[60] See p. 155 for a description of this process. [Transcriber's note:
20 pages further from this one.]
Before we proceed further with the description of the life of the
people, it will be well for us to inquire into their religious beliefs,
for, as is the case with all their neighbors, their faith in unseen
beings influences their daily life to a very great extent. The two
following tales deal with the Bila-an genesis.
"In the beginning was _MElu_--a being of such great size as to be beyond
comparison with any known thing; who was white, having gold teeth, and
who sat upon the clouds, and occupied all space above.
"He was very cleanly and was constantly rubbing himself with his hands
in order that he might keep his skin quite white. The scurf or dead skin
which he thus removed, he placed to one side where it accumulated at
last to such a heap that it annoyed him. To be rid of this annoyance he
made the earth, and being pleased with his work, he decided to make two
beings like himself only much smaller in size. This he did from remnants
of the material from which he made the earth.
"Now, while MElu was making the first two men, and when he had the first
one finished, all excepting the nose; and the second one finished all
excepting the nose and one other part, Tau Tana (Funtana) or Tau Dalom
Tana appeared and demanded of MElu that he be allowed to make the nose.
Then began a great argument in which Tau Dalom Tana gained his point and
did make the noses and placed them on the faces of the first two people
upside down. So great had been the argument over this making and placing
of noses that MElu forgot to finish that part of the second person and
went away to his place above the clouds, and Tau Dalom Tana went away to
his place below the earth. Then came a great rain and the two people on
the earth were about to perish on account of the water which ran off
their heads into their noses. MElu seeing what was happening came to
them and changed their noses, and then told them that they should save
all the hair which came from their heads, and all the scurf which came
from their bodies to the end that when he came again he might make more
people. As time passed there came to be a great many people, and they
lived in a village having plenty to eat and no labor but the gathering
of such fruits as they desired.
"One day when the rest of the people were about the village and the near
country, a man and woman who had been left behind fell to gazing, one
upon the person of the other, and after a little while they went away
apart from the rest and were gone many days, and when they returned the
woman carried a child in her arms, and the people wondered and were
afraid. When MElu came again soon, knowing what had taken place, he was
very angry and he went away abandoning them, and a great drought came,
when for two seasons no rain fell and everything withered up and died.
At last the people went away, two by two, one man and one woman
together, and MElu never again came to visit his people on earth."[61]
[61] Recorded by Mr. H. S. Wilson.
The writer did not hear the foregoing tale, but the following, with more
or less variation, was told to him by several Bila-an:
"In the beginning four beings, MElu and Fiuweigh-males, and Dwata and
Saweigh (or sEwE or sEweigh)-females, lived on a small earth or island
as large as a hat and called _salnaon_. There were no trees or grass on
this island, but they had one bird called Baswit. They sent this bird
across the waters to secure some earth, the fruit of the rattan and of
trees. When it returned MElu took the earth and beat it the same as a
woman beats pots until he had made the land, then he planted the seeds
in it and they grew. When he had watched it for a time he said: 'Of what
use is land without people'; so the others said, 'Let us make wax into
people.' They did so, but when they put the wax near to the fire it
melted, so they saw they could not make man that way. Next it was
decided that they should use dirt, and MElu and Fiuweigh began to make
man. All. went well until they were ready to make the nose. Fiuweigh who
was making this part put the nose on upside down and when MElu told him
that the people would drown if he left it that way he became very angry
and refused to change it. When he turned his back, MElu seized the nose
quickly and turned it as it now is, and you can see where, in his haste,
he pressed his fingers (at the root).
"The people they made were Adnato and Andawi, male and female. These two
had children, Tapi (or Mastafi) and Lakarol. (Informants disagreed here,
part insisting that MEsa, Lakbang, and Mangarang were part of the first
people made.) Their descendants were Sinudal (female), Moay (male),
Limbay (female), Madinda (female), Sinnamoway (male), Kamansa (male),
Gilay (female), Gomayau (male), Salau (male), Slayen (female), BaEn
(female), Kanfal (female), Latara (male)."
[Transcriber's note: These identifications of male and female (in
parentheses above and below) are all signaled in the text using
non-ASCII symbols; the symbols for male or female were footnoted.]
The last was the father of Alimama, the chief informant of this tale.
Inok, dato of Labau, is also of this line, tracing his descent from
Lakbang.
It is said that MElu and Saweigh now live below, Dwata and Fiuweigh in
the sky.
A variation of this story credits MElu and Dwata with being the creators
of Fiuweigh and SEweigh. They were the ancestors of men, for they took
earth and made it into the form of people and then whipped it until it
moved. The first people they made were Otis (male) and Lakbang (female).
