(_Two Relations by Juan de Plasencia, O.S.F._)
After receiving your Lordship's letter, I wished to reply immediately;
but I postponed my answer in order that I might first thoroughly
inform myself in regard to your request, and to avoid discussing
the conflicting reports of the Indians, who are wont to tell what
suits their purpose. Therefore, to this end, I collected Indians from
different districts--old men, and those of most capacity, all known
to me; and from them I have obtained the simple truth, after weeding
out much foolishness, in regard to their government, administration
of justice, inheritances, slaves, and dowries. [25] It is as follows:
_Customs of the Tagalogs_
This people always had chiefs, called by them _datos_, who governed
them and were captains in their wars, and whom they obeyed and
reverenced. The subject who committed any offense against them,
or spoke but a word to their wives and children, was severely punished.
These chiefs ruled over but few people; sometimes as many as
a hundred houses, sometimes even less than thirty. This tribal
gathering is called in Tagalo a _barangay_. It was inferred that the
reason for giving themselves this name arose from the fact (as they
are classed, by their language, among the Malay nations) that when
they came to this land, the head of the barangay, which is a boat,
thus called--as is discussed at length in the first chapter of the
first ten chapters--became a _dato_. And so, even at the present day,
it is ascertained that this barangay in its origin was a family of
parents and children, relations and slaves. There were many of these
barangays in each town, or, at least, on account of wars, they did
not settle far from one another. They were not, however, subject to
one another, except in friendship and relationship. The chiefs, in
their various wars, helped one another with their respective barangays.
In addition to the chiefs, who corresponded to our knights, there
were three castes: nobles, commoners, and slaves. The nobles were the
free-born whom they call _maharlica_. They did not pay tax or tribute
to the dato, but must accompany him in war, at their own expense. The
chief offered them beforehand a feast, and afterward they divided
the spoils. Moreover, when the dato went upon the water those whom he
summoned rowed for him. If he built a house, they helped him, and had
to be fed for it. The same was true when the whole barangay went to
clear up his lands for tillage. The lands which they inhabited were
divided among the whole barangay, especially the irrigated portion,
and thus each one knew his own. No one belonging to another barangay
would cultivate them unless after purchase or inheritance. The lands
on the _tingues_, or mountain-ridges, are not divided, but owned in
common by the barangay. Consequently, at the time of the rice harvest,
any individual of any particular barangay, although he may have come
from some other village, if he commences to clear any land may sow it,
and no one can compel him to abandon it. There are some villages (as,
for example, Pila de la Laguna) in which these nobles, or maharlicas,
paid annually to the dato a hundred gantas of rice. The reason of this
was that, at the time of their settlement there, another chief occupied
the lands, which the new chief, upon his arrival, bought with his own
gold; and therefore the members of his barangay paid him for the arable
land, and he divided it, among those whom he saw fit to reward. But
now, since the advent of the Spaniards, it is not so divided.
The chiefs in some villages had also fisheries, with established
limits, and sections of the rivers for markets. At these no one could
fish, or trade in the markets, without paying for the privilege,
unless he belonged to the chief's barangay or village.
The commoners are called _aliping namamahay_. They are married, and
serve their master, whether he be a dato or not, with half of their
cultivated lands, as was agreed upon in the beginning. They accompanied
him whenever he went beyond the island, and rowed for him. They live
in their own houses, and are lords of their property and gold. Their
children inherit it, and enjoy their property and lands. The children,
then, enjoy the rank of their fathers, and they cannot be made slaves
(_sa guiguilir_) nor can either parents or children be sold. If they
should fall by inheritance into the hands of a son of their master who
was going to dwell in another village, they could not be taken from
their own village and carried with him; but they would remain in their
native village, doing service there and cultivating the sowed lands.
The slaves are called _aliping sa guiguilir_. They serve their master
in his house and on his cultivated lands, and may be sold. The master
grants them, should he see fit, and providing that he has profited
through their industry, a portion of their harvests, so that they
may work faithfully. For these reasons, servants who are born in the
house of their master are rarely, if ever, sold. That is the lot of
captives in war, and of those brought up in the harvest fields.
