I Mi ANNALS NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



food were lifted down from the shelf, and the contents poured out 

 mi the leaves that had been laid below the hanging-altar. The 

 distinction between the portion for the men and that for the boys 

 was still preserved, so that, just as before, the men's food lay to 

 the right of the officiating datu, and the boys' food to his left. 

 Old men near the altar ate first, and then the others, a few at a 

 time approaching without formality, each thrusting the fingers of 

 one hand into the taroanan and conveying a small portion to his 

 Lips, the boys taking from the left side and the men from the right. 

 Only the Bagobo and men from tribes closely akin in language 

 and in appearance are permitted to eat the sacred food. Any male 

 guest from the Guianga tribe, I was told, would be accepted at the 

 altar like a Bagobo visitor; but no Bila-an, or Ata, or Kulaman. 

 or a man from any other of those neighboring groups with which 

 the Bagobo trade and intermarry, would be permitted to eat the 

 taroanan. My own observation bore out this statement, for although 

 ten or fifteen Bila-an had been at Mati for weeks waiting for the 

 festival to begin, not a man of them approached the altar. Yet 

 one of Ido's wives was a Bila-an woman, and the entire party of 

 her tribe was entertained at Ido's house. 



Now that the strain of the religious exercises was past, the people 

 fell to drinking sugar cane liquor with a freedom that up to this 

 time had not been permitted. The bowls were passed round, first 

 to guests from other towns and afterwards to the people of the 

 home village. Speeches of an informal nature followed the first or 

 second round of drinks. Datu Oleng and Datu Yting spoke on 

 various little happenings of the week, and Yting urged the men 

 not to drink enough to make them boisterous, but to remember 

 that the senora was present. 



Soon the chanting of (Jindava rose again, and continued at inter- 

 vals throughout the entire night. Balabba Mowed freely all night. 

 and some of the men kept <>n drinking until noon the next day. 



so that they grew hilarious, and finally drowsy from the effects 



of a drink which is but slightly intoxicating, unless taken in large 

 quantities. The extreme sweetness and rich quality of this liquor 

 often proves too much tor a people accustomed to a slim diet, 

 and many Bagobo are sick the day billowing a festival. There 

 often follow- ;i period of exhaustion that almosl prostrates an old 

 man for some little time. |);itn 5Tting had planned to return 

 to Santa Cruz immediately after the festival, but it was two or 



