aca^y or science GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE 159 



considerable distances from the dwelling, the reluctance to leave the region of one's birth, the 

 unwillingness to visit remote mountains and similar places, the fear of doing anything unusual 

 in places thought to be the domain of a deity — these and numerous other ideas — are to be 

 attributed to the observance of customary law. 



In this connection it may be well to remark that a stranger visiting remote Manobo settle- 

 ments without an introduction or without previous warning should be very careful, if he desires 

 to deal with these primitive people in a spirit of friendship, not to break openly and flagrantly 

 any such regulations, principally religious ones, as may be pointed out to him. In fact it would 

 be well to ascertain as soon as possible what is expected of him. I have always made it a point 

 to announce that I would not be responsible for any evil consequences attending my violation 

 of customs that I was ignorant of and I have requested my new friends to acquaint me with 

 such customs and beliefs as might differ from those of other Manobo settlements. 



PROPRIETARY LAWS AND OBLIGATIONS 



CONCEPTION OF PROPERTY RIGHTS 



Property rights in the full sense of the word are not only very clearly understood but very 

 sternly maintained. The Manobo conception of them is so high that, with the exception of 

 such things as camotes and other vegetable products, even gifts must be paid for. And even 

 for such trifling things as camotes, an equivalent in kind is expected at the option of the donor. 

 During my wanderings I was always in the habit of making presents as compensation for the 

 food furnished me, and was frequently asked why I had done so, and why I did not make the 

 recipients of these presents pay me. No explanation could change the strong belief that all 

 property of any value, whether given under contract or not, should be paid for. This principle 

 is further evidenced by the fact that there is no word in the Man6bo dialect for gift nor is there 

 any word for thanks. In some places, however, they have a conception of "alms." 3 On many 

 occasions one of the first requests made to me by a new acquaintance of some standing was a 

 request for alms. I am of opinion that this idea was acquired by them from the universal 

 reports concerning the liberality of the missionaries who from the middle of the seventeenth 

 century labored in the Agusan Valley. A request for alms or for a present of any value is 

 seldom made by one Manobo of another, but when it is made it is met by a simple answer, "I 

 do not owe you anything. " That settles the question at once. 



My practice of distributing gifts frequently aroused some ill feeling. For example, on 

 many occasions I was asked by individuals why I had made presents to so-and-so and not to 

 them. It was necessary in these cases to explain that I owed a debt of good will to the indi- 

 viduals referred to and that I would most assuredly give like gifts to others whenever I should 

 become indebted to them in a similar manner. 



LAND AND OTHER PROPERTY 



Customary law regarding public land is very simple. Each clan and, in some cases, one 

 or more individual family chiefs, have districts which are the collective property of the clan or 

 family. Theoretically this ownership gives hunting, fishing, agricultural, and other rights 

 to that clan or family, to the exclusion of others. In practice, however, anyone who is on good 

 terms with the chief who represents the family or the clan in question, may occupy a portion 

 of the land without any other formality than that of mentioning the matter to the proper chief. 

 The occupation presumes that the occupant is on terms of good will with the chief, and it never 

 implies that the new occupant is required to pay anything for the use of the land. With regard 

 to fishing rights, especially when the fish-poisoning method is employed, it is very often stip- 

 ulated that a share of the catch shall be given to the owner. When the two parties concerned 

 are on good terms, the territory of one may be used by the other for hunting, apparently without 

 any question. 



' Li-mot, probably from the Spanish limotna, alms. 



