September, i 9 i 3 . Wild Tribes of Davao District — Cole. 97 



them. The man who has never killed a person is called matdlo, a rather 

 slighting term signifying one who has no desire to fight but remains at 

 home with the women. A man who kills an unfaithful wife and her 

 admirer may count the two on his score. He may also count those of 

 his townspeople whom he has killed in fair tight, but unprovoked murder 

 will be punished by the death of the offender. The candidate for 



mi honors may go to an unfriendly town, or to a neighboring tribe, 

 and kill without fear of censure from his own people. 



The magant is one of the leaders in a war party; he is chosen to 

 inflict the death penalty when it is decreed, and it is men of this class 

 that assist in the human sacrifices. He is under the special protection 

 of Mandarangan and Darago, and all petitions to these powerful spirits 

 must be made through him. His clothing is considered the property 

 of these spirits, and when such specimens were secured for the collection, 

 the wearer would invariably place the garment beside some prized 

 article, such as a knife or spear, then taking a green betel nut would 

 rub the garment and object, meanwhile beseeching the spirits to leave 

 the one and enter the other. Later the nut was placed in the tambara 

 belonging to those spirits. A father may not bequeath to his son the 

 right to the red clothing; and such articles, together with his weapons, 

 should be buried with him. Should one not entitled to these garments 

 dare to make use of them, the spirits would straightway cause his body 

 to swell or turn yellow, and he would die. 



In a previous paragraph we mentioned the unorganized priesthood, 

 the members of which are known as mabalian. Men are not barred 

 from this profession, but the greater number of its members are old, 

 or middle-aged, women. 1 A woman may live the greater part of her 

 life without an idea of becoming a member of this order, and then 

 suddenly be warned in dreams, by visions, or by other mabalian that 

 she has been chosen by the spirits. The one thus elected becomes a 

 pupil of a qualified mabalian, and for several months will be drilled in 

 the duties of that office. She will be taught the medicines to be used 

 at certain times," the duties of a midwife, the correct method of building 

 shrines and conducting ceremonies, and finally, she will learn the 

 prayers with which the spirits should be addressed. It seems to be 

 the belief that, at times during the ceremonies, the mabalian may be 

 possessed by a spirit and that she then speaks not as a mortal but as 

 the spirit itself. She also knows how to weave and dye the turban 

 worn by the magani, and because of this accomplishment is considered 



1 There are five mabalian in Cibolan, all of whom are women past middle life. 

 - A medicine is used with the idea that it assists in driving away evil infiuenees. 



