Among the Pagan Tribes.
With Padre Cipriano I had started out on horseback from the little
trading station on Davao Bay. We were to strike along the east
coast, in the territory of the fierce Mandayas, and to penetrate some
distance into the interior in order to convert the pagans with the long
eyelashes who inhabited this unknown region. It was a clear day when
we set out on our missionary enterprise, and we could see the black
peak of Mount Apo, which, according to the legends of the wild Bagobos,
is the throne of the great King of Devils, and the gate to hell.
We struck a faint trail leading to the foot-hills where the barren
ridges overlooked the sparkling sea--a vast cerulian expanse without a
single fleck of a white sail. The trail led through the great fields
of buffalo-grass, out of which gigantic solitary trees shot up a
hundred feet into the air. There were no signs of life, only the
vultures in the topmost branches of the trees. Wild horses, taking
flight at our approach, stampeded for the forest. Nothing could
be seen in the tall grass. Even in our saddles it was higher than
our heads. The trail became more rugged as we entered the big belt
of forest on the foot-hills. A wild hog bolted for the jungle with
distressed grunts. It was a world of white vines falling from the lofty
branches of the trees. The animal life in some of the great trees was
wonderful. The branches were divided into zones, wherein each class
of bird or reptile had its habitat. Around the base were galleries of
white ants. Flying lizards from the gnarled trunk skated through the
air. Green reptiles crawled along the horizontal branches. Parrakeets,
a colony of saucy green and red balls, screamed and protested from the
lower zones. An agile monkey swung from one of the long sweeping vines,
and scolded at us from another tree. Bats, owls, and crows inhabited
the upper regions, while the buzzards perched like evil omens in the
topmost boughs.
Just when our throats were parched from lack of water, we discovered
a small mountain torrent gushing over the rocks and bowlders of the
rugged slope. Leaning across one of the large bowlders, from a dark
pool where the sunlight never penetrated, we scooped up refreshing
hatfuls of the ice-cold water. Here was the world as God first found
it, when he said that it was good. It was impressive and mysterious. It
seemed to wrap us in a mystic spell. What wonder that the pagan tribes
that roamed through the interior had peopled it with gods and spirits
of the chase, and that the trees and rivers seemed to them the spirits
of the good or evil deities? The note of the wood-pigeon sounded on the
right. The padre smiled as he looked up. "That is a favorable omen,"
he declared. "In the religion of the river-dwellers, the Bagobos,
when the wood-dove calls, it is the voice of God. Hark! It is coming
from the right. It is a favorable sign, and we can go upon our journey
undisturbed. But had we heard it on the left, it would have been to us
a warning to turn back. Our journey then would have been unpropitious,
and we would have been afraid to go on farther."
"Does it not seem like a grand cathedral," said the padre, "this vast
forest? In the days when Northern Europe was a wilderness and savage
people hunted in the forests; in the days when the undaunted Norsemen
braved the stormy ocean in their daring craft,--here, in these woods,
the petty chiefs and head men held their courts of justice after the
traditions of their tribes, just as they do to-day. Here they have
set their traps--the arrows loosened from a bamboo spring--and while
they waited, they have left the offering of eggs and rice for the good
deity. Here they have hunted their blood enemies, lying in ambush,
or digging pitfalls where the sharpened stakes were planted. Tama,
the god of venery, has lured the deer into their traps; Tumanghob,
god of harvest, whom they have invited to their feasts, has made the
corn and the _camotes_ prosper; Mansilitan, the great spirit, has
descended from the mountain-tops and aided them against their enemies."
We knew that it was growing late by the deep shadows of the
woods. So, taking our bearings with a pocket compass, we turned
east in the direction of the coast. There was no trail to follow,
and we blundered on as best we could. We had now been in the saddle
for ten hours. The ponies stumbled frequently, for they were almost
spent. The moon rose, and the hoary mountain loomed up just ahead of
us. "We seem to be lost," said the padre; "that is a strange peak to
me." But nevertheless we kept on toward the east. Soon we had passed
beyond the forest, which appeared behind us a great dusky belt. The
numerous rocks and crags made progress difficult, almost impossible.
