BENEDICT, BAGOBO CEHEMOMAI, MAGIC AND MYTH 127 



white cotton cloth. All these he put in a pile on the floor. He 

 then changed the arrangement of the agongs, by placing them in a 

 row running north and south, with the one containing water at the 

 south end of the line. He laid the four tambara just east of the 

 agongs. At this point, the washing of faces began, as described 

 under the following caption. All the time, the women and the 

 men were approaching the altar from all directions of the house , 

 bringing garments, ornaments, swords, and calling, "Ido! Ido!" so 

 that the chieftain might recognize each individual, and thus asso- 

 ciate every object with its owner. Ido, under this stress, was trying 

 to keep the offerings in classified groups, so that at the end of the 

 ceremony they could, the more conveniently, be returned. He kept 

 asking, "Whose is this?" or "Whose is that?" before placing 

 the various articles. His disposition of things, however, was not 

 always respected. One cotton textile he demurred at taking from 

 a young man, but finally consented, rolled the cloth into a small 

 wad and put it on top of the pile of objects which he, himself, 

 had brought to the altar. As soon as Ido's back was turned, the 

 young Bagobo unfolded his textile and spread it out on Ido's things, 

 whereupon the chief, his eye returning to the spot, placed the cloth 

 in still another position. Soon, the three agongs were heaped with 

 offerings — embroidered shirts, newly-woven panapisan of glistening 

 hemp, wide bead necklaces and many cotton textiles. Ido took 

 from his neck a fine gold cord {kamagi) and with it crowned his 

 own heap of gifts. 



The straight, one-edged swords called kampilan were brought, to 

 the number of eight, and also four long spears. Ido laid on the 

 floor the eight kampilan beside the agongs, and placed the spears 

 with their blades under the swords. At the Ginum that I had 

 earlier observed at Tubison, there were, similarly, eight of the 

 kampilan — a type of sword that forms a valued element in the 

 ceremony and is presumably associated with the war-god, Mandn- 

 rangan, who is addressed in the prayers at this time. 



Only a few trinkets were dropped into the agong containing 

 water, for an object placed in this agong cannot be reclaimed 

 it goes to the priestess through whom the gods speak. On being- 

 invited to make some offering, I contributed a heavy armlet of 

 brass, that Loda had cast from a wax mould. I stipulated, how- 

 ever, that it should be put on the agongs, and not in the water, 

 as it was an object of value to me. Directly, then, Oleng called 



