160 Father Morice Vanoverbergh, C. I. C. M.

At Calabgan I heard a story about a wonderful cave tha

to exist on the Pacific side of the San Ildefonso peninsula
"the house of God", an old bearded man was living inside,
trees (Casuarina equisetifolia, Forst.)', that were found grow
have been planted by the hand of man, as they were all nicely
Here and there I met a child, one at Bakiad, two at Diniipa
had been. cut in such a way as to leave untouched a few long t
in all probability a superstitious practice. I observed it be
Negritos of Apayaw, where it was told me that it was done to
from sickness.

XVI. Religion.

When formerly I visited the Negritos in Apayaw and in w

I found them worshiping one Supreme Being, offering Him th
the hunt, and performing a nocturnal ceremony seemingly in
reference to the latter, there was a notable difference in the con
between the Nagan Negritos in the extreme northwest an
Negritos farther east: the Nagan Negritos, who live more is
other Negrito groups, were strikingly respectful the whole nigh
the Allakapan Negritos, who live surrounded by Christian Mala
this ceremony in a much less edifying manner.
Now let us see what I observed among the other Negr
namely: in the eastern section of Cagayan, in Tayabas (Casig
and in Rizal.
Before going into details, I would like to draw the attention of my
readers to the two following facts:

1. Universality of Monotheism.

First, the generality of the Negritos are either grossly ignorant of

kind of religious belief or unable to give the inquirer any definite inform
only here and there do we find a few individuals who are either cognizan
tenets of their religion or in a position to satisfy the legitimate curiosity
investigator. This ignorance gradually increases the farther we proc
southerly direction; and so, their original beliefs seem to be best preser
the northwest, among the Negritos of Apayaw and of northwestern Cag
At the same time, whenever they talk about the Deity, they always
invariably use the singular. Even when they state that they worship the
(spirit or spirits), and follow a line of talk that is most characteristically
they always use the term "spirit" in the singular, which is decidedly no
I do not believe that there is a single Malay, whether Christian or pa
the whole island of Luzon, who would ever refer to "the spirit"; he eith
about "the spirits" or has in mind one special anito in contradistinction
the others: he knows no single and unique anito. Once or twice I h
Negrito mention "the spirits" in the plural, but as soon as he dictate
one or more of the prayers usually addressed to them, he immediate

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 Negritos of Eastern Luzon. 161

tradicted himself most flagrantly and invariab

spirits in the singular.
This belief in one sole Supreme Being, very
almost total ignorance of anything else, did not on
able, but it kept my Christian Malay companion
understand how a Negrito, knowing almost noth
so emphatic about the unity of the Being he worsh
discussion with the Malays in order to confirm
Christian Malays who have received very little or
liable to answer your questions by saying that the
number of gods, sometimes remembering the num
sons, sometimes the number ten of the Commandme
to their original animistic beliefs; in no case, howe
position, if they hear themselves contradicted.

2. The Question on the Nocturnal Prayer Ceremony.

Second, with reference to the prayer Ceremony, which I describ
length in my former reports, I again observed that the farther we pr
toward the south, the less the Negritos know about it. This also seems to
that the original Negrito culture has been best preserved among the
Negritos of the northwest.
And now as to details. To make the situation, as clear as possible, I sh
begin with the north and proceed southward step by step.
The prayer ceremony:
1. In a former paper5 I have shwon how the Negritos of Nagan,
Apayaw (the northern most subprovince of the Mountain Province), sang
mittently for one or more nights in a language actually unknown to them
first beating of timbrels and dancing alternated with singing; later on, th
was only singing, the rest was discontinued. The whole performance
decorous and edifying.
2. At Allakapan, formerly in Apayaw, now in the northwestern co
of the Cagayan Province, the same ceremony, with a prayer almost textuall
same and recited under the same circumstances, was performed by groups
Negritos, who were actually entirely unacquinted with the Nagan Neg
here, however, the ceremony seemed to have a less strictly religious chara
than at Nagan; it looked more like a religious cermony in the form of an
tainment. All this has been explained at length in another paper 6.
3. At Adawag, at the foot of the Sierra Madre Mountains, in eas
Cagayan, it was told me that the Negritos performed a similar nocturnal c
mony, shouting, dancing and beating timbrels all through the night; n
had any knowledge of anything like a prayer that might be recited or sun
the time, and the Negritos at that place did not know what I was talking a
when I quoted some verses from the Nagan prayer.

5 Cf. "Anthropos" XX, 436; XXV, 555; XXXI, 952. (Notes of the redaction.)
(: Cf. note 5.

Anthropos XXXIII. 1938. 11

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162 Father Morice Vanoverbergh, C. I. C. M.,

4. At Palanan, on the Pacific Coast, in the Province of

a Palanan man, told me at Calabgan, on April 11, that, in h
his fellow-Negritos occasionally held a ceremony at night, but
prayers; they simply diverted themselves singing profane son
5. At Casiguran, on the Pacific Coast, in the northernm
Tayabas: Mr. Custodio, the governor of the Negritos, rep
6 that they had no religious ceremonies. On March 17, Dor
Negrito, did not understand me when I recited a part of t
he knew nothing about nocturnal ceremonies. During my
months at Calabgan, I never received a hint about any nightly
6. At Baler, farther south, on the same coast and in the sa
on February 17th, it was told me by the Negritos that they kn
nocturnal ceremonies, nor did they understand the Nagan pra
22nd, they gave me a sample of the songs that were sung o
evening: it was an ordinary love song in Tagalog.
7. At Makasabobo, at the foot of the Sierra Madre Mounta
Rizal: on May 2 the Negritos told me that they never heard abo
mony, and they did not understand the Nagan prayer.

