September, 1913. Wild Tribes of Davao District — Cole. 113 



has been prepared for eating. Old dishes are placed in the center of 

 the floor and in them food is offered for all the spirits, but in the exact 

 center of all is a large plate of white food for the supreme being. A 

 second large dish of food is placed in a tambara at the corner of the 

 room as an offering to the warrior deities "so that they will not eat 

 anyone during the fiesta." Again the spirits are besought to give 

 them a good year, with abundant crops, health, and success in war. 

 Going to the patan'nan each maganl, beginning with the datu or his 

 son, takes hold of the poles, and in a loud voice, begins to confess all his 

 warlike deeds. He relates how and when he killed his victims, the 

 number of sacrifices he has participated in, the towns he has sacked 

 and the slaves he has captured. In short, he tells of all the manly 

 deeds he has performed in order to gain the right to wear his red suit 

 and be known as maganl. When all have confessed, the men and boys 

 eat the chicken which was sacrificed before the poles, and from then 

 until near midnight, all the people may dance to the music of the 

 agongs or may indulge in feasting and drinking. From the middle of 

 the night until daybreak they chant songs or poems, many words of 

 which are now obsolete so that they are not fully understood. 1 



The festival may last one or more days. The last held in Cibolan 

 (1909) extended through two days and nights. At that time no offerings 

 were made to the spirits on the second day, but the people feasted and 

 drank while the daiu gathered a little apart and held a council. 



In Malilla the second day of this ceremony is called EgbikbEgdybe 

 and is given over almost entirely to the women. Two tambara are 

 erected in the house, and young betel nut buds and women's skirts are 

 hung on them. The women and some men form a line and dance in a 

 circle around the offerings, keeping time to music furnished by beating 

 small gongs, or by pounding on a board resting on a rice mortar. 2 Before 

 each dance the mabalian informs a spirit that this dance is for him and 

 it is customary to add a gift of some kind to those already on the 

 tambara. Sixteen spirits are thus honored. Throughout the day there 

 is much feasting and drinking, and at some time before sunset the 

 women are baptized. Having filled an old agong with water, the 

 mabalian dips certain leaves into it and sprinkles the heads of the 

 women present eight times, meanwhile bidding the spirits to grant to 

 them a good mind and habit. 



1 Mr. Gohn informs me that at midnight during the last GinEtn mack- by Datu 

 Ali in Santa Cruz, a gun was fired, and the datu said that a sacrifice should have 

 taken place at that time. 



2 See p. 1 10, note. 



