128 ANNALS NEW YOBK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



from his high scat, and requested me to put a little bell into the 

 water. I did so. adding also a small mirror. The priestess quickly 

 put her hand into the agong and took out the mirror, which she 

 held, clasped tight, during- the anito seance that followed. 



Ablutions called Sagmo. The agong that was turned with its 

 concave side up had been tilled to about one-foiirrh of its capacity 

 with water, and the two green bunches of sagmo, with which the 

 candidates at Pamalugu had been sprinkled, lay in the water. -Inst 

 after the bringing of offerings had begun, and when Ido had placed 

 the four agongs in a row. a number of people came, one or more 

 at a time, and bathed their faces in the water that held the sagmo. 

 A good many of those who washed in the agons; had not been 

 present at Pamalugu; but some who had received purification in 

 the early morning laved their faces now. as well, in the medicinal 

 water. There was more or less laughter and talk during the ab- 

 lutions, and all the while people were bringing their gifts to the 

 altar, so that the religious nature of the rite was somewhat obscured. 

 The value of this washing for the warding off of disease is appar- 

 ently iluc to the magic sagmo hallowing the water in which it lies. 

 Visitation <>f Anito. The usual manner of conducting an inter- 

 view with the gods is described in a later section of this paper. 

 Such interviews take place, ordinarily, at night, this being the only 

 instance that came under my observation of a seance during the day. 

 When the people had finished bringing gifts, the priestess, Sin- 

 gan, sat down on the floor at the south end of the row of agongs. so 

 that she faced north, and thus had the agong holding the medicinal 

 greens directly in front of her. Covering her head and face com- 

 pletely with her red cotton scarf (salugboy), she began to utter 

 those harsh and sepulchral groans that regularly announce the 

 coming of a spirit. Her right hand, grasping the tiny Looking-glass, 

 lay in her lap; she pressed her left hand to her cheek, while her 

 body shook and trembled. Not only the children, but adult Bagobo 

 also, gazed at the priesres> with keen curiosity, for they rarely get 

 a look at her in this condition. At the night meetings, the torches 

 are always extinguished. I lei 1 voice came muffled through the 

 cloth wrapped round her head, few of her words could be heard, 

 and soon the people began chatting and laughing. The oracle was 

 very brief, and was uttered without the chanting that forms a cus- 

 tomary feature of a seance. I was able to record only that the Ma- 

 laki t'< >ln k'Waig --poke as follows: 