Two of their children were Mastafi (male) and Lakarol (or Landol)
(female). From these two came all the Bila-an. "These two lived in a
small distant place and their one animal was Baswit--a bird. They sent
him on a long journey and when he returned he brought a piece of earth
and the fruit of a _pandag_ tree. Lakarol planted the fruit in the piece
of earth and when it grew the leaves fell down and finally made the
earth."
From these tales and later questioning we learn the MElu, or MElE, is
the most powerful of all the natural spirits and that his help is sought
in times of calamity and at very important occasions.
Duwata (Duata, Dwata, Adwata, Diwata) is generally considered to be the
wife of MElu and of equal strength with him. She is sometimes identified
with a female spirit called Kalalokan.
Fiuweigh and SEweigh are now powerful spirits; but there is some dispute
as to whether they have always been so, or once were human.
Lamot ta Mangayo, also called Mandalangan, is the patron spirit of the
warriors and is in all respects almost identical with Mandarangan of the
Bagobo.
The _busau_ are a class of spirits, often ill-disposed toward men, who
live in various parts of the mountains. Bakay, one of the _busau_, is
said to be the owner of the deer and pig and is held in considerable
esteem by the people of the Padada region, but he is not recognized by
the Tagkogon branch of the tribe. Another spirit, Bawi, who owns the
rice, is in great favor with the Padada people, but is unknown to the
latter group. Flau is the spirit of an unborn child whose mother died in
pregnancy. Its cry is often heard at night, and at times it attacks and
injures people.
These natural spirits are very powerful, and since they sometimes
interest themselves in the doings of mortals it behooves all to keep
their good will. Below them is another class of spirits, less powerful,
but far more concerned in the affairs of men, and for this reason more
to be feared should they become displeased. This class is made up of the
spirits of the dead. A man's spirit, _almogol_, does not live in his
body, but always accompanies him during life. If at any time it wanders
the man becomes ill, and if it fails to return its owner dies. After
separating from the body the _almogol_ goes to Kilot, a good place below
the earth where there is no work or punishment. There it spends most of
its time, but upon occasion returns to its former haunts where it aids
or injures the living.
The _almo-os_, already mentioned,[62] have considerable influence with
all the spirits, but they are particularly close to the _almogol_. When
a person is ill he is placed in a little house known as _lawig_ (Plate
LII), beside which a fire is kindled. Nearby are two decorated bamboo
sticks, behind which the spirit of the sick man stands while he watches
the proceeding. The _almo-os_ takes a chicken in his hands and, while
five or six assistants dance, he chants, appealing to the spirit to see
the good things that are being prepared, and to be pleased to return to
the sick man. Occasionally, the music stops and one of the dancers cries
"_almogol_, here is food for you; you must not go away." After a time
the fowl is killed, is cooked over the fire, and is fed to the invalid,
while the "doctor" continues his song of entreaty. If the call pleases
the spirit it will pass between the bamboo sticks and go to the sick
person in the _lawig_, but if it is not convinced that it should remain
it departs, and the patient dies. The sick person is kept in the spirit
house for a day and is then returned to his home.
[62] See page 133.
Little structures known as _bolon_ are erected for other spirits who may
be trying to injure the _almogol_ or attempting to persuade it to leave
its owner.
Certain ceremonies and offerings occur after a death, at the birth of a
child, at planting and harvest times, and when the warriors are about to
start on a raid; all of which will be spoken of in a later paragraph.
When approaching a place known to be owned by certain spirits, it is
thought wise to make a small offering. On the trail to Ma-al is a large
rock which marks the divide between the mountains and the open cogon
lands. As the writer's party approached this stone one of the men
removed some of his leg bands and placed them beside the rock, at the
same time praying the _busau_ to "take the present and do not let any of
our party fall sick or be injured on the journey." It is also customary
for a man who wishes to buy anything or to make a trade, first to make
an offering of betel-nut to the spirit of some rich man, and to ask his
help in the venture.
Some new clearings are cut in the jungle each year, after the
constellation _Balatik_ has risen out of the sea. The spirits place this
sign in the heavens to notify all that the land should be cleared, but
it does not call for a sacrifice as in the case of the people we have
previously described. At that time the men cut the trees and underbrush,
and after allowing them to dry, fire them. They also make the holes into
which the women drop seed rice.