Those to whom a debt was owed transferred the debt to another, thereby
themselves making a profit, and reducing the wretched debtors to a
slavery which was not their natural lot. If any person among those
who were made slaves (_sa guiguilir_)--through war, by the trade of
goldsmith, or otherwise--happened to possess any gold beyond the sum
that he had to give his master, he ransomed himself, becoming thus
a _namamahay_, or what we call a commoner. The price of this ransom
was never less than five taels, and from that upwards; and if he gave
ten or more taels, as they might agree, he became wholly free. An
amusing ceremony accompanied this custom. After having divided all
the trinkets which the slave possessed, if he maintained a house of
his own, they divided even the pots and jars, and if an odd one of
these remained, they broke it; and if a piece of cloth were left,
they parted it in the middle.
The difference between the _aliping namamahay_ and the _aliping sa
guiguilir_, should be noted; for, by a confusion of the two terms,
many have been classed as slaves who really are not. The Indians seeing
that the alcaldes-mayor do not understand this, have adopted the custom
of taking away the children of the _aliping namamahay_, making use
of them as they would of the _aliping sa guiguilir_, as servants in
their households, which is illegal, and if the _aliping namamahay_
should appeal to justice, it is proved that he is an _aliping_ as
well as his father and mother before him and no reservation is made
as to whether he is _aliping namamahay_ or _atiping sa guiguilir_. He
is at once considered an _alipin_, without further declaration. In
this way he becomes a _sa guiguilir_, and is even sold. Consequently,
the alcaldes-mayor should be instructed to ascertain, when anyone
asks for his _alipin_, to which class he belongs, and to have the
answer put in the document that they give him.
In these three classes, those who are _maharlicas_ on both the father's
and mother's side continue to be so forever; and if it happens that
they should become slaves, it is through marriage, as I shall soon
explain. If these maharlicas had children among their slaves, the
children and their mothers became free; if one of them had children
by the slave-woman of another, she was compelled, when pregnant, to
give her master half of a gold tael, because of her risk of death,
and for her inability to labor during the pregnancy. In such a case
half of the child was free--namely, the half belonging to the father,
who supplied the child with food. If he did not do this, he showed
that he did not recognize him as his child, in which case the latter
was wholly a slave. If a free woman had children by a slave, they
were all free, provided he were not her husband.
If two persons married, of whom one was a _maharlica_ and the other
a slave, whether _namamahay_ or _sa guiguilir_, the children were
divided: the first, whether male or female, belonged to the father,
as did the third and fifth; the second, the fourth, and the sixth
fell to the mother, and so on. In this manner, if the father were
free, all those who belonged to him were free; if he were a slave,
all those who belonged to him were slaves; and the same applied to
the mother. If there should not be more than one child he was half
free and half slave. The only question here concerned the division,
whether the child were male or female. Those who became slaves fell
under the category of servitude which was their parent's, either
namamahay or sa guiguilir. If there were an odd number of children,
the odd one was half free and half slave. I have not been able to
ascertain with any certainty when or at what age the division of
children was made, for each one suited himself in this respect. Of
these two kinds of slaves the sa guiguilir could be sold, but not the
namamahay and their children, nor could they be transferred. However,
they could be transferred from the barangay by inheritance, provided
they remained in the same village.
The maharlicas could not, after marriage, move from one village to
another, or from one barangay to another, without paying a certain
fine in gold, as arranged among them. This fine was larger or smaller
according to the inclination of the different villages, running from
one to three taels and a banquet to the entire barangay. Failure
to pay the fine might result in a war between the barangay which
the person left and the one which he entered. This applied equally
to men and women, except that when one married a woman of another
village, the children were afterwards divided equally between the two
barangays. This arrangement kept them obedient to the dato, or chief,
which is no longer the case--because, if the dato is energetic and
commands what the religious fathers enjoin him, they soon leave him
and go to other villages and other datos, who endure and protect them
and do not order them about. This is the kind of dato that they now
prefer, not him who has the spirit to command. There is a great need
of reform in this, for the chiefs are spiritless and faint-hearted.
