176 Field Museum of Natural History — Axtil, Vol. XII. 



with the aid of Dtwata the ballyan is able to foretell the future by the 

 reading of palms. "If she should fail to read the future the first time, 

 she dances for one night before the manaog and the following day is 

 able to read it clearly, the Dtwata having revealed the hidden meaning 

 to her during the night conference." 1 



Spanish writers make frequent mention of these idols, 2 and in his 

 reports 3 Governor Bolton describes the image of a crocodile seen by 

 him in the Mandaya country "which was carved of wood and painted 

 black, was five feet long, and lifedike. The people said it was the 

 likeness of their god." Lieutenant J. R. Youngblood, when near the 

 headwaters of the Agusan River, saw in front of a chief's house "a 

 rude wooden image of a man which seemed to be treated with some 

 religious awe and respect." Mr. Robert F. Black, a missionary residing 

 in Davao, writes that "the Mandaya have in their homes wooden dolls 

 wmieh may be idols." 



From this testimony it appears that in a part of the Mandaya 

 territory the spirit Diwata, at least, is represented by images. 



2. Asuang. This name is applied to a class of malevolent spirits 

 who inhabit certain trees, cliffs and streams. They delight to trouble or 

 injure the living, and sickness is usually caused by them. For this 

 reason, when a person falls ill, a ballyan offers a live chicken to these 

 spirits bidding them "to take and kill this chicken in place of this man, 

 so that he need not die." If the patient recovers it is understood that 

 the asuang have agreed to the exchange and the bird is released in the 

 jungle. 



There are many spirits who are known as asuang but the five most 

 powerful are here given according to their rank, (a) Tagbanua, (b) 

 Tagamaling, (c) Sigbinan, (d) Lumaman, (e) Bigwa. The first two 

 are of equal importance and are only a little less powerful than Diwata. 

 They sometimes inhabit caves but generally reside in the bud-bud 

 (baliti) trees. The ground beneath these trees is generally free from 

 undergrowth and thus it is known that "a spirit who keeps his yard 

 clean resides there." In clearing ground for a new field it sometimes 

 becomes necessary to cut down one of these trees, but before it is 

 disturbed an offering of betel-nut, food, and a white chicken is carried 

 to the plot. The throat of the fowl is cut and its blood is allowed to 



1 In the Mayo district palmistry is practiced by several old people who make 

 no claim of having the aid of the spirits. Bagani Paglambayon read the palms of 

 the writer and one of his assistants, but all his predictions were of an exceedingly 

 general nature and on the safe side. 



2 Blair and Robertson, Vol. XII, 269, XLIII, p. 217, etc. 



3 Filed in the office of the Governor of Davao. 



