BENEDICT, BAGOBO CEBEMONIAL, MAGIC AND MYTIf 93 



the god of growing rice. The parabunnian 17T is about the size 

 of the buis, or smaller, and often without any floor, 17 " the offerings 

 of betel and brass ornaments being then laid on the ground or in 

 a little bowl. Magic plants or branches are stuck in the earth 

 close to the house, each of which has an influence upon the growth 

 of rice plants. Every rice-field has its own parabunnian. The 

 areca-nuts, the betel-leaf, and the metal ornaments are left in the 

 bowl until harvest, after which festival the bowl and metal objects 

 arc carried into the house and kept until the next rice-sowing, 

 when the same bowl and the same ornaments are taken out to a 

 new parabunnian. At harvest, tjiere is put into a-hut-shrine known 

 as roro a small portion of rice representing the first fruits, together 

 with areca-nuts and betel-leaf, as a thank-offering to the diwata 

 and to certain clusters of stars; but I am not able to state definitely, 

 from observation, whether this is a shrine distinct from the parabun- 

 nian, or whether there are two functional names for the same 

 little house. 



In addition to the devotions at the above-mentioned altars of 

 fixed types, it is customary to make temporary shrines on the 

 ground close to the wayside, or under some great tree — by 



merely laying down areca-nuts in leaf-dishes which are arranged 

 in a somewhat definite order. Such gifts are meant for gods, or 

 for buso, or for the spirits of the dead, and are offered with a 

 simple intention of preventing disease or of curing it; the unseen 

 being for whom the gift is designed being invariably stated by the 

 person who lays down the offering. 



CEREMONIES hX DETAIL 



/■'rs/ i ml nf Drinking called Ginum 



Introductory Remarks. The word ginum (inum) means "a 

 drinking," but whether the primary association was with the drinking 

 by the gods of the blood of the sacrifice, or the drinking by the 

 people of the ceremonial sugar cane liquor, is not evident. Both 

 elements now stand out clearly in consciousness. The sacrifice of 

 a slave, a fact at present concealed in deference to the attitude of 



1 7 7 The root, biinm, means "to plant." 



1 7 8 Some Bagobo use the Bila-an type of rice-altar, which has a floor. 



