Heirarchy of Gods. The Tagabawa are polyhteistic. They have a broad array of diwata or Gods to whom their vocals and myths are addressed. Among these is Tiguaima. the Godhead. assisted by the lesser Gods like Mamal-e. Godhead of the Earth. Macoreret. Godhead of the air. Domacolen. Godhead of the mountains. and Macaponguis. Godhead of H2O. Other diwatas are the Manama. dispenser of wages and penalty. and Todlai. the frequenter of matrimony who is offered buyo and rice. The Bagobos besides believe in a pantheon of devils. Darago is the great devil assisted by lesser devils like Colambusan. Abac. Tagamaling. Comalay. and Siring.
Rituals. The day-to-day activities of the Tagabawa are marked by rites. Areca nuts. betel leaves. nutrient. vesture. and brass instruments are all placed on communion tables for the approval of their diwata. Through such offerings they obtain unsusceptibility from malignance liquors called buso and liquors of the departed.
A typical characteristic of Bagobo rites used to be the pattern of offering human forfeits or paghuaga. particularly in award of Mandarangan. the godof war who resides in the crater of Mt. Apo and grants bravery and success. Forfeits are besides offered to Tolus Ka Balekat. referred to as the 1 who knows everything and is the God of the highest type of communion table. The slave to be sacrificed is bought from the Moros and unscrupulous Christians. The cost of such was shared by the household members offering the forfeit. The victim is killed by forcing a spear forcibly into his organic structure. The organic structure is chopped into pieces and divided among all those who are present. It was believed that those who come in contact with the sacrificial victim is granted bravery by the Mandarangan. Children who participate grow fearless. The present coevals of Bagobo barely react to the name of Mandarangan unlike the older 1s who treat the divinity with a great trade of strength. Many Bagobo presents see such an activity as associated with the plants of the Satan. Paghuaga has been replaced by carnal forfeits.
An of import spiritual ceremonial is that which begins the rice seting season. Balatik a configuration of seven stars which make up a vow. is used as a mark to fix Fieldss for farming and to do the annual forfeit. The readying begins with the consecration of the tools which will be used in cleaning the wood for the sowing of rice. All those who participate in the work gather the blacksmiths whose tools are consecrated. The offering of rice and poulet is cooked in bamboo. non in clay or Fe pots which are non acceptable. The blacksmiths call on the liquors to accept the offering and to watch over them in the field. After which all eat a small of the nutrient. Any activity. work or amusement is banned for three yearss. Then the Fieldss are cleared and burned. The dirt is non broken yet. and no sowing of seeds must be done until another configuration appears which signifies the planting season.
Womans take portion in reaping. A little knife called gelat is used in such activity. After the harvest the most abundant banquet called the gatok-biaan or pakakaro is celebrated. Such a ceremonial may be done separately or communally. Gatuk-biaan is the lone Bagobo ceremonial where knobbed tam-tams or agongs are non played. Merely the native guitar and flute are played. The bagkes is the concluding rite of the season. All dishes used in gatok-biaan are stored in the rice garner until the following festival. Literally. bagkes is binding together with confidences to the liquors that they would be restored the undermentioned twelvemonth.
Liquors and portents. The Sibulan Bagobo believe that there are eight psyches called gimukod in everyone. When person dies. four of the psyches or pagkakalangit. The staying four spell to hell or karonaronawan. Other Bagobo believe that gimukod consists of merely two parts: right and left. one traveling to heaven and the other to hell.
Snakes are considered a bad portents to the Tagabawa Bagobo. When person encounters one. he must travel back and confer with the Bagobo medical specialty adult male or adult female called matanom. The matanom handles the job by etching on a wooden doll. the face of a adult male. and offers this in exchange or other bad lucks that might go on to the individual. The matanom so sets a little bag incorporating rice and poulet in a dish of H2O as offering. Offers are made on the tambara when Bagobos are ill. Tambara is a dish on top of a bamboo stick that is fixed on the land. The dish contains buyo. bonga. calcium hydroxide. and baccy.
When a Bagobo is earnestly ill. he is transferred from his ain house to another. This is portion of the redresss attempted on his behalf. When decease is foreseen. the individual is taken back to his ain house because that bay pealing evil into others’ homes. When sing a ill individual. a Tagabawa topographic points Cu rings on his carpus in order that the limokons or psyches would non go forth his organic structure. A limokon is a vocal of a bird that is believed to be a message from the Gods. The Bagobo who hears such a vocal would turn around to look for who is singing to state him whether the message is good or bad. The cadaver is swathed in nice vesture. placed un the center of the house. and given a vigil.
On supernatural existences. The Tagabawa believe in different supernatural existences such as liquors. shades. and creepy animals. These supernatural existences include white lady. kapre. manananggal. wak-wak. tiyanak. sigbin. duwende. santilmo. tikbalang. and many more. They tell narratives about cryptic sounds during the dark and several brush by people with these existences. Included in the narratives are sightings of large cigars in large balete trees. caskets drifting in the forests. liquors of dead people looking or doing their presence known. and many more awful narratives about the supernatural. They believe that these creepy animals are comrades of the Satan and are fallen angels. To forestall these existences from acquiring near the Bagobos. they put subkist. S. salt. bronze. Allium sativum. and bagakay in their places. When going along or go throughing by a creepy topographic point. they say the word tabe to inquire the liquors to be cognizant of them and non to harm them.
The Tagabawa besides believe that there are people in the community practising witchery. They believe that the expletive behalfs the victim of the wrongdoer who taps any construction that has direct contact with the victim. This construction may be a bench. a piece of wood. or even any portion of the victim. The lone manner to return the expletive is for the victim to tap the construction tapped by the wrongdoer in return. So alternatively of the victim being cursed. it is the wrongdoer who will endure. There are besides beliefs that during festivals. practicians of witchery topographic point the soil on their fingers in the nutrient prepared to cuss those who eat the nutrient.
Those who pattern witchery do non take any peculiar victim. Whoever is available becomes the victim. be he friend or foe. a cipher or a comparative. It is believed that merely the mananambal or the priest-doctors are the 1s who know the remedy for such expletives.
On gestation. The Tagabawas have many beliefs sing gestation and giving birth. Most of these beliefs are normally prohibitions. These prohibitions include actions non to be done and nutrient non to be taken.
Inside the house. the pregnant adult female is non allowed to sit or eat on the room access because the babe might coerce himself or herself inside the interior portion of the uterus. For the same ground the adult female is non allowed to sit on a pillow. Outside the house she is non allowed to go through at the dorsum or under the house. She should besides be non left entirely when kiping or making family jobs because a benevolent spirit might attach to her. Excessive sleeping is non allowed because the kid might acquire lazy. Heavy jobs. particularly brushing the floor which requires flexing. is non good for the uterus. A pregnant adult female is non allowed to walk over a rope because she might hold a difficult clip presenting the kid. She is besides non allowed to saunter outside the house at dark because she might be accompanied by supernatural existences.
There are certain objects that pregnant adult females are non allowed to touch. They are non allowed to touch a monkey or expression at ugly existences or objects because the babe might be born ugly. The pregnant adult female is besides prohibited from keeping a doll because the babe might go deaf-and-dumb person.
On kid raising. The Tagabawa have certain beliefs on kid rise uping. They believe that puting a pebble on the child’s oral cavity would do the kid strong. For the same ground. an talisman or habak is besides placed on the child’s carpus. They besides believe that supernatural existences can attach to the kid when left entirely. To forestall this they place a mirror. H2O. and Citrus paradisi near the kid. They besides make it a point non to go forth the baby entirely. During the eventide. it is prohibited to convey the kid outside the house. The kid is besides prohibited from traversing brook.
On adolescence. Males are non allowed to utilize the comb or the apparels of adult females because the Tagabawa believe that this might do them turn homosexual. They besides believe that freshly circumcised males should step on poulet manure to avoid redness of the phallus. Females. on the other manus. hold patterns to be followed during the oncoming of menses. They should jump three stairss of the ladder to avoid long menses periods. They should throw cotton on themselves to avoid hurting during periods. They should sit on three foliages of gabi and besides walk around the house to do the period last for merely three yearss. They are non allowed to press apparels or take a bath. Girls usage eggs. flowers. or the blood from menses when rinsing their face so that they would hold lesser hickeies and a clean tegument.
Adolescents are non allowed to hold frailties. engage in prenuptial sex or slumber in other people’s house. Females are given family jobs that are non heavy. Males. on the other manus. make the heavy work and aid in the farm. Tagabawa today do non follow the traditional manner of wooing where the parents of the adult male are the 1s who ask for the manus of the adult female from her parents. They follow the current tendency of suggesting personally. taking clip to acquire to cognize the adult female before they propose to her. However. there are still those who pattern arranged matrimonies.
