September, 1913- Wild Tribes of Davao District — Cole. 179 



This means: 



"Mansilatan has come down, has come down. 

 Later (will come) Badla, who will preserve the earth. 

 Bailanas, dance; bailanas, turn ye round about." 



This Rosell takes as "a confirmation of the most transcendental 

 questions of our true religion," for in Mansilatan he finds the principal 

 god and father of Balda, "who descended from the heavens where he 

 dwells, in order to create the world. Afterwards his only son Badla 

 came down also to preserve and protect the world — that is men and 

 things — against the povver and trickery of the evil spirits Pudaugnon 

 and Malimbung." The writer made persistent inquiry among the 

 Mandaya to the south of Caraga, but could not find a trace of a belief 

 in any one of the four spirits named ; neither are these spirits mentioned 

 in the notes of Governor Bolton, nor in the excellent description of the 

 people about Cateel, furnished by such a careful observer as Mr. Maxey. 

 It seems that this account, together with the song and its translation, 

 must have been gathered from other than Mandayan sources. Long 

 before 1885 the town of Caraga had become one of the strongholds of 

 the church on the east coast of Mindanao, and Christianized settlers 

 from all the southern islands had come to the vicinity. 1 It is probable 

 that Rosell's information was secured from Christianized or Moro 

 emigrants, and the first spirits named refer to Badhala — Bathala, or 

 Batala — "the all powerful," and Dian Mansalanta — "the patron of 

 lovers and generation." 2 



THE TUNGUD MOVEMENT 



In 1908 a religious movement known as tungud started among the 

 Manobo 3 at the source of the Bio Libaganon. Soon it had spread over 

 practically the whole southeastern portion of Mindanao, and finally 

 reached the Mandaya of the Pacific Coast. According to Mr. J. M. 

 Garvan, of the Philippine Bureau of Science, the movement was 

 instigated by a Manobo named Mapakla. This man was taken ill, 

 probably with cholera, and was left for dead by his kinsmen. Three 

 days later he appeared among the terrified people and explained, that 

 a powerful spirit named Magbabaya had entered his body and cured 

 him. He further stated that the world was about to be destroyed 



1 They are often referred to as Caracas in the early writings. 



- Further information regarding these spirits will he found in the Relations of 

 Loarca, 1582 (Blair and Robertson, Vol. V, p. 171), and the Relation of Juan de 

 Plasencia, 15S9 (ibid, Vol. VII, pp. 189-96, Vol. XII, p. 265). It is worthy of note 

 that the Bagobo spirit Toglai, who is one of the pair responsible for marriages and 

 births, is sometimes addressed as Maniladan. 



3 Not the Kulaman. 



