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



The body was then cut down and buried in a shallow grave already- 

 prepared for it. No parts were carried away, although in some cases 

 the worren take the long hairs of the victim and sew them in the de- 

 signs on the men's trousers in place of black thread." 1 



Datu Baklay who now lives near the Padada river, but was formerly 

 a resident of the Malalag cogon plains, claims that the ceremony is 

 not a yearly event, as is the case with the Bagobo, neither does if follow 

 each death; but if the deceased has been a person of great importance 

 or a member of the ruler's family it should take place in eight days, 

 regardless of the phase of the moon or the position of the stars. He 

 further insists that neither Balatik nor any other constellation governs 

 the time of an offering, nor does such a ceremony insure better crops 

 or success in war. He describes the sacrifice following the death of 

 Datu Kalayan, his father, as follows: 



"A Bila-an slave was purchased for one agong and preparations 

 made for a sacrifice. A small house without floor or sides was built in 

 the forest some distance from the town, and in this were two upright 

 poles which supported a crossbeam at a height of about seven feet. 

 Near them and inside the house a shallow grave was dug and then the 

 victim was brought in. He was tied to the horizontal pole, hands 

 crossed one on each side of the beam. The men filled the house, 

 leaving a free place only near the victim, and the women and children 

 crowded close around in the yard. After addressing the spirits, Lamot 

 ta Mangayo, M£lu, and Dwata, I placed my spear to the man's side, 

 and then all the male relatives took hold of the shaft and at my signal 

 forced the weapon through the body. Other men then cut at the body 

 with their knives, finally releasing it from the pole. While it lay on 

 the ground the women and boys were allowed to enter the house and 

 throw spears at it, after which it was buried." 



Baloey, a Kagan living at Padada, claims to have seen a Bila-an 

 sacrifice at Ma-al, about ten years ago, while Bagobo Datu Ansig of 

 Talun, and Tongkaling of Cibolan claim to have witnessed several of 

 these events. As their accounts agree in most particulars with the 

 two just recorded, it seems probable that we have here a fairly accurate 

 account of a rite which no white man has seen or can hope to see. 



In studying the decorative art of this people a person encounters the 



same difficulties as with the Bagobo. Nearly all garments are covered 



with elaborate patterns (Plates LVI-LX), to some of which all the 



people will give the same names and explanations; but by far the 



1 The informant further volunteered, that the Bila-an make a sacrifice every 

 two years, and that several years ago his uncle named KB was the victim. At that 

 time he was too young to remember the details. 