When the land is ready for planting, a little house called _botabwE_ is
built in the center of the field, and beside it is placed a platform or
table, _sina-al_, on which is an offering of food. Early in the morning,
while the others sleep, the owner and his wife carry the seed rice to
the field and place it on the _botabwE_. After a time they eat some of
the food which has previously been offered and then begin to plant,
beginning close to the spirit house. Soon they are joined by other
workers who aid them in the planting. These assistants do not receive
payment for their services other than food while working and like help
when in need. At this time a bamboo pole, with one end split and spread
open like a cup,[63] is placed in front of the elevated platform of the
family dwelling and the guardian spirit of the fields is promised that
after the harvest he will receive the new seed rice. While the rice is
growing the men attend to the fences and the women keep down weeds or
frighten birds and other intruders away. When the crops have matured all
the people of a neighborhood will meet at the home of the chief, and
there celebrate a ceremony known as _Pandoman_. Two bundles of rice are
laid on a mat in the center of the room, and beside them a spear is
thrust into the floor. These are offerings to the great spirits MElu and
Dwata who are besought to give health to the workers while they are
gathering crops. As soon as this offering is made, the men begin to
build the rice granaries; meanwhile the women silently guard the mat and
gifts, for until the new storehouses are completed there must be no
dancing or merry-making. When all is ready for the harvest, the wife of
the owner goes alone to the field, and having cut a few heads of grain,
she carries them back to the house. One portion is placed in the _sabak_
another on a little platform, _gramso_, near to the house, as an
offering to MElu and Dwata; and the balance is cooked and eaten by the
family. The following morning all the women go to the fields to gather
the harvest. When the last bundle has been carried to the house a
celebration begins, agongs and _EdEl_[64] furnish the music for the
dancers, and for a day and a night all feast and make merry; then the
workers return to their homes carrying small gifts of cooked food or new
rice.
[63] This pole which is here known as _sabak_ is the same as the
_tambara_ of the Bagobo. See p. 66 and Fig. 12.
[64] See p. 110 note. [Transcriber's note: 30 pages earlier.]
Aside from clearing the land and helping somewhat with the rice crops,
the men seldom concern themselves with work in the fields but leave the
cultivation of corn, sweet potatoes, tobacco, and the like to the women.
A large part of the food of the tribe is furnished by the fruits and
herbs of the jungle and here again the women are the chief providers.
Although in the sago industry both sexes have well defined duties.
Along the edge of the cogon lands are many large _buri_ palms,[65] from
which a starch commercially known as sago is secured. The men cut down a
tree close to its roots and remove the hard outer bark, thus exposing
the soft fibrous interior (Plate LIII); then a section of bamboo is bent
so as to resemble an adze[sic], and with this the men loosen or break up
the soft interior portion of the trunk. This is removed to a near-by
stream, and is placed in a bark vat into which water is led by means of
bamboo tubes. Here a woman works it with her hands until the starch
grains are separated from the fibrous matter. As the water drains slowly
out the fine starch is carried with it into a coarse cloth sieve, which
retains all the larger matter but allows the starch to be carried into
another bark vat below. Fresh water passes slowly through this lower
vat, removing the bitter sap from the flour, which is deposited on the
bottom of the vat. From time to time this is scraped up and placed in
baskets where it is kept until needed. The flour, while rather
tasteless, is nutritious and in years of drought is the chief source of
food supply.
[65] _Corypha umbraculifera_.
Preparation of the meals, care of the children, basket and mat making,
weaving and decoration of clothing, take up most of the time of the
women when they are not engaged in the cultivation of the fields or in
search of forest products.
The hardest work in the fields falls to the men; they also strip the
hemp needed in weaving, while a few of them are skilled workers in brass
and copper and turn out bells and other ornaments not at all inferior to
those of the coast natives. Their methods of casting as well as their
manufactures are identical with those of the Bagobo from whom they
probably learned the art. So far as could be learned no iron work is
done by members of this tribe, and the few spears and knives possessed
by the warriors seem to be trade articles.
The old men claim that until recent years the bow and arrow was their
sole offensive weapon. It is certain that today they have a greater
variety of arrows and are more skillful in the use of this type of
weapon than are any of their neighbors. None of the weapons found on the
gulf side of the divide appeared to be poisoned, but a number secured by
Major Porter from the Lake Buluan region seem to have been so treated
(Fig. 38). Different types of arrows have been developed for different
purposes; one for fighting, another for deer and pig, another for
monkeys, and still others for fish and birds (Fig. 39). Birds are killed
also by means of reed blow guns, identical in type with those shown on
page 73, Fig. 18. As a rule such weapons are used by boys. Pitch sticks
(Fig. 40), chicken snares, and fish traps are in common use, but bird
nets and wooden decoys seem to be unknown.