"Look!" said the padre, "do you see that light?" We tethered the
ponies at a distance, crept up stealthily behind the rocks, and
reconnoitered. And what we looked on was the strangest sight that ever
mortal eyes beheld. It was like living again in the Dark Ages--in the
days before the sages and the sun-myth. It was like turning back the
leaves of history--back to the legendary, prehistoric times.
A lofty grove encircled a chaotic mass of rock. The clearing
was illuminated by the flaring torches carried by a dusky band of
men. Weird shadows leaped and played in the dense foliage, where, high
above the ground, rude shelters had been made in the thick branches
of the trees. The form of a woman, flashing with silver trinkets when
the rays of light fell on her, was descending from a tree by means of
a long parasitic vine. Around the palm-leaf huts that occupied the
center of the amphitheater, an altar of bamboo had been erected. We
could see, in the dim light, rude images of idols standing in front
of every hut and near the altar.
As our eyes became accustomed to the gloom, we could make out the
forms of men and women, dressed in brilliant colors and with silver
bracelets on their arms. In silence we crept closer. The crowd
was visibly excited. It was evident that something of a solemn
and extraordinary nature was about to be performed. There were the
chief assassins, so the padre whispered to me, who were decorated
savagely, according to the number of victims each had slain. The
ordinary men wore open vests or jackets and loose pantaloons. The
women, evidently decked out with a complement of finery in honor of
the celebration, wore short aprons reaching to the knee. Some wore
gold collars around their necks and silver-embroidered slippers on
their feet. Their bare arms sparkled with the coils of silver bands
and bracelets that encircled them, while silver anklets jingled with
the movement of their feet. They had red tassels in their hair, and
earrings made of pieces of carved bone. A number of dancing-girls, as
they appeared to be, had strings of red and yellow beads or animals'
teeth fastened around their necks. Their breasts were covered with
short bodices that fell so as to leave a portion of the waist exposed.
The chief assassins were completely clad in scarlet, indicating
that the wearer had disposed of more than twenty enemies. The lesser
assassins wore yellow handkerchiefs around their heads, and some were
dignified with scarlet vests. A miserable naked slave was pinioned
where he had been thrown upon the ground near by. Although of the
inferior race of the Bilanes from Lake Buluan, his eyes flashed as
he regarded the assembled people scornfully. They were to offer up
a human sacrifice to Mansilitan, the all-powerful god.
The head men seemed to be engaged in a dispute. A wild hog, also lying
near the altar, was the object of their serious attention. After they
had chattered for a while, and having evidently decided on the pig, the
drums and tambourines struck up a doleful melody, and those assembled
joined in a solemn chant. The pig was carefully lifted to the altar,
and the chant grew more intensified. A number of dancing-girls,
describing mystic circles with their jeweled arms, were trembling
violently, bending rhythmically, gracefully from side to side. The
music seemed to hypnotize the people, who kept shuffling with their
feet monotonously on the ground. The leader of the dance then stuck
the living pig with a sharp dagger. As the red blood spurted out,
she caught a mouthful of it, and applying her mouth quickly to the
wound, she sucked the fluid till she reeled and fell away. Another
followed her example, and another, till the pig was drained.
It was not difficult to fancy a like orgy with the quivering slave
upon the altar in the place of the wild hog. The spirit of Mansilitan
then came down--the spirit was, of course, invisible--and talked with
the head men about their enemies, the crops, and game. The chiefs were
chewing cinnamon and betel till their mouths were red. The master of
ceremonies then brought out enormous quantities of _tuba_, and his
guests completed the religious ceremony with a wholesale drunk.
Under the cover of the darkness, Padre Cipriano and I slipped away. We
shuddered at what we had just seen, and were silent. Leading the ponies
a short distance into the brush, we slept upon the blankets which the
ponies had completely saturated with their perspiration. All night
we dreamed of human sacrifices and the warm blood spurting from the
victim's breast.... They had the padre now upon the altar, and the
chief had bidden me to take the knife and draw his blood. But the
great god--a creature with the horns of a bull carabao--descended,
crying that the enemy was now upon us and the crops had failed. From
our uneasy sleep the crowing of the jungle-fowl awakened us, and
for the first time we expressed ourselves in words. "Padre," I said,
"it's just like being in a book of Du Chaillu's or Rider Haggard's;"
and the padre smiled.
After the ponies, who were very stiff, were limbered up a bit, we
traveled on in the direction of the sea. We stopped beside a mountain
stream to bathe and eat a breakfast of canned sausages. That afternoon
we rode into a small Mandaya settlement where the head man showed
Padre Cipriano every courtesy at his command. They listened eagerly to
Padre Cipriano, who could speak their language well, as he explained
to them about another Mansilitan, greatest God of all. A number of
them even consented to be baptized; but I am very much afraid that the
conversion was at best a transient one. The head man ordered that his
runners bring into the village of Davao for the padre gifts of game,
wild hog, deer, and jungle-fowl, and, after the padre had presented
him with several strings of green and yellow beads--for the Mandayas
have no use for black beads as their neighbors, the Manobos have--we
took our departure, guided to the trail by a distinguished warrior.
During our sojourn in the settlement we picked up many curious
and interesting facts. Like most of the wild tribes of Mindanao,
that of the Mandayas is athletic and robust. The faces of the men
are somewhat girlish and effeminate, while the expressions of the
warriors are unique. Upon their countenances cunning, cruelty, and
diabolical resource are stamped indelibly. In front of every house
a wooden idol stands, while inside, on a little table, is a smaller
image overwhelmed by gifts of fruit and rice, which members of the
family continually leave upon the shrine. A tiny sack of rice hangs
from the idol's neck, and betel-nuts for him to chew are placed where
they are easily accessible. During the preparation of the evening meal,
one of the family will play upon a native instrument, dancing meanwhile
around the room, and lifting up his voice in supplication to the deity.
The petty ruler or head man is chosen by a natural process of
selection. He is invariably one who, by his prowess and intelligence,
commands the respect and the obedience of all. Assisted by a local
justice of the peace, a bailiff, and a secretary, he conducts affairs
according to the old traditions handed down almost from the beginning
of the world. The families live together, thus preserving clans,
while blood feuds with the neighboring clans or tribes lead to a
system of perpetual extermination, which will be continued till the
tribe becomes extinct. And if the enemy himself can not be killed,
the nearest relative or friend will satisfy the aggressor's hatred
just as well. Cannibalism has been practiced in this tribe with fearful
and disgusting rites. The human sacrifices that they make appease not
only the great spirit, but the lesser ones, the man and wife, or evil
spirits, and the father and son, good spirits. When they go to war,
the lighting men use lances, swords, and bows and arrows. On their
wooden shields, daubed over with red paint, arranged around the edges
like a fringe, are tufts of hair--the souvenirs of men whom they have
killed. Their coats of mail are made of carabao horn cut into small
plates, or of pieces of rattan.
The only use they have for money is to make it into decorations and
embellishments for their most valued weapons, anklets and rings and
collars, which they wear without discrimination. They are a very
imaginative and a superstitious people. From their infancy they
are familiar with the dwarfs, the giants, and the witches, which,
according to the tales of the old women, haunt the woods. A crocodile
that lives down in the center of the earth causes the earthquakes, and,
to put a stop to these, the crocodiles must be persuaded by religious
incantations to go back to bed. A solar eclipse threatens a great
calamity to them, and they are sure that if they do not frighten away
the serpent who is trying to devour the sun, their land will never
see the morning light again. To this end they unite in beating drums
and making a loud noise with sticks.
They bury their dead in coffins made of hollowed logs. A pot of rice
and the familiar weapons will be placed within the grave, so that the
soul will have protection and a food supply for the long journey. And,
like Jacob, the prospective bridegroom has to serve the parents of the
bride for five or seven years before the marriage ceremony can take
place. The marriage-ties are sacred even with this savage race. The
groom-to-be, making from time to time, gifts of wild hogs, rice,
and weapons to the parents of the bride-elect, is finally rewarded
with the bride, and with a dowry as well; perhaps a slave, a bucket
of _tuba_, or a silver-mounted bolo. The average value of a bride
is five or six slaves, which the bridegroom pays if he is able. At
the marriage ceremony the contracting parties generally present each
other with small cups of rice, to signify that they must now endeavor
mutually to support each other.
Among other tribes of the interior of Mindanao, in the river basins
of the Salug and the Agusan, along the east coast, and Davao Bay,
and on the mountain slopes, are the Manobos, possibly of Indonesian
origin, kings of the wilderness, inhabiting the river valleys; the
intrepid Attas, from the slopes of the volcano Apo; the Bagobos,
with their interesting faces and bright clothes, living to the east
of Apo; the fierce Dulaganes of the forests, whom the Moros fear;
Samales, from the island in Davao Bay, strong, bearded people, with
big hands and feet; Bilanes, from Lake Buluan, a wandering, nomadic
race; and the Monteses of the north, sun-worshipers and petty traders.
All of these tribes are probably of Indonesian origin, an independent
origin from that of the Visayans, the Tagalogs, the Negritos, or the
Moros, but of the same social level with the Malay-Chinese pagans of
the northern isles.
I used to see the Montese traders in the market-place of Cagayan
(Misamis), their mobile mouths swimming with betel-juice, with
rings and bracelets on their toes and arms, the girls with hair
banged saucily, adorned with bells and tassels, and with bodices
inadequately covering the breasts; and as they squatted down on
the woven mats, around the honey or the wax they had for sale, they
looked like gypsies from Roumania or Hungary. The men wore bright,
tight-fitting pantaloons and dirty turbans. They resemble the Moros
somewhat in appearance, and have either intermingled with this tribe
or else can trace their origin to Borneo. While they are not so wild
or so exclusive as their fellow-tribes, they quickly resent intrusion
into their towns or their society.
They carry on a slave trade with their neighbors, stealing or kidnaping
from the other tribes, and being stolen from in turn. The women of
some tribes brand their children, filling in the wound with a blue
dye, that serves as an identification if they happen to be snatched
away. The various religious ideas of these pagans are intangible and
indeterminate. The forest seems to be the abiding-place of gods. Some
tribes will offer feasts to these divinities, either leaving the
flesh and rice out in the woods to find that it has disappeared next
morning, or, in many cases, eating it themselves, provided that the
god, who has been earnestly invited, fails to come. The god of disease
is also recognized, and natives living on the coast have been known,
in the time of cholera, to fill canoes with rice and fruit in order
to appease this deity, and leave the boats to drift out with the tide.
Among the Bagobos, curious traditions and religious rites exist. Every
Bagobo thinks he has two souls or spirits; one a good one, and the
other altogether to the bad. To them the summit of Mount Apo is the
throne of the great Devil King, who watches over the crater with
his wife. The crater is the entry-way to hell, and no one can ascend
the mountain if he has not previously offered up a human sacrifice,
so that the Devil King may have a taste of human flesh and blood,
and being satiated, will desire no more. Cannibalism has existed in
these regions more as a religious orgy than a means of sustenance. A
dish was made consisting of the quivering vitals of the victim,
mixed with sweet potatoes, rice, or fruit.
Upon the death of any member of the tribe the house in which he lived
is burned. The body is placed within a hollow tree, and stands for
several days, while a barbaric feast is held around it. The Samales
bury their dead upon a coral island, placing them in grottoes, which
they visit annually with harvest offerings.