The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898; Volume 47, 1728-1759: 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 47, 1728-1759: 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
Acasi. The anito superior to all seems to me to be the one called
Acasi; for they sing him a song which says "Mag yaman man a Malyari
monagon si Acasi," namely, "Although Malyari is powerful Acasi
gets the first fruits." This is the refrain when they sing in the
sacrifice which is made to this idol. That idol has few priests, for
the authority given them by the bayoc to be able to offer sacrifice
to him costs them a great sum. That idol, they say, is useful for the
sick, and for works of importance. All his priests declare that they
talk with Acasi, but no one says that he sees him or does anyone of the
bystanders hear him talk. The same is true of the other idols and their
priests; and all become good and drunk whenever a sacrifice is made,
and the priest tells them that the idol has told him the lies that
he makes up, and the others believe them as truth. This is universal
among all the other sacrifices which are made to the other idols.
Manglobar. There is another idol called Manglobar. They say that
that idol pacifies angry hearts. Hence, when anyone commits a murder,
he sends to the priest of that idol to have him pacify the relatives
of the murdered man, and to reconcile them with the murderer. That
reconciliation consists in the murderer giving gold or something worth
it to the relatives of the murdered person, according to the rank
of the latter. If the murderer has no gold, then he gives a slave,
who is generally some Negrillo of the mountain, whom they capture
for that purpose. And if he cannot do that the priest kills a son
of the murderer or a very near relative. If the murderer cannot
do any of the above things, they kill him. The party offended also
generally has recourse to such priest in order that the offender may
be reconciled with the offended, and that is very general when the
offender is more powerful than the party offended or has more kindred
to protect him. Only a priest is able to uncover that idol.
Mangalagar. There is another idol called Mangalagar. Of that idol it is
said that he accompanies the priest wherever he goes on all occasions
when they invoke him (good guardian angel!) when they have to make any
garro or mangao, which means to cut off some head. If they have made a
catch, they give thanks to such idol, and make him a sacrifice. This
is so closely followed that they will under no circumstances mount
into their house without first offering some sacrifice to such idol;
for they say that they will be punished by that Mangalagar, if they do
not make him a feast before entering their houses, and they will have
no luck another time in cutting off any other head. All those feasts
are made with wine and drunken reveling. That idol has many priests,
but not so many as do the anitos whom they have for their paddy fields.
Of the anitos which they have for their rice, I have not been able
to discover more than five, as follows:
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