Investigations made and sentences passed by the dato must take place
in the presence of those of his barangay. If any of the litigants
felt himself aggrieved, an arbiter was unanimously named from
another village or barangay, whether he were a dato or not; since
they had for this purpose some persons, known as fair and just men,
who were said to give true judgment according to their customs. If the
controversy lay between two chiefs, when they wished to avoid war,
they also convoked judges to act as arbiters; they did the same if
the disputants belonged to two different barangays. In this ceremony
they always had to drink, the plaintiff inviting the others.
They had laws by which they condemned to death a man of low birth
who insulted the daughter or wife of a chief; likewise witches,
and others of the same class.
They condemned no one to slavery, unless he merited the
death-penalty. As for the witches, they killed them, and their
children and accomplices became slaves of the chief, after he had
made some recompense to the injured person. All other offenses
were punished by fines in gold, which, if not paid with promptness,
exposed the culprit to serve, until the payment should be made, the
person aggrieved, to whom the money was to be paid. This was done in
the following way: Half the cultivated lands and all their produce
belonged to the master. The master provided the culprit with food and
clothing, thus enslaving the culprit and his children until such time
as he might amass enough money to pay the fine. If the father should
by chance pay his debt, the master then claimed that he had fed and
clothed his children, and should be paid therefor. In this way he kept
possession of the children if the payment could not be met. This last
was usually the case, and they remained slaves. If the culprit had
some relative or friend who paid for him, he was obliged to render
the latter half his service until he was paid--not, however, service
within the house as aliping sa guiguilir, but living independently,
as aliping namamahay. If the creditor were not served in this wise,
the culprit had to pay the double of what was lent him. In this way
slaves were made by debt: either sa guiguilir, if they served the
master to whom the judgment applied; or aliping namamahay, if they
served the person who lent them wherewith to pay.
In what concerns loans, there was formerly, and is today, an excess of
usury, which is a great hindrance to baptism as well as to confession;
for it turns out in the same way as I have showed in the case of the
one under judgment, who gives half of his cultivated lands and profits
until he pays the debt. The debtor is condemned to a life of toil;
and thus borrowers become slaves, and after the death of the father
the children pay the debt. Not doing so, double the amount must be
paid. This system should and can be reformed.
As for inheritances, the legitimate children of a father and mother
inherited equally, except in the case where the father and mother
showed a slight partiality by such gifts as two or three gold taels,
or perhaps a jewel.
When the parents gave a dowry to any son, and, when, in order to
marry him to a chief's daughter, the dowry was greater than the
sum given the other sons, the excess was not counted in the whole
property to be divided. But any other thing that should have been
given to any son, though it might be for some necessity, was taken
into consideration at the time of the partition of the property,
unless the parents should declare that such a bestowal was made
outside of the inheritance. If one had had children by two or more
legitimate wives, each child received the inheritance and dowry of
his mother, with its increase, and that share of his father's estate
which fell to him out of the whole. If a man had a child by one of his
slaves, as well as legitimate children, the former had no share in
the inheritance; but the legitimate children were bound to free the
mother, and to give him something--a tael or a slave, if the father
were a chief; or if, finally, anything else were given it was by the
unanimous consent of all. If besides his legitimate children, he had
also some son by a free unmarried woman, to whom a dowry was given
but who was not considered as a real wife, all these were classed as
natural children, although the child by the unmarried woman should
have been begotten after his marriage. Such children did not inherit
equally with the legitimate children, but only the third part. For
example, if there were two children, the legitimate one had two parts,
and the one of the _inaasava_ one part. When there were no children
by a legitimate wife, but only children by an unmarried woman, or
_inaasava_, the latter inherited all. If he had a child by a slave
woman, that child received his share as above stated. If there were
no legitimate or natural child, or a child by an inaasava, whether
there was a son of a slave woman or not, the inheritance went only
to the father or grandparents, brothers, or nearest relatives of the
deceased, who gave to the slave-child as above stated.
In the case of a child by a free married woman, born while she was
married, if the husband punished the adulterer this was considered
a dowry; and the child entered with the others into partition in the
inheritance. His share equaled the part left by the father, nothing
more. If there were no other sons than he, the children and the nearest
relatives inherited equally with him. But if the adulterer were not
punished by the husband of the woman who had the child, the latter
was not considered as his child, nor did he inherit anything. It
should be noticed that the offender was not considered dishonored
by the punishment inflicted, nor did the husband leave the woman. By
the punishment of the father the child was fittingly made legitimate.
Adopted children, of whom there are many among them, inherit the
double of what was paid for their adoption. For example, if one gold
tael was given that he might be adopted when the first father died,
the child was given [in inheritance] two taels. But if this child
should die first, his children do not inherit from the second father,
for the arrangement stops at that point.
This is the danger to which his money is exposed, as well as his being
protected as a child. On this account this manner of adoption common
among them is considered lawful.
Dowries are given by the men to the women's parents. If the latter are
living, they enjoy the use of it. At their death, provided the dowry
has not been consumed, it is divided like the rest of the estate,
equally among the children, except in case the father should care to
bestow something additional upon the daughter. If the wife, at the
time of her marriage, has neither father, mother, nor grandparents,
she enjoys her dowry--which, in such a case, belongs to no other
relative or child. It should be noticed that unmarried women can own
no property, in land or dowry, for the result of all their labors
accrues to their parents.
In the case of a divorce before the birth of children, if the wife left
the husband for the purpose of marrying another, all her dowry and
an equal additional amount fell to the husband; but if she left him,
and did not marry another, the dowry was returned. When the husband
left his wife, he lost the half of the dowry, and the other half was
returned to him. If he possessed children at the time of his divorce,
the whole dowry and the fine went to the children, and was held for
them by their grandparents or other responsible relatives.
I have also seen another practice in two villages. In one case, upon
the death of the wife who in a year's time had borne no children,
the parents returned one-half the dowry to the husband whose wife had
died. In the other case, upon the death of the husband, one-half the
dowry was returned to the relatives of the husband. I have ascertained
that this is not a general practice; for upon inquiry I learned that
when this is done it is done through piety, and that all do not do it.
In the matter of marriage dowries which fathers bestow upon their
sons when they are about to be married, and half of which is given
immediately, even when they are only children, there is a great deal
more complexity. There is a fine stipulated in the contract, that he
who violates it shall pay a certain sum which varies according to the
practice of the village and the affluence of the individual. The fine
was heaviest if, upon the death of the parents, the son or daughter
should be unwilling to marry because it had been arranged by his or
her parents. In this case the dowry which the parents had received
was returned and nothing more. But if the parents were living, they
paid the fine, because it was assumed that it had been their design
to separate the children.
The above is what I have been able to ascertain clearly concerning
customs observed among these natives in all this Laguna and the
tingues, and among the entire Tagalo race. The old men say that a
dato who did anything contrary to this would not be esteemed; and,
in relating tyrannies which they had committed, some condemned them
and adjudged them wicked.
Others, perchance, may offer a more extended narrative, but leaving
aside irrelevant matters concerning government and justice among them,
a summary of the whole truth is contained in the above. I am sending
the account in this clear and concise form because I had received no
orders to pursue the work further. Whatever may be decided upon, it is
certainly important that it should be given to the alcal-des-mayor,
accompanied by an explanation; for the absurdities which are to be
found in their opinions are indeed pitiable.
May our Lord bestow upon your Lordship His grace and spirit, so that in
every step good fortune may be yours; and upon every occasion may your
Lordship deign to consider me your humble servant, to be which would
be the greatest satisfaction and favor that I could receive. Nagcarlán,
October 21, 1589.
