Tau-buid Mangyan (Bayanan Group) Folk Beliefs and Amurit (witchcraft)

Called Batangan by lowlanders, the Tau-buid live in the interior forests of Mindoro north of the Buhid groups. They are a subgroup of the general Mangyan culture, living in settlements of five to twelve single-family houses situated on slopes near mountain streams, and named after the oldest resident. The Tau-buid do not employ the Indic scripts (Surat Mangyan) used by the Buhid and Hanunoo

Among the Tau-buid there are a number of local groups, as will be seen in the next two posts from us here at The Aswang Project, namely the Bayanan group and the Saragan group.

The Spiritual Realm of the Tau-Buid

Lai are chants which invoke the spirits to heal, protect, or solve a variety of problems such as bad weather. Musical instruments are mainly used by the Eastern Tau-buid in chanting these lai as devices to attract and summon spirits to the house. Jews’ harps (subing) made out of bamboo or dario palm wood, one-string guitars (batak), nose and mouth flutes (tulali, salinggab), bamboo and leaf drum membranes (balakdan) , and coin necklaces (dalag singku) are all classified by the Taubuid as famasugda (“for use in causing the arrival of”) and may be employed during a lai chant. Cow bells (giring) and brass gongs (agang) are found only in the border areas and are not typically Taubuid.

Rawtit is a folk hero among the Tau-Buid groups. The fabled tribal matriarch comes with all trimmings of a superhero; gigantic in size, a huge knife as traditional gear, magical powers to leap miles in one bound and lycra swapped for a loincloth. She brings peace to the forest and all its inhabitants.

 

Folk Medicine and Amurit

Among this group there are no formal medicine-men as there are in the Saragan group. Folk medicine is common knowledge to all adult males, and they teach it to their sons so that folk medical knowledge is inherited by all males. Not only do the fathers teach their sons medical knowledge, but the older males also train younger males in the group. Although the Bayanan, as mentioned, have no formal medicinemen, they do recognize that the position exists and call it barianan, as opposed to the same “title” in the Saragan, which is ballanan.

In cognatic societies, kinship links are evident and everyone has mutual or multiple relationships with or through someone. In addition, these types of societies rarely practice exogamous marriage and Ego has at least two affiliations, through both parents; and through both sets of grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. Thus, it can be said that all Tau-buids are ultimately affiliated with each other. Tension in these communities is therefore rare and, what is more, even if tension does break out, seldom are there instances of killings. In the rare instance that severe tension does occur, a type of witchcraft called amurit is practiced. The procedure, according to informants, is that the individual who wishes to eliminate an enemy need only imagine the act of killing vividly several times, and this is supposed to cause the death of his enemy.

Bolo

The bolo is not treated as an important item of inheritance among the Saragan group, but in the Bayanan the bolo is one of the most significant objects to be inherited. Among the latter, bolos are very difficult to acquire due to the group’s isolation. When a man dies only his wife or son can inherit his bolo. They believe that if the daughter possesses it she might die. In the case where the son is still very young the mother may keep the bolo and give it to the son when he becomes old enough to use it.

As mentioned, the bolo is important to an analysis of Tau-buid society. The bolos among the Bayanan, as the plates among the Saragan, are formally inherited by the son from the father, as inheritance is usually through the male line.

“Priest” Succession and Its Ceremony

Among the Bayanan, the magico-religious titles are passed on from father to son through the male line as in the Saragan group, but the priest’s title, emdanaama, is not the same as in the Saragan where the priest is called fuunan. The religious office is inherited in the Bayanan group as in the Saragan group, but in the former, when there is no male heir, the priestly title is transferred through the daughter to her husband. Among the Saragan group the succession can only be through the male line.

The emdanaama perform their ceremonies for the upland fields, funerals, and other