CHAPTER XXV 



CEREMONIAL ACCESSORIES AND RELIGIOUS RITES 



GENEEAL REMARKS 



The differences which I observed in the performance of ceremonies in different localities 

 appear to be due to the vagaries and idiosyncrasies of the individual performers and not to any 

 established system. But in the main these variations are not essential. For example, in certain 

 localities the blood of the pig as it issues forth from the lance wound is sucked from the wound, 

 while in others it is caught in convenient receptacles and then drank. In the following pages I 

 will attempt to give a description of the accessories, the sacrifices, and their associated ceremonies 

 which may be considered general for the Man6bos of the middle and upper Agiisan. 



THE PARAPHERNALIA OF THE PRIEST 



THE RELIGIOUS SHED ' AND THE BAILAN's HOUSE 



The priest has no special residence nor any special religious structure except a little wooden 

 shed and a few ceremonial trays that will be described later. His house is not more capacious nor 

 pretentious than that of anyone else, in fact it is often less so, but it may be recognized always by 

 the presence of the drum and gong, by the little religious shed near by, and by the presence of 

 a few lances, bolos, daggers, and various other objects that are considered heritages, 2 handed down 

 from his predecessors in the priestly office. It is not unusual for the priest, especially among the 

 Christianized Man6bos, to have two houses, one for the residence of his family and another 

 which, by its seclusion, is better adapted for the celebration of religious rites. Hither he may 

 repair, after assisting perhaps at the Catholic services in the settlement, to perform the pagan 

 ceremonies that for him have more truth and efficacy than the Christian rites. While in the 

 settlement and in contact with Christians, he is to all appearances a Christian, but in the moment 

 of trial or tribulation he hies him to the seclusion of his other house and, in the presence of his 

 fellow believers, performs the primitive rites in honor of beings who, to his mind, are more potent 

 to help or to hurt than the hierarchy of Catholic belief. 



In this second house, then, will be found, without fail, not only the priestly heirlooms, but 

 all such objects as have been consecrated 3 either by himself or by one of the settlement to the 

 friendly deities. It may be remarked here that these consecrated objects can not be disposed 

 of except by performing a sacrifice, or by making a substitution, usually in the form of pigs and 

 fowl which ipso facto become consecrated, and are eventually sacrificed to the proper deity. 



EQUIPMENT FOR CEREMONIES 



The altar house is a rude bamboo structure consisting of four posts, averaging 1.8 meters 

 high, upon which is a roof of palm thatch. About 45 centimeters beneath this are set one or 

 two shelves for the reception of the oblation bowls and dishes. The whole fabric is decorated 

 with a few fronds of palm trees, 4 and covers a space of approximately 2.4 square meters. 



The ceremonial salver 6 is a rectangular wooden tray, generally of ttdng-ildng wood, usually 

 decorated with incised, traced, or carved designs, and having pendants of palm fronds. It is the 

 ceremonial salver on which are set out the offerings of pig, fowl, rice, betel nut, and other things 

 for the deities. 



The sacrificial stand 6 also is made out of ildng-ildng wood. It consists of a disk of wood set 

 upon a leg, and is used for making the offerings of betel nut and other things. 



i Ka-mi-lig. < The fronds used are one or more of the following palms: Betel nut, ambling, kagviu, and coconut. 



' An-ka. » Ban-kaso. 



' Sin-un-bi-han. « Ta-li-iung. 



204 



