214 THE MANOBOS OF MINDANAO— GARVAN [M, "To£xxm, 



The priests emerged from their trance and no further ceremonies were performed except the 

 taking of omens. This occupied several hours and was performed by little groups, even the 

 young boys trying their hand at it. 



When the pig had been cooked it was set out on the floor and was partaken of in the usual 

 way. There was little brew on hand. I learned that on such occasions it is not customary to 

 indulge to any great extent in drinking. 



The party expected to begin the march that afternoon; but as the scouts had not returned 

 they waited until the next morning. 



When the march was about to begin, and while the party still stood on the river bank, the 

 leader wrenched the head off a chicken and took observations from the blood and intestines. 

 These were not as satisfactory as was desired, but were considered favorable enough to warrant 

 beginning the march tentatively. Upon the entrance of the party into the forest the omen bird 

 was invoked; its cry proved favorable, and the march began. 



HUMAN SACRIFICE 13 



I never witnessed a human sacrifice nor was I ever able to verify the facts in the locality in 

 which one had occurred, but I have no doubt that such sacrifices were made occasionally by 

 Man6bos in former times. 



It is not strange that a custom of this kind should exist in a country where a human being 

 is a mere chattel, sometimes valued at less than a good dog. When it is considered that in 

 Man6boland revenge is not only a virtue but a precept, and often a sacred inheritance, it stands 

 to reason that to sacrifice the life of an enemy or of an enemy's friend or relative would be an 

 act of the highest merit. From what I have observed of Man6bo ways I can readily conceive 

 the satisfaction and glee with which an enemy would be offered up to the war deities of a settle- 

 ment, slowly lanced or stabbed to death, and then the heart, liver, and blood taken ceremoni- 

 ally. A very common expression of anger used by one Man6bo to another is "huagon lea," that 

 is, "May you be sacrificed." 



I find verbal evidences of human sacrifices in those regions only that are near to the terri- 

 tory of the Bag6bos and the Mandayas. This leads me to think that the custom is either of 

 Bag6bo or of Mandaya origin. 



The Jesuit missionary Urios u makes mention of the case of Malifigaan who lived on the 

 upper Simulao, contiguous to the Mandaya country. In order to cure himself of a severe illness 

 he had a little girl sacrificed. Urios describes the punitive expedition sent out against him, 

 and the death of Malifigaan by his own hand. 



I have heard of numerous cases, especially in the region at the headwaters of the Baobo, 

 Ihawan, and Sabud Rivers. One particular case will illustrate the manner in which the ceremony 

 is performed. My authority for the account is one who claimed to have participated in the 

 sacrifice. 



A boy slave, who belonged to the man that arranged the sacrifice, was selected. The slave 

 was given to understand that the object of the ceremony was to cure him of a loathsome disease 

 from which he was suffering. 16 The preparatory ceremonies were described as being of the 

 same character as those which take place in the ordinary pig sacrifice for the war spirit, namely, 

 the offering of the betel-nut tribute, the solemn invocation of the war spirits and supplication 

 for the recovery of the officiant's son, the sacred dance performed by the warrior priests, and the 

 offering of betel nut to the soul of the slave that it might harbor no ill will against the participants 

 in the ceremony. 



The slave, the narrator informed me, was left unmolested, being entertained by companions 

 of his age until the moment for the sacrifice arrived, when he was seized and quickly bound to a 

 tree. The warrior priest, who was the father of the sick one, then shouted out in a loud voice 



11 Hu-i-ta. 



" Cartas de los PP. de la Compaflla de Jesus, Cuaderno V, letter from Father Saturaino Urios, Patroclnlo, Sept. 16, 1881. 



<• Ta-bu-idu. 