_Fray Juan de Plasencia_ [26]
_Relation of the Worship of the Tagalogs, Their Gods, and Their
Burials and Superstitions_
In all the villages, or in other parts of the Filipinas Islands,
there are no temples consecrated to the performing of sacrifices,
the adoration of their idols, or the general practice of idolatry. It
is true that they have the name _simbahan_, which means a temple or
place of adoration; but this is because, formerly, when they wished to
celebrate a festival, which they called _pandot_, or "worship," they
celebrated it in the large house of a chief. There they constructed,
for the purpose of sheltering the assembled people, a temporary shed
on each side of the house, with a roof, called _sibi_, to protect the
people from the wet when it rained. They so constructed the house
that it might contain many people--dividing it, after the fashion
of ships, into three compartments. On the posts of the house they
set small lamps, called _sorihile_; in the center of the house they
placed one large lamp, adorned with leaves of the white palm, wrought
into many designs. They also brought together many drums, large and
small, which they beat successively while the feast lasted, which was
usually four days. During this time the whole barangay, or family,
united and joined in the worship which they call _nagaanitos_. The
house, for the above-mentioned period of time, was called a temple.
Among their many idols there was one called. Badhala, whom they
especially worshiped. The title seems to signify "all powerful,"
or "maker of all things." They also worshiped the sun, which, on
account of its beauty, is almost universally respected and honored by
heathens. They worshiped, too, the moon, especially when it was new,
at which time they held great rejoicings, adoring it and bidding it
welcome. Some of them also adored the stars, although they did not
know them by their names, as the Spaniards and other nations know the
planets--with the one exception of the morning star, which they called
Tala. They knew, too, the "seven little goats" [the Pleiades]--as
we call them--and, consequently, the change of seasons, which they
call Mapolon; and Balatic, which is our Greater Bear. They possessed
many idols called _lic-ha_, which were images with different shapes;
and at times they worshiped any little trifle, in which they adored,
as did the Romans, some particular dead man who was brave in war and
endowed with special faculties, to whom they commended themselves for
protection in their tribulations. They had another idol called Dian
masalanta, who was the patron of lovers and of generation. The idols
called Lacapati and Idianale were the patrons of the cultivated lands
and of husbandry. They paid reverence to water-lizards called by them
_buaya_, or crocodiles, from fear of being harmed by them. They were
even in the habit of offering these animals a portion of what they
carried in their boats, by throwing it into the water, or placing it
upon the bank.
They were, moreover, very liable to find auguries in things they
witnessed. For example, if they left their house and met on the
way a serpent or rat, or a bird called _Tigmamanuguin_ which was
singing in the tree, or if they chanced upon anyone who sneezed,
they returned at once to their house, considering the incident as an
augury that some evil might befall them if they should continue their
journey--especially when the above-mentioned bird sang. This song had
two different forms: in the one case it was considered as an evil
omen; in the other, as a good omen, and then they continued their
journey. They also practiced divination, to see whether weapons,
such as a dagger or knife, were to be useful and lucky for their
possessor whenever occasion should offer.
These natives had no established division of years, months, and days;
these are determined by the cultivation of the soil, counted by moons,
and the different effect produced upon the trees when yielding flowers,
fruits, and leaves: all this helps them in making up the year. The
winter and summer are distinguished as sun-time and water-time--the
latter term designating winter in those regions, where there is no
cold, snow, or ice.
It seems, however, that now since they have become Christians, the
seasons are not quite the same, for at Christmas it gets somewhat
cooler. The years, since the advent of the Spaniards, have been
determined by the latter, and the seasons have been given their proper
names, and they have been divided into weeks.
