36 THE SUBANU. 
the Tagacolos, although he has never been present at one held by that tribe. 
The Bagobos sacrifice none but old and decrepit or useless slaves captured 
from other tribes, but the Bilanes sacrifice even their own people. Being asked 
if it was customary to eat any portion of the body sacrificed, Ansig said it was 
not customary, nor did he know of any case where such had occurred. 
The last sacrifice before this was held at Talon during the year of the 
drought (about 1905), when a Bilan slave, an old man who was paralyzed in 
one arm, was sacrificed by Datu Oling, his master. 
Asked if the sacrifice of an animal would not do as well as that of a human 
being, they said no, better to have no sacrifice at all. 
They appeared utterly unconscious of having committed any crime, told 
their story with frankness, said it was a matter not talked about among their 
own people; but that if we wanted to know the facts they would give them to 
the authorities. ‘They claimed the offering of human sacrifices by their tribe 
to be an old custom, and as far as they knew the only way to appease the wrath 
of the evil spirits, but said if ordered to give the custom up they would do so, 
even if the Devil got them all. 
Near the rancheria of Ley (Lai), in Sibugai Bay, the Subanu of 
that region possess a tradition concerning a great chief who frequently 
sought relief from physical exhaustion by the sacrifice of one of his 
slaves, whose blood and heart he consumed while these parts were still 
warm. A mound onasteep bluff overlooking the river at Ley is claimed 
to be the sepulcher of the famous and greatly feared Subanu chief. 
In the Philippine Journal of Science for 1908 the subject of human 
sacrifices in the Philippines is presented with a list of cases reported 
by the Spanish missionaries. 
The Subanu are very reticent about divulging any detailed infor- 
mation as to the occurrence of human sacrifices among their people. In 
the absence of a decided negative to a direct inquiry, it may be safely 
asserted that such practice was rather common among them before the 
American occupation, especially in the secluded mountain areas of the 
upper Dapitan and Malindang country. 
During the great buklug or religious festivals of the Subanu excite- 
ment runs high, and sometimes itis hard for the more conservative head- 
men to keep the younger element under control. Unscrupulous and 
vicious Moros and Filipinos take advantage of the extreme agitation 
attending these festivals, impose upon the credulous balian, debauch 
them with visions of exercising extraordinary power over their fellows, 
stir up unusual religious fervor through alleged spirit manifestations 
from the diuata, and appeal to the passions of the lowest members of 
the tribe for sordid gain. Under such circumstances the ignorant and 
credulous hill people are willing to desert their homes, abandon their 
crops and personal property, and give themselves over to the depraved 
control of their self-constituted leaders. 
The Jesuits first arrived in the Philippines in June, 1595, with Gov- 
ernor Don Antonio de Morga, and in the following year two of these 
missionaries entered the island of Mindanao with the ill-fated expedi- 
tion under the command of Captain Rodriguez de Figueroa. After his 
