126 Field Museum of Natural History — Anth., Vol. XII. 



are now known by certain names. One couple, for instance, carried 

 with them a small basket called bira-an, and for this reason their children 

 are known as Bira-an (Bila-an). From the time of the dispersion until 

 the arrival of the Spaniards we learn that certain mythical heroes 

 performed wonderful feats, in some cases being closely identified with 

 the spirits themselves, in others making use of magic, the knowledge 

 of which seems to have been common in those times. 



The two following tales are typical of those commonly heard in a 

 Bagobo gathering. The first was told by Urbano Eli, a Bagobo of 

 Malilla. 



"After the people were created a man named LumabEt was born. 

 He could talk when he was one day old and the people said he was sent 

 by Manama. He lived ninety seasons and when still a young man he 

 had a hunting dog which he took to hunt on the mountain. The dog 

 started up a white deer and LumabEt and his companions followed 

 until they had gone about the world nine times when they finally caught 

 it. At the time they caught the deer LumabEt's hair was grey and he 

 was an old man. All the time he was gone he had only one banana 

 and one camote with him for food. When night came he planted the 

 skin of the banana and in the morning he had ripe bananas to eat, 

 and the camotes came the same way. When he had caught the deer 

 LumabEt called the people to see him and he told them to kill his 

 father. They obeyed him and then LumabEt took off his headband 

 and waved it in the air over the dead man, and he at once was alive 

 again. He did this eight times and at the eighth time his father was 

 small like a little boy, for every time the people cut him in two the knife 

 took off a little flesh. So all the people thought LumabEt was like 

 a god. 



"One year after he killed the deer he told all the people to come into 

 his house, but they said they could not, for the house was small and 

 the people many. But LumabEt said there was plenty of room, so all 

 entered his house and were not crowded. The next morning the 

 diwata, tigyama, and other spirits came and talked with him. After 

 that he told the people that all who believed that he was powerful could 

 go with him, but all who did not go would be turned into animals and 

 buso. Then LumabEt started away and those who stayed back became 

 animals and buso. 



"He went to the place Binaton, across the ocean, the place where 

 the earth and sky meet. When he got there he saw that the sky kept 

 going up and down the same as a man opening and closing his jaws. 

 LumabEt said to the sky 'You must go up,' but the sky replied 'No.' 



