angry and to do
little evil deeds. In some cases they cause insanity.
2. Sarinago. Spirits who steal rice. It is best to appease them,
otherwise the supply of rice will vanish rapidly.
3. Tagasoro. Beings who cause sudden anger which results in quarrels and
death. They are the ones who furnish other spirits with human flesh.
4 and 5. Balinonok and his wife Balinsogo. This couple love blood and
for this reason cause men and women to fight or to run amuck.
6. Siring. Mischievous spirits who inhabit caves, cliffs, and dangerous
places. They have long nails and can be distinguished by that
characteristic. They sometimes impersonate members of the family and
thus succeed in stealing women and children, whom they carry to their
mountain homes. The captives are not eaten but are fed on snakes and
worms, and should they try to escape the _siring_ will scratch them with
their long nails.
Other spirits were named and described by individuals, but as they are
not generally accepted by the people of the tribe they are not mentioned
here.
The stars, thunder and lightning, and similar phenomena are generally
considered as "lights or signs" belonging to the spirits, yet one
frequently hears hazy tales such as that "the constellation Marara is a
one-legged and one-armed man who sometimes causes cloudy weather at
planting time so that people may not see his deformities," or we are
told that "the sun was placed in the sky by the creator, and on it lives
an evil spirit who sometimes kills people. The sun is moved about by the
wind;" again, "the sun and moon were once married and all the stars are
their children."
Despite repeated assertions by previous writers that the Bagobo are
fire-worshippers no evidence was obtained during our visit to support
the statement. The older people insisted that it was not a spirit and
that no offerings were ever made to it. One _mabalian_ stated that fire
was injurious to a woman in her periods and hence it was best for her
not to cook at such times; she was also of the opinion that fire was of
two kinds, good and bad, and hence might belong to both good and bad
spirits.
A common method used by the spirits to communicate with mortals is
through the call of the _limokon_[44] All the people know the meaning of
its calls and all respect its warnings. If a man is starting to buy or
trade for an article and this bird gives its warning the sale is
stopped. Should the _limokon_ call when a person is on the trail he at
ones doubles his fist and thrusts it in the direction from which the
warning comes. If it becomes necessary to point backwards, it is a
signal to return, or should the arm point directly in front it is
certain that danger is there, and it is best to turn back and avoid it.
When it is not clear from whence the note came, the traveler looks
toward the right side. If he sees there strong, sturdy trees, he knows
that all is well, but if they are cut or weaklings, he should use great
care to avoid impending danger. When questioned as to why one should
look only to the right, an old man quickly replied: "The right side
belongs to you; the left side is bad and belongs to someone else."
[44] See p. 63, note. [Transcriber's note: footnote above beginning, "A
dove."]
Sneezing is a bad omen, and should a person sneeze when about to
undertake a journey, he knows that it is a warning of danger, and will
delay until another time.
Certain charms, or actions, are of value either in warding off evil
spirits, in causing trouble or death to an enemy, or in gaining an
advantage over another in trading and in games. One type of charm is a
narrow cloth belt in which "medicines" are tied. These medicines may be
peculiarly shaped stones, bits of fungus growth, a tooth, shell, or
similar object. Such belts are known as _pamadan_, or _lambos_, and are
worn soldier-fashion over one shoulder. They are supposed to protect
their owners in battle or to make it easy for them to get the best of
other parties in a trade, A little dust gathered from the footprint of
an enemy and placed in one of these belts will immediately cause the foe
to become ill.
It is a simple matter to cause a person to become insane. All that is
needed is to secure a piece of his hair, or clothing, place it in a dish
of water and stir in one direction for several hours.
Father GISBERT relates the following method of detecting theft:
"There are not, as a rule, many thefts among the Bagobo, for they
believe that a thief can be discovered easily by means of their famous
_bongat_. That consists of two small joints of bamboo, which contain
certain mysterious powders. He who has been robbed and wishes to
determine the robber takes a hen's egg, makes a hole in it, puts a pinch
of the above said powder in it, and leaves it in the fire. If he wishes
the robber to die he has nothing else to do than to break the egg; but
since the thief may sometimes be a relative or a beloved person, the egg
is not usually broken, so that there may be or may be able to be a
remedy. For under all circumstances, when this operation is performed,
if the robber lives, wherever he may be, he himself must inform on
himself by crying out, 'I am the thief; I am the thief,' as he is
compelled to do (they say) by the sharp pain which he feels all through
his body. When he is discovered, he may be cured by putting powder from
the other joint into the water and bathing his body with it. This
practice is very common here among the heathens and Moros. A Bagobo,
named Anas, who was converted, gave me the _bongat_ with which he had
frightened many people when a heathen."
In Bansalan crab shells are hung over the doors of houses, for these
shells are distasteful to the _buso_ who will thus be kept at a
distance.
I was frequently told of persons who could foretell the future by means
of palmistry, but was never able to see a palmist at work, or to verify
the information.