Deities and Mythical Beings of the Davao Tribes

Note: I don't claim to be an expert in the mythology and religion of the six tribes featured here. My source for this information is Fay-Cooper Cole's The Wild Tribes of Davao District, Mindanao. This entry is solely a list for future references.

The deities and mythological creatures here are from Fay-Cooper Cole's The Wild Tribes of Davao District, Mindanao. This is a list of the gods, goddesses, and spirits/spirit classes of the Bagobo, Bila-an, Kulaman, Tagakaolo, Ata, and Mandaya. I retained the spelling of the names found in the book. For full accounts of the myths and customs of the tribes, I recommend reading the book.

BAGOBO

Eugpamolak Manobo/Manama/Kalayagan  - first and greatest creator whose home is in the sky. Offerings for him should be white.

Tolus ka balakat - name means "dweller in the balakat"; loves blood but not the flesh of humans and is one of the three deities for whom the yearly sacrifice is made.

Mandarangan and Darago - husband and wife who look after the fortunes of the warriors and demand yearly sacrifice in return.

Taragomi - owns all the food and is the guardian of crops.

Tolus ka towangan - patron of workers in brass and copper.

Tolus ka gomanan - patron of smiths.

Baitpandi - taught the women to weave and presides over the looms and weavers.

Toglai/Si Niladan, Maniladan and his wife Toglibon - first man and woman; gave the people their language and customs.

tigyama - a class of spirits that look after the family.

diwata - a class of spirits who serve Eugpamolak Manobo.

anito - a name applied to a great body of spirits some of whom are formerly people; it is from them that the mabalian secures her knowledge and power.

buso - mean, evil spirits who eat dead people and sometimes injure the living.

tagamaling - evil spirits dwelling in big trees.

tigbanua - evil beings inhabiting rocks and cliffs in the mountains.

tagareso - low spirits who cause people to become angry and do evil deeds or cause insanity.

sarinago - spirits who steal rice.

tagasoro - cause sudden anger resulting to quarrels and death.

Balinok and Balinsogo - husband and wife who love blood and cause people to run amok.

siring - spirits inhabiting caves, cliffs, and dangerous places and who also impersonate family members.

*****

BILA-AN

Melu or Meie - used his skin to create earth and the two beings like himself. He created Tau Tana (Funtana) and Tau Dalom Tana. These two angered Melu when they had a child.

Melu and Fiuweigh, Dwata and Sawegh (or Sewe or Seweigh) - another version of the creation myth relates that these two pairs created people first out of wax (which failed) and then dirt. This time it was Fiuweigh who had an argument with Melu about the position of the nose. The couples also created the earth out of the things that the bird Baswit brought to them. Baswit brought earth, fruit of rattan and trees.

They made Adnato and Andawi. These two had children, namely; Tapi/Mastafi and Lakarol (in other versions the offspring were Mesa, Lakbang and Mangarang). Their descendants were Sinudal, Moay, Limbay, Madinda, Sinnamoway, Kamansa, Gilay, Gomayau, Salau, Slayen, Baen, Kanfal, and Latara.

Melu and Sawegh live below while Dwata and Fiuweigh lived in the sky.

In still another version Melu and Dwata created Fiuweigh and Seweigh. The  first people made were Otis and Lakbang who were the parents of Mastafi and Lakarol (Landol). The Bila-an were descended from Mastafi and Lakarol.

Duwata (Duata, Dwata, Adwata, Diwata) - identified with a female spirit called Kalalokan and is generally considered Melu's wife.

Lamot ta Mangayo/Mandalangan - patron spirit of warriors.

busau - class of spirits living in the mountains. To this class belong Bakay the owner of the deer and pig; Bawi, who owns the rice; and the flau, the spirit of an unborn child whose mother died in pregnancy.

*****

KULAMAN

Tomanen and wife Diwata - are considered above all the other spirits.

Mandalangan/Siling/Manobo Siring - the god of war.

magintalonan - spirits that inhabit rocks and trees.

Tama - owns the deer and wild pig.

maniokan - generally evil spirits that resemble snakes.

*****

TAGAKAOLO

Lakbang, Mengedan and wife Bodek - Mengedan and Bodek are the parents of Linkanan and Lampagan.

Linkanan and Lampagan - parents of kalau and sabitan (birds). They were sent to look for bits of soil which their parents used to form the earth.

Diwata and Timanem - watched the creation of the earth.

Siling - confuses travelers through the forest.

mantianak - spirits of unborn children or busau.

Tama - owns the deer and wild pig.

Mandalangan (Mandangan) - closely interwoven with Timanem.

kawe - shades of the dead.

*****

ATA

Manama - made the first men from blades of grass, weaving them together. He made eight people who became the ancestors of the people.

A flood drowned the people but two men and a woman were saved by an eagle and brought to Mapula.

Mandarangan - god of war.

Malalayug - god of agriculture.

Mabalian - spirit who presides over childbirth.

Tarasyub and Taratuan - guardian spirits of brass iron workers.

Boypandi - guardian of weavers.

*****

MANDAYA

Moon and Sun - They were married but later quarreled. Moon left and soon after their children died. Moon cut their bodies and threw them away; those that fell into the water became fish while those that fell on land became snakes and animals; those that 'fell' upwards became stars.

In another version the children were not cut. One of them was a giant crab named Tambanokaua who causes tides, high waves, lightning, and eclipses when he devours his mother.

Other versions:
(1) Only one great star with the appearance of a man existed. He wanted to usurp the sun and succeeded. He cut his rival into small bits and scattered them over the sky.

(2) The flat earth was pressed up into mountains by Agusanan. It rested on the back of an eel that caused earthquakes.

(3) A woman survived the flood which killed all the inhabitants of the earth. She gave birth to Uacatan who married her. From the sprung the Mandaya.

(4) From the limokon's eggs were born Mag and Begenday from whom came all the Mandaya (also Mag/Manway and Begenday/Samay). The limokon bird is considered a messenger of the spirit world.

wakwak - a bird which foretells ill fortune.

Diwata - a good spirit who aids against evil beings.

asuang - a class of malevolent spirits that inhabit trees, cliffs, and streams. They trouble or injure the living. The most powerful asuang are Tagbanua, Tagamaling, Sigbinan, Lumaman, and Bigwa.

Busau/Tuglinsau/Tagbusau/Mandangum - looks after he welfare of the bagani (warriors).

Omayan/Kalaloa Nang Omay - spirit of the rice.

muntianak - spirit of a child whose mother died while pregnant.

Magbabaya - the name given to the first man and woman who emerged from the limokon eggs.

Likedanum - creator and chief spirit.

Dagpudanum and Macguliput - gods of agriculture.

Manamoan - a female spirit who works the soil and presides over childbirth.

Ebu - made all the people from the hairs on his head.

Other deities: Mangkokiman, Mongungyahn, Mibucha, Andepit, and Mibuohn.

The Wild Tribes of Davao District, Mindanao by Fay-Cooper Cole

This volume is a record of Cole's study of the six tribes from Davao District, namely; Bagobo, Bila-an, Kulaman, Tagakaolo, Ata, and Mandaya. Each section describes the laws and customs, religion, arts and crafts, physical appearance and measurements, warfare and medical practices, and the mythology, religion and accompanying ceremonies of the tribes. There is also a section concerning human sacrifice which was observed in almost all the tribes mentioned.

The important chapter on the Bagobo is the most extensive and also serves as the point of comparison with the other tribes. All six tribes have a lot in common and differ only in specific details. Of their similarities, the most prominent is the appearance of the deity Mandarangan/Mandalangan in the myths of the tribes and the importance given to the warrior class and the medium/healers/midwives.

There are separate sections on the creation myths and lists of important deities and spirits. A description of the soul and its role is most insightful. Factions of some of the tribes have different versions of the story and the concept of the soul, death, and afterlife.

Overall, this is a good source of information about the major tribes in Davao because this study was done in the early 1900s when the Christian tenets did not yet taint the native beliefs and customs; the government also has very little influence on the said tribes. Cole was able to converse with the natives and had access to legal documents and reports from other sources.

As for the spelling of the names, I have no way of verifying his accuracy but the Filipino words and names are usually pronounced as they are spelled.

Rating : 10 out of 10.

Note: I made a separate entry listing all the deities of each tribe mentioned in this book.

The Crimson Witch by Dean Koontz

Jake Turnet is stuck in a world destroyed by nuclear holocaust after an overdose of PBT, a psychic chemical that opened the doorway. This world, unlike his own is populated by warlocks and witches and all manner of mythical creatures. He has to find a way to get back to his worldline but he would have to get past an ambitious ruler and his minions with the help of witches, Kell and Cheryn, and a vegetarian dragon, Kaliglia.

This book, published in 1972 (now out of print), is a mix of fantasy, sci-fi, and romance.

It wasn't stated how Cheryn, the Crimson Witch of Eye Mountain, met Jake. How their relationship developed wasn't explained either but Cheryn finds herself madly in love with Jake and ended up helping him.

The battle scenes using magic weren't bad but repetitive. The best part of this book for me was when Jake, Cheryn, and Kaliglia passed through the gate to get to Jake's worldline.

The ending seemed like it was rushed. Cheryn suddenly gained so much power near the end of the story that she was able to solve all the problems for Jake right away.

The story could have been improved especially if Koontz cut down on the sexual references to Cheryn and if they didn't manage to defeat King Lelar so easily by suddenly turning Cheryn into a very powerful witch.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Early Bardic Literature, Ireland by Standish O'Grady

This book gives an overview of the Irish myths and legends and the existing problems in the  study of this field. O'Grady proposes the creation of a book that will cover both epic and annalistic/genealogical literature. He claims that although bardic literature constitutes the glory of early Irish history, it is also the stumbling block in its appreciation.

There is a short introduction to bardic history as well as an overview of the five ages that should make up his proposed book. He also gives an account of the evolution of the pantheon and how important it is to include the cycles in the proposed book. A section on the deification of heroes and kings is informative.

The mythological record of the bards according to O'Grady is as follows:
Age of Keasair
Age of Partholan and the Earliest Fomorian Gods
Age of the Nemedian Gods and Second Cycle of the Fomorians
Firbolgs and Third Cycle of the Fomoroh
Last Cycle: Tuatha de Danan

I don't recommend this as a complete source of the five cycles but only as an overview of bardic literature. Although it provides a lot of information most are summaries and the author focuses more on the problem of recording, classifying, and analyzing the myths.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition of the Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings by Dennis Tedlock

This volume can be divided into two parts. First is the introduction of the Popol Vuh; second, the translation of the work itself. It is important to read the introduction as it provides a detailed background of the work of the author and the explanation of the events mentioned in the Popol Vuh. The translation, although not a very difficult read, wouldn't make sense without the exhaustive work of the author.

The Popol Vuh highlights the following: (1) The creation stories, (2) the exploits of Hunahpu One and Hunahpu Seven and Xbalanque and Hunahpu, and (3) the first four men and the stories of their descendants. There is a section describing how the Popol Vuh might be used either as a historical narrative or a store of myths that will provide insights into the life of the Quiche Maya.

Readers need not be versed in Maya mythology to appreciate this book. The writing is easy to understand and the author did a good job in providing additional information about difficult episodes and passages.

I'm giving this book a 10 out of 10 rating.

New Prince of Tennis

Ryoma Echizen and the rest of Seigaku are back and go head to head with the best middle and high school tennis players in the country in the U-17 selection camp. The middle schoolers, which includes most of Seigaku's rivals from other schools, soon find that U-17 is full of talented players and wily coaches who want to test their limits.

Players are grouped in several courts depending on their abilities. Shuffle matches let courts move up or down the ranks. In the preliminary matches, several players are eliminated while Ryoma is disqualified for not showing up when he goes looking for Tokugawa, a player from court one, for a match. He has to leave the camp along with the losers.

They were not leaving however. They are sent to a drunkard coach, Nyudo, and undergo extensive and difficult training. Meanwhile, the middle schoolers who won, are slowly moving up the court ranking, led by the powerful Jujiroh Oni. It seems like the middle schoolers can't get along with the coach and the high schoolers who were also eliminated. Near the end of the 13-episode series, they realize that Nyudo's tactics are working. They were soon given a chance to go back to camp.

The series is too short. The last few episodes seemed like they were rushed and there is no way of knowing what the result of the training and final matches would be.

I didn't like how some teams were snubbed but at least all the Seigaku players had enough screen time.

Despite all that, it also has some good points. One of the things I noticed immediately is that Ryoma got cockier and more confident but also more mature especially while he was training. Although it was not an official match, Ryoma lost to Tokugawa. Ryoma has always seemed unbeatable but he's running out of tricks. This proves that he can still get stronger.

I loved the funny episodes too especially the one with Ryoma, Tanishi, and Kenya sneaking into U-17 camp to get supplies for Coach Nyudo.

As a fan of Prince of Tennis, this is a bit disappointing for me but it's still well-done even if it's too short.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Here are the titles of episodes 1 to 13:
Episode 1: Return of the Prince
Episode 2: The Gatekeeper of Hell
Episode 3: Friendly Fire
Episode 4: The Captain's Choice
Episode 5: Winners and Losers
Episode 6: Cliffs of the Heart
Episode 7: Start From Zero
Episode 8: Special Mission
Episode 9: Evolution and Change
Episode 10: Farewell, Kunimitsu Tezuka
Episode 11: Promise
Episode 12: The Start of a Revolution
Episode 13: Toward Your New Brilliant Selves