BENEDICT, BAGOBO CEREMONIAL, MAGIC AND MYTH 85 



cation plays with wonderful ease, while at the same time he leaps 

 from one agong to another and often executes the steps of some 

 graceful dance in rhythm with his beat. Again, he will dance 

 away from the agongs, tap-tap in hand, perform fancy steps, 

 then dance back to his place and resume the strokes without the 

 slightest break in the measure of the music, and without a check 

 to the even swing of his dance. 



When drums are present, a drum call opens each set perform- 

 ance, and the beating of the drums continues for a short space 

 after the agongs cease playing. 



At every ceremony where there is general dancing, agongs fur- 

 nish the music, but there are times when fagonggo is given without 

 dancing, unless it be the dance of the player; such occasions, to 

 cite an instance, as the auspicious moment of bringing in the cere- 

 monial bamboos, when the agong performance that immediately 

 follows is manifestly a sacred rite. 



Dancing and Costumes. The dances (swnayo) at ceremonies do 

 not appear to differ from those performed on ordinary social occa- 

 sions. In my own house, at an evening gathering, with an audience 

 of perhaps twenty Bagobo, dances have been performed by the 

 youth Saliman quite as elaborate and varied as any to be observed 

 at ceremonies. Nor are the motives different, if one may draw an 

 inference from the names of dances, and from the steps and the 

 series of postures of the performers. Of course, at ceremonies, 

 there is a more definite order observed in the sequence of dances, 

 and in the appearing of individuals one by one. The girls ordi- 

 narily take the initiative, and for some time hold the floor; again, 

 the initial dance is given by men alone, wearing the tankulu. 

 Soon, both women and men are dancing, each one individually, 

 never in couples, every dancer with eyes bent downward, intent on 

 his or her own steps and attitudes, yet a collision rarely occurring 

 between two performers, although the space reserved is always 

 extremely small in proportion to the number of dancers a floor 

 of ten by twelve feet being ample space for a score or more men 

 and women. Many motives are drawn from nature; others from 

 human interests, such as war and love ; others have a devotional 

 significance. Here are a few characteristic titles of dances that I 

 have seen at different times, the explanations of which were eagerly 

 offered, without question on my part, by Bagobo young men and 

 girls at my side. 



