BENEDICT, BAGOBO CEREMONIAL, MAGIC AND MYTH 211 



the water in a glass. Siye took off her own sinkali, which passed 

 several times round her waist and had a large bunch of bells at- 

 tached. It was made of brass links of the same pattern as the one 

 worn by the little girl. The woman laid her own sinkali close to 

 the child's sinkali, dipped her hand in the water and gently rubbed 

 the two sinkali and the pubic shield, so that the water touched all 

 three objects and stood on them in drops. Then she pressed the 

 smaller sinkali into the child's hand, on whose little wrist hung a 

 tiny bracelet of brass links like the girdle which was now in con- 

 tact with it. The mother lifted the little hand clasping the chain 

 to the child's lips, so that she took in her mouth and swallowed a 

 very little of the water dripping from the chain. A few drops 

 that remained in the child's hand her mother made her drink, 

 carefully putting hand to lips as before. Then she gave me the 

 pubic shield with its chain and put on her own girdle. My request 

 that the ceremony be repeated was readily complied with, but the 

 second time there were slight variations in the rite. Siye took off 

 her girdle and laid it on the child's left wrist that had on it the 

 sinkali-bracelet. She again dipped water from the glass with her 

 hand and made passes over her own sinkali as she let the water 

 drip on it, after which she put the child's hand on the chain, held 

 hand and chain to lips and let a few drops be swallowed as before. 

 Next she made passes with water over the child's sinkali, and put 

 it to her lips. Finally, having given back to me my purchase, 

 Siye again girded herself with her own sinkali. 



The explanation given by the woman and by several neighbors who 

 came in during the affair touched the various points of the ceremony 

 from different aspects. They said it was very bad to sell the tam- 

 bibing and sinkali ; that if Siye had not applied water to them, 

 the child would have become very sick ; that rubbing sinkali against 

 bracelet meant that the bracelet became a new sinkali to take the 

 place of the one sold ; that the little girl must drink the water to 

 keep her from being sick, on account of the sinkali having touched 

 the water; and, finally, that Siye's husband would get another wife, 

 if she failed to take off her own sinkali and put it next the child's 

 sinkali and to make the strokes with water. 



On later occasions, other pubic shields were added to my col- 

 lection, but each of these was worn by its little owner on a girdle 

 of hemp, and the closest observation on my part failed to detect 

 any ritual function attendant on the sale. One is led to infer that 



