I \ ANNALS NEV/ YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



seem to be identified, more or less completely, with these wide- 

 ranging interests of the Bagobo. Vet many of these gods may be 

 of foreign origin, for the chances for the diffusion of religious cul- 

 ture in this entire area have been considerable for a long period; 

 and gods borrowed from other peoples drift easily into place's where 

 they hold a permanent relation to the native gods and to the 

 native worshipers. At the same time, a simple ritual while growing 

 slowly into an organized scheme stimulates the appearance of 

 newly-created beings with the functions of supernatural agencies, as 

 soon as the need for them rises into consciousness. It is clear 

 enough that investigations into the native cultures of the Islands, 

 and of their relations to adjoining cultures, are as vet in too rudi- 

 mentary a stage for us to determine definitely which of the unseen 

 beings reverenced by the Bagobo are exotic and which are indig- 

 enous. 



The Sanscrit-Malay word <litc<itu. which has long been in wide 

 use by many tribes throughout the Philippine islands, is employed 

 by the Bagobo in reference to all of the gods, or to any one god, 

 but it has no specific content.-" On hearing casual remarks like 

 the following, from various persons, one is led at first to infer 

 that diwata is some particular divine being: "Diwata cares for the 

 rice;" "Diwata watches over the sun. the moon, the stars, atid all 

 the people;" "Diwata is a good manobo who lives in the sky;"' 

 "Diwata is the highest god." In the first statement, however, the 

 diwata meant is Tarabume : in the second, I'amulak Manobo is very 

 possibly referred to; the "good manobo" in the sky may lie one 

 of several deities, while the "highest god* 1 suggests Salamiawan or 

 Lumabat or. perhaps. I'amulak Manobo. 



I should take with some caution any statement that assigned one 

 or another of the supernatural personalities to the rank of "the 

 supreme god of the Bagobo." It all depends upon the point of 

 view of the Bagobo who happens to be talking. The storv-teller 



•"'llii- Beema in be the ordinary Malay connotation of the word. Favre defines 



indition divine, lesdieux." Dictionnaire malaia-francaiB, vol. l,p. 848. 1875. 



Mr. Cole, on the contrary, baa reached the conclusion thai the diwata arc "a class 



of numerous spirits w] pamolak Manobo.' "The wild tribes of Davao district, 



Mindanao." Field Museum of Natural History: Publication 170, Anthropological series, 



i-'. no. 2. p. 107. L913. 



This verj interesting work has come to hand too late for discussion in the body of 



m\ paper; bul in time, fortunately, !'<>r the incorporation <>f a pari of Mr. Cole's valuable 



material in the form of fniituotes, so that a wider comparative viewpoint im:i_\ be gained. 



