September. 19 13. Wild Tribes of Davao District — Cole. 117 



spirits of their departed husbands which were bothering them. Ansig 

 called a meeting of the old men at which were present besides himself 

 Bagobos Oling, Pandaya, and Ansig, and these four decided that as 

 they had not had a sacrifice since the great drought (about three years 

 ago) and that since that time many evils had befallen them, it would 

 be well to offer a sacrifice. These four men sent out to find a slave 

 for sacrifice, the finder becoming the chief of the sacrifice. 



"Ongon, a henchman of Datto Ansig, purchased from Bagobo Ido, 

 a Bilan slave boy named Sacum about eight years old and who was 

 deaf and cross-eyed, and had other defects of vision, making him of 

 little or no value as a laborer. Ido originally received this slave from 

 Duon, a Bilan, as a wedding present when he married Duon's daughter 

 about a year ago. 



"Ongon agreed to pay Ido five agongs for the boy and took him to 

 the house of Ansig where arrangements were made for the sacrifice by 

 calling on all who for any reason had need to appease the evil spirits 

 to come and take part. Three days after the slave was brought to the 

 house of Ansig, the people met at Talun near the river Inolia, a short 

 distance from Ansig's house, this being the regular place of sacrifice. 



"Leaving the house of Ansig the boy Sacum was seated upon the 

 ground near the place of sacrifice. He was naked but no other prep- 

 aration was made with regard to the person. Upon a platform or 

 bench of bamboo about two feet high and a foot or two square was 

 placed a small basket or receptacle made of the bark of the bunga tree ; 

 in this each person present and taking part in the sacrifice placed a 

 piece of betel-nut, over this the men placed their head handkerchiefs 

 and the women strips of the bark of the palma tree. Upon this the 

 men laid their bolos, and spears were then stuck in the ground in a 

 circle around the platform. Next Datto Ansig as chief of the sacrifice 

 made an oration which was about as follows: 'Oh, Mandarangan, 

 chief of evil spirits and all the other spirits, come to our feast and 

 accept our sacrifice. Let this sacrifice appease your wrath and take 

 from us our misfortunes, granting us better times.' 



"After this, the boy Sacum was brought forward by Ongon, placed 

 against a small tree about six feet high, his hands tied above his head, 

 and his body tied to the tree with bejuco strips at the waist and knees. 

 Ansig then placed a spear at the child's right side at a point below the 

 right arm and above the margin of the ribs. This lance was grasped 

 by the widows Addy and Obby, who at a signal from Ansig forced it 

 through the child's body, it coming out at the other side. It was 

 immediately withdrawn and the body cut in two at the waist by bolos 



