en. The
first [pagcayog] consist in offering rice, buyo, and money before
a small idol of bayog [Pterospermum] wood (placed on a small altar
adorned with bamboo and bonga [Areca]), called diuata or Manaug. This
idol, which is a poorly-made image, has for eyes the red fruit of the
tree called mabugahay, and is painted with the sap of the narra. The
blood sacrifices are of animals, and even of human beings. The
first are called talibong, if the animal sacrificed is a cock,
and pag-balilig, if it is a hog. In either case, the priestesses
(bailanes) having assembled, to the sound of the agun and guimbao,
are clad according to rule; that is, with embroidered handkerchiefs on
the head; magnificent red shirts, rich glass beads hanging from the
neck; silver medals fastened to the breast; large gold earrings with
strings of beads; a jabol or dagmay which serves them as a skirt, and
is very skilfully woven and figured with crocodiles and other designs;
at the girdle, in the midst of fragrant flowers and hawk's-bells,
they carry the balarao or dagger with which the sacrifice of the
victim is made; on the arms precious bracelets of sagai-sagai and
pamoans; and on the feet hoops and hawk's-bells, which sound in
cadence with the dance which legalizes such ceremonies. When the
priestesses have taken their places about the altar, upon which
the victim is to be sacrificed, they commence their dances to the
sound of the culintangan, some of them playing on the guimbao and
the agun. They walk about the altar; they tremble and belch, while
singing the "miminsad," until they fall senseless to the ground like
those stricken with epileptic fits. Then the spectators go to them,
fan them, sprinkle them with water, and the other women bear them
up in their arms until they recover consciousness. Then they repeat
the ceremony and the chief priestess buries her balarao in the
heart of the hog or slits the cock's neck. Thereupon, she sucks up
the blood which gushes forth from the victim, partaking thus of the
sacrifice. The other bailanes do the same. During the epileptic fit,
they assert that Mansilatan has appeared to them and notified them
of the good or ill outcome of the war, sickness, harvest, or whatever
they have been investigating. Then it all ends in excessive eating and
drinking. The human sacrifice is called huaga, and is only practiced
among the Bagobos and most barbarous heathen of Mindanao. The victim
is offered to the Mandarangan, th