220 THE MANOBOS OF MINDANAO— GARVAN [MEMO (vo?xxift 



be safe for him to proceed on a journey the following day. The pipe by a slight gyratory motion 

 at once intimated its assent. He then besought it to make no mistake, and, after carefully 

 stilling the movement of his oracle, repeated the question two different times, receiving each 

 time an affirmative answer. The consultation was made within a heavy hempen mosquito net 

 of abdkd fiber, and, as the pipe had been suspended in a position where the heated air from the 

 candle could affect it, it is not surprising that it displayed a tendency to be in constant movement. 



THE OMEN FROM EGGS 12 



A fresh egg, or one that is known still to be in good condition, is broken in two and the con- 

 tents gently emptied into a plate or bowl. If the white and the yoke remain separated, the omen 

 is favorable but if they should mix, it is of ominous import. Should the egg prove to be rotten, 

 the omen is thought to be evil in the extreme. I never in a single instance witnessed the failure 

 of this omen. I was informed, however, that on occasions it has proved unfavorable. 



DIVINATION BY SACRIFICIAL APPEARANCES 



Hieromancy is a form of divination that is resorted to on all occasions where the object of 

 a sacrifice is one of very great importance. I witnessed this form of divination practiced upon 

 the departure of a war party in the upper Agusan in 1907. 



THE BLOOD OMEN 



The blood from the neck of a sacrificed chicken or from the side of a pig is caught, usually 

 in a bowl. If it is found to be of a bright, spotless red, without any frothing or bubbles, the 

 omen is excellent, but the appearance of foam or dark spots, or blotches is regarded as indica- 

 tive of evil in a greater or less degree according to the number and size of the spots. The appear- 

 ance of circular streaks in the blood is highly favorable, as it is taken as an indication that the 

 enemy will be completely encircled, thereby assuring the capture of all the enemy or their anni- 

 hilation. In this, as in all other omens, the interpretation is given by those who are considered 

 experts. I can afford no reliable information as to the rules governing the interpretation. 

 Answers to inquiries show that in the interpretation of this omen there is involved an infinity of 

 contradictions, uncertainties, and intricacies. 



THE NECK OMEN 



Before the expedition referred to above I observed a peculiar method of determining which 

 of the warriors would distinguish himself. 



The leader of the expedition seized a fowl, made a short invocation, wrenched the head from 

 the body and allowed the blood of the beheaded bird to flow into a bowl. When all the blood 

 had been caught in this vessel, the leader held up the still writhing fowl, leaving the neck free. 

 Then several of those present addressed the fowl, beseeching it to point out the ones who would 

 display most valor during the attack. Naturally, through the violent action of the muscles, 

 the neck was twisted momentarily in a certain direction. This signified that the person in whose 

 direction it pointed would show especial courage during the fray. The fowl was questioned a 

 second and a third time with the result that it always pointed more or less in the direction of 

 some one of the party famed for his prowess, which person was then and there acclaimed as one 

 of the Hectors of the coming fight. 



I was repeatedly assured that this omen is always consulted before all war expeditions 13 

 or war raids. In the lake region of the Agusan Valley the omen is interpreted differently for it 

 is said to be good if the neck finally twists itself towards the east or towards the north. 



» Ti-mal-va fo a-ti-t/uf. 



» Afaflfl-di-irau is a word used by nearly all tribes in Mindanao to express a band of warriors on a raid, or the raid itself. Mr. H. O. Beyer, of 

 the Bureau of Science, tells me that the word is used also by some northern Luzon tribes. I myself found it in use by the Negritos of the Oumaln 

 and Kaulaman rivers in western Pampanga. 