Their manner of offering sacrifice was to proclaim a feast, and offer
to the devil what they had to eat. This was done in front of the idol,
which they anoint with fragrant perfumes, such as musk and civet,
or gum of the storax-tree and other odoriferous woods, and praise it
in poetic songs sung by the officiating priest, male or female, who
is called _catolonan_. The participants made responses to the song,
beseeching the idol to favor them with those things of which they
were in need, and generally, by offering repeated healths, they all
became intoxicated. In some of their idolatries they were accustomed
to place a good piece of cloth, doubled, over the idol, and over the
cloth a chain or large, gold ring, thus worshiping the devil without
having sight of him. The devil was sometimes liable to enter into
the body of the catolonan, and, assuming her shape and appearance,
filled her with so great arrogance--he being the cause of it--that
she seemed to shoot flames from her eyes; her hair stood on end, a
fearful sight to those beholding, and she uttered words of arrogance
and superiority. In some districts, especially in the mountains, when
in those idolatries the devil incarnated himself and took on the form
of his minister, the latter had to be tied to a tree by his companions,
to prevent the devil in his infernal fury from destroying him. This,
however, happened but rarely. The objects of sacrifice were goats,
fowls, and swine, which were flayed, decapitated, and laid before
the idol. They performed another ceremony by cooking a jar of rice
until the water was evaporated, after which they broke the jar, and
the rice was left as an intact mass which was set before the idol;
and all about it, at intervals, were placed a few buyos--which is a
small fruit [27] wrapped in a leaf with some lime, a food generally
eaten in these regions--as well as fried food and fruits. All the
above-mentioned articles were eaten by the guests at the feast; the
heads [of the animals], after being "offered," as they expressed it,
were cooked and eaten also.
The reasons for offering this sacrifice and adoration were, in addition
to whatever personal matters there might be, the recovery of a sick
person, the prosperous voyage of those embarking on the sea, a good
harvest in the sowed lands, a propitious result in wars, a successful
delivery in childbirth, and a happy outcome in married life. If this
took place among people of rank, the festivities lasted thirty days.
In the case of young girls who first had their monthly courses, their
eyes were blindfolded four days and four nights; and, in the meantime,
the friends and relatives were all invited to partake of food and
drink. At the end of this period, the catolonan took the young girl
to the water, bathed her and washed her head, and removed the bandage
from her eyes. The old men said that they did this in order that the
girls might bear children, and have fortune in finding husbands to
their taste, who would not leave them widows in their youth.
The distinctions made among the priests of the devil were as follows:
The first, called catolonan, as above stated, was either a man or a
woman. This office was an honorable one among the natives, and was
held ordinarily by people of rank, this rule being general in all
the islands.
The second they called _mangagauay_, or witches, who deceived by
pretending to heal the sick. These priests even induced maladies by
their charms, which in proportion to the strength and efficacy of the
witchcraft, are capable of causing death. In this way, if they wished
to kill at once they did so; or they could prolong life for a year
by binding to the waist a live serpent, which was believed to be the
devil, or at least his substance. This office was general throughout
the land. The third they called _manyisalat_, which is the same as
magagauay. These priests had the power of applying such remedies to
lovers that they would abandon and despise their own wives, and in
fact could prevent them from having intercourse with the latter. If
the woman, constrained by these means, were abandoned, it would bring
sickness upon her; and on account of the desertion she would discharge
blood and matter. This office was also general throughout the land.
The fourth was called _mancocolam_, whose duty it was to emit fire
from himself at night, once or oftener each month. This fire could
not be extinguished; nor could it be thus emitted except as the priest
wallowed in the ordure and filth which falls from the houses; and he
who lived in the house where the priest was wallowing in order to emit
this fire from himself, fell ill and died. This office was general.
The fifth was called _hocloban_, which is another kind of witch, of
greater efficacy than the mangagauay. Without the use of medicine,
and by simply saluting or raising the hand, they killed whom they
chose. But if they desired to heal those whom they had made ill by
their charms, they did so by using other charms. Moreover, if they
wished to destroy the house of some Indian hostile to them, they
were able to do so without instruments. This was in Catanduanes,
an island off the upper part of Luzon.
The sixth was called _silagan_, whose office it was, if they saw anyone
clothed in white, to tear out his liver and eat it, thus causing his
death. This, like the preceding, was in the island of Catanduanes. Let
no one, moreover, consider this a fable; because, in Calavan, they
tore out in this way through the anus all the intestines of a Spanish
notary, who was buried in Calilaya by father Fray Juan de Mérida.
The seventh was called _magtatangal_, and his purpose was to show
himself at night to many persons, without his head or entrails. In
such wise the devil walked about and carried, or pretended to carry,
his head to different places; and, in the morning, returned it to his
body--remaining, as before, alive. This seems to me to be a fable,
although the natives affirm that they have seen it, because the devil
probably caused them so to believe. This occurred in Catanduanes.
The eighth they called _osuang_, which is equivalent to "sorcerer;"
they say that they have seen him fly, and that he murdered men and
ate their flesh. This was among the Visayas Islands; among the Tagalos
these did not exist.
The ninth was another class of witches called _mangagayoma_. They
made charms for lovers out of herbs, stones, and wood, which would
infuse the heart with love. Thus did they deceive the people, although
sometimes, through the intervention of the devil, they gained their
ends.
The tenth was known as _sonat_, which is equivalent to "preacher." It
was his office to help one to die, at which time he predicted the
salvation or condemnation of the soul. It was not lawful for the
functions of this office to be fulfilled by others than people of
high standing, on account of the esteem in which it was held. This
office was general throughout the islands.
The eleventh, _pangatahojan_, was a soothsayer, and predicted the
future. This office was general in all the islands.
The twelfth, _bayoguin_, signified a "cotquean," a man whose nature
inclined toward that of a woman.
Their manner of burying the dead was as follows: The deceased was
buried beside his house; and, if he were a chief, he was placed beneath
a little house or porch which they constructed for this purpose. Before
interring him, they mourned him for four days; and afterward laid him
on a boat which served as a coffin or bier, placing him beneath the
porch, where guard was kept over him by a slave. In place of rowers,
various animals were placed within the boat, each one being assigned
a place at the oar by twos--male and female of each species being
together--as for example two goats, two deer, or two fowls. It was
the slave's care to see that they were fed. If the deceased had
been a warrior, a living slave was tied beneath his body until in
this wretched way he died. In course of time, all suffered decay;
and for many days the relatives of the dead man bewailed him, singing
dirges, and praises of his good qualities, until finally they wearied
of it. This grief was also accompanied by eating and drinking. This
was a custom of the Tagalos.
The Aetas, [28] or Negrillos [Negritos] inhabitants of this island, had
also a form of burial, but different. They dug a deep, perpendicular
hole, and placed the deceased within it, leaving him upright with head
or crown unburied, on top of which they put half a cocoa-nut which was
to serve him as a shield. Then they went in pursuit of some Indian,
whom they killed in retribution for the Negrillo who had died. To
this end they conspired together, hanging a certain token on their
necks until some one of them procured the death of the innocent one.
These infidels said that they knew that there was another life of
rest which they called _maca_, just as if we should say "paradise,"
or, in other words, "village of rest." They say that those who go
to this place are the just, and the valiant, and those who lived
without doing harm, or who possessed other moral virtues. They
said also that in the other life and mortality, there was a place
of punishment, grief, and affliction, called _casanaan_, which was
"a place of anguish;" they also maintained that no one would go to
heaven, where there dwelt only Bathala, "the maker of all things,"
who governed from above. There were also other pagans who confessed
more clearly to a hell, which they called, as I have said, casanaan;
they said that all the wicked went to that place, and there dwelt
the demons, whom they called _sitan_.
All the various kinds of infernal ministers were, therefore, as has
been stated: _catolonan; sonat_ (who was a sort of bishop who ordained
priestesses and received their reverence, for they knelt before him as
before one who could pardon sins, and expected salvation through him);
_mangagauay, manyisalat, mancocolam, hocloban, silagan, magtatangal,
osuan, mangagayoma, pangatahoan_. [29]
There were also ghosts, which they called _vibit_; and phantoms,
which they called _Tigbalaang_. They had another deception--namely,
that if any woman died in childbirth, she and the child suffered
punishment; and that, at night, she could be heard lamenting. This
was called _patianac_. May the honor and glory be God our Lord's,
that among all the Tagalos not a trace of this is left; and that
those who are now marrying do not even know what it is, thanks to
the preaching of the holy gospel, which has banished it.