156 ANNALS NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



tive ability with which she superintended the various functions 

 and the scrupulous care that she bestowed on the correct perform- 

 ance of ritual details, her attention passing so swiftly from one 

 to another of the activities that were going on in the various parts 

 of the Long- House that it seemed as if she perceived the entire 

 situation at one glance. Once I noticed that her keen eyes were 

 fixed sharply on Ume, who was singing gindaya; it was obvious 

 that he had made a blunder, and he stopped short, looking at Siat 

 and laughing in a half-disconcerted manner, but Siat promptly cor- 

 rected him, giving him his cue, and he resumed his chant. ( hie 

 ritual recitation was given by Siat in a high voice, and she drank 

 sugar cane liquor from several of the sacred dishes at the altar. 

 One other woman drank with the old men. 



A few minor ceremonial features may now be mentioned in which 

 slight variations from the rites at Talum become apparent. The 

 (lancing took place late in the afternoon and up to dusk; during the 

 ovoning and the night, no dances were performed. The sprigs of 

 fragrant bulla, that were worn by all of us women at our waists. 

 had to be discarded at a definite point of the ritual. It was rather 

 soon after the opening strains of gindaya were heard, and while 

 the food was being pressed into leaf-moulds, that a little girl came 

 to me and removed the bulla-leaf from my belt, and I saw that 

 the Bagobo women were laying aside their own decorations of bulla. 

 Another detail to be noted is that the sacred food, when taken 

 from the altar was emptied into a Hat basket and placed on the 

 floor, where each man reached for it, putting his hand into the 

 basket. I observed no separate portion for the boys. The general 

 drinking of balabba by the guests followed immediately upon the 

 consumption of the sacred food, a much later period in the ritual 

 Bequence than at Tallin, where everybody was invited to drink ba- 

 labba. not only before the men's food was laid out, but prior to 

 the big general feast itself. 



We now turn to a dramatic episode of the ritual which set off, 

 to ;i marked degree, the religious activities of this night at Tubison 

 from those we have recorded of Talun. The chief actor was ;in 

 old man, Datu Idal, head of the neighboring village of Patulangan, 

 and his part consisted in falling on the floor in a trance, or a 

 pseudo-trance. This performance occurred quite late in the night. 

 after nil the Liturgical ceremonial as well as the eating and drink- 

 ing had come to an end. Following ;i period id' successive singing, 



