DECORATIVE ART. The decorative art of the Mandaya is similar in many respects to that of the Bagobo and Bila-an, yet in part it differs greatly from both. As is true with the other tribes, the weavers make use of many figures which they do not associate with any living forms, but which, nevertheless, strongly suggest that they may have been derived from realistic designs. In addition to such patterns they frequently employ figures which are intentional copies of human or animal forms. Of these the most common are those representing a man and a crocodile; these sometimes appear together, sometimes alone. The requirements of the space to be filled, as well as readiness of the worker to alter any part in order to give a more pleasing effect to the design have resulted in many distorted and conventionalized figures which can only be explained by the artist. The accompanying drawings are taken from articles collected by the writer and now in the Field Museum of Natural History. Patterns _A_ to _H_ in Fig. 54 appear in hemp cloth skirts. These show the steps in the conventionalization of the human figure,[139] as explained by the weavers. In the first four the forms are so realistic that they need no explanation, but _E_ is more complicated. Here two greatly conventionalized figures have been used, one erect, the other with head down. The size of the head has been increased while the body is represented by a small diamond-shaped pattern with outstretched arms attached. The legs and feet of both figures help to form a pattern similar to a head, except that it lacks the "hair" shown in the end designs. _F_ resembles the preceding quite closely. In it the central head-like pattern does not appear and the legs and feet of one figure help to form the head of the other. This design has been doubled, thus necessitating some alteration of the figures at the points of union. In _G_ and _H_ nearly all the realistic elements have vanished, yet certain resemblance to _D_ and _E_ can be discerned. [139] One weaver insisted that this figure represents a frog, because of its webbed feet, but none of the others agreed with her. FIG. 54A TO H. DESIGNS REPRESENTING THE HUMAN FORM. We have already learned that the crocodile is held in great regard and in some sections there is evidence of its more or less sacred character. Its importance in the minds of the people is well shown by the frequency with which it appears in their decorative designs. Fig. 55_A_ shows one of these animals which has just eaten a man. Both figures are so realistic that the intention of the weaver is apparent. In _B_, _D_, _E_, and _F_, the animal is still realistic, but the man disappears, and in his place is a formless object or straight lines which are identified as "something eaten." FIG. 55A TO H. CROCODILE DESIGNS.