BENEDICT, BAGOBO CEREMONIAL, MAGIC AND MYTH 137 



was carried in three long vessels of bamboo that Andan and Agwas 

 had made while we were waiting for the coming in of the two 

 great bamboos. These vessels, called balanan, had handles for the 

 more convenient bearing and pouring of the liquor, whereas the 

 ordinary water-bucket (sekkadii) has no handle. The balabba was 

 brought in by young men, who proceeded to pour out some of the 

 dark brown liquor into a tall metal jar, called tagudn ka balabba 7 

 that had just been placed in the Long House. They stood up against 

 the wall the balanan holding the remainder of the liquor, to be 

 kept for the evening rites. After this, there was a short intermission ; 

 it was long past noon, and nobody had eaten since very early that 

 morning. 



The central event of the Ginum, namely, the sacrifice offered to 

 the god of the balekat, took place on the evening of the fourth 

 day, the preliminaries being handled in the afternoon. After the 

 intermission, Datu Oleng carried a cock that had been tied in the 

 house down under the house, where it was shot by Ido, with an 

 arrow having a head of bamboo. The fowl was plucked under the 

 house, and then brought up into the house again, where it was cut 

 into pieces by Muku, a brother of Singan's. He cut it up in the 

 same manner that the Bagobo cook commonly prepares a chicken 

 for the pot : that is to say, opening the fowl by one lengthwise 

 gash of the work-knife, removing entrails and opening gizzard, 

 chopping off the wings, tearing off the skin by a downward pull 

 over the legs, striking off the legs, and finally cutting the body, 

 wings and legs into very small squarish chunks. Before this pro- 

 cess was finished, another ceremonial detail of import was in progress. 



Against the west wall, and near the two bamboos, the shrine 

 called balekdt hung in its usual place. It consisted of seven piles 

 of old and smoke-grimed bowls and saucers, suspended by rattan 

 hangers in the customary manner. Directly in front of this altar, 

 the young men put up the broad shelf called tag nan 20 " ha balekat, 

 and attached it firmly to the timbers of the roof by means of 

 strong bands of plaited rattan. It hung at quite a distance above 

 our heads, so that, in order to place or to remove anything from 

 the shelf, the altar assistant was obliged to climb up the wall, and 



209 Taguan is a word that expresses the idea of a receptacle of some sort. It may be 

 a shelf, as taguan ka sekkadii (shelf for water-flasks), or taguan ka balekdt (altar-shelf) ; 

 it may be taguan ka sulu (torch-holder); or taguan ka balabba (jar for balabba). 