3. The Offering of First Fruits:

1. At Ada wag:
An old Negrito man told me that, after a successful hunt, th
a small piece of meat, and recited the following prayer:

ekám sin a pagrar amanan tarn yen awé m

we put this here (?) so that tasting of us (inclusive) this not you (sing.)
pagtakitán pagmapiá m ya magtakít.
make sick cure you (sing.) the sick.

Free translation: This is for us to taste, do not make anybody sick, c

the sick.
After that the following conversation took place:
I: To whom do you offer that?
Negrito old man: I do not know.
I: Perhaps to the spirits?
Neg. : (after some hesitation, and very perfunctorily) : Yes.
Note that he used the singular all through the prayer.
2. At Palanan:
Taludep told me that everything happened there exactly in the same w
as what Mulan reported from Calabgan (see below) .
In the district of Casiguran:
3. At Loba, on March 18: a middle-aged Negrito man, who spo
Negrito, Tagalog and Iloko, told me that, after a successful hunt, they cut
the animal in the forest, brought home as much as they needed, and left t
rest. He seemed to know nothing about the offering of first fruits. Wh
explained to him, in Iloko, how it was done by other Negritos, he translate

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 Negritos of Eastern Luzon. 163

words into Negrito for the benefit of several Neg

and they all looked astonished. Note that Negrito
men on hunting expeditions, and that those are t
of offering.
4. At Calabgan, on April 1, some Negritos
nothing of the kind.
On April 11, Doroteo, who had come from
reported that he knew no such offering, and tha
the forest.

A few days later, Mulan told me in the pre

man, and of some other Negritos, that they cut o
it over the fire, stuck it on a piece of rattan, an
iwahák ko i laman a ye at lamaná mo ye.
leaving of me the (meat of a) wild boar this and tasting of you (sing.).
Free translation: I leave this meat for you to taste. Note the singular
All present agreed to the exactness of this explanation, and, when I t
them that some Negritos seemed to be ignorant of that ceremony,
answered: "That is strange, because it is practised by all of us."
When I asked him to whom they offered the meat, he answered: sa g
to the forest.
5. At Makasabobo:

Some old Negrito men told me that they cut off a small piece of meat,
left it near the trap or on the ground, not in a tree; at the same time
recited a prayer, which my informants repeated to me; I was not able to w
it down, but I heard distinctly the words: sa inyó, to you (plural). Here fo
the conversation which ensued:
I (addressing the Negrito) : To whom do you offer that?
The Tagalog governor of the Negritos (answering instead of the Negrito) :
To what they worship.
I (addressing the Negrito) : How many are they?
Negrito: One.
Tagalog gov. (addressing the Negrito) : No, they must be many, you say:
sa inyó.
Negrito (very strongly) : No, there is only one.
Tagalog gov.: If so, why do you say: sa inyó?
The Negrito was nonplussed and said nothing.
Tagalog again: Perhaps you use sa inyó out of respect? (This is the usual
Tagalog way: they rarely use the singular, especially when they have to do with
a person whom they respect) .
Negrito (immediately) : Yes, yes, that's it.
Some more information about the Deity and prayer (given in chronological
order) :

6. At Baler, on February 22, two middle-aged Negrito men, Matías and

Kitong, told me that they called God Dios (the Spanish term, used by the
Christians all over the Philippines), and that they prayed to Him for mercy,
h*

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164 Father Morice Vanoverbergh, C. I. C. M.

so that they might live (almost exactly the same expressions

and at Allakapan; see also below).
7. Rev. John Rapiñan, who had been stationed on th
told me that the Polillo Negritos worshiped God, but not as
8. Before I had been at Calabgan (Cas.) one week, th
sidered me as their own missionary and wanted me to bapti
later on, they repeatedly proferred the same request.
9. At Loba (Cas.), the Negrito who spoke Iloko and s
nothing about the offering of first fruits (see above), also
nothing about God.
10. At Calabgan, on April 9, I asked Pandong how m
were; he immediately answered: One.
I : What is His name?
Pandong: Dios; (after a pause): Also Eba and Adan.
I: Then they are two?
Pandong (after some hesitation) : Yes.
He further stated that they prayed like this: "Have mercy on us; see that
we live; look after our children, lest they get sick." He used the singular all
the time.

April 1 1 : Doroteo said that they prayed at night, before going* to sleep:
"Give us our livelihood." Again in the singular.
He added that they also said: "Thank you", to Him.
On April 30, Dawigoy, widower and great-grandfather, asked me if,
after his death, he would be able to see his wife. In the course of our conver-
sation, he told me that the bad, after death, were thrown into boiling water;
of the good he knew nothing, but they were most certainly not thrown into
boiling water.

(End.)

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