The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 43, 1670-1700: Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 43, 1670-1700: Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
No. 37. The bongsol they sometimes assert to be various durojones
which are caused by the sorcerer ganay, and which run all through the
body of the bewitched, who generally remains some moments as if dead
or in a faint, and at other times as though mad or raving from the
sight of the ganay who appears to them in various shapes. In order
to cure this sickness or enchantment, they summon another sorcerer,
and he after the incantations or efforts, which will be told later,
generally leaves the patient as he was before. Sometimes they say
that that sickness appears to be natural or a stomach ache caused by
the obstructions or durojones which grow in the stomach or in the
patient's side or by shivers which move from one place to another,
and from which the women of this country generally suffer. But when
they are unable to cure the pain with the promptness that they desire,
they generally say, especially the physicians, that the said sickness
is bongsol, that is enchantment, and that it can be cured only by the
one who is of the faculty, that is by one who is a sorcerer. They then
bring a sorcerer, who performs the things that pertain to his faculty,
and summons the first sorcerer who they say caused that sorcery. If
the sickness is not lessened, the sorcerer finishes his duty by saying
that the said first witch is very far away, and could not hear him;
and consequently, it has happened that he has not been able to cure
the said sickness. In such wise do they leave the sick person with
his pains.
No. 38. The ceremony or superstition of bilao is ordered for the
discovery thereby of any thief. It is reduced to placing in a bilao,
sieve, or screen, some scissors fastened at the point in the shape
of the cross of St. Andrew, and in them they hang their rosary. Then
they repeat the name of each one of those who are present and who are
assembled for this. If, for example, when the name Pedro is mentioned,
the bilao shakes, they say that Pedro is the thief. They also are
accustomed to light candles to St. Anthony of Padua for the purpose
of discovering the thief of anything [that is stolen]. For this they
kneel down to pray (and perhaps to utter and perform indecent things)
and wait until the flame leans toward any of those about, for instance,
toward Juan, and then they declare that Juan is the thief. It is
very usual for the Indians to carry about them various things in
order that they might obtain marvelous effects: for example, written
formulas, prayers, vitiated or interspersed with words arranged for
their evil intent, herbs, roots, bark, hairs, skin, bones, stones,
etc., so that they may not be killed, or apprehended by justice,
or to obtain wealth, women, or other things. [29] They are also very
much inclined to believe in omens and in unlucky days, in regard to
which they are wont to keep various books of manuscripts which must
be burned for them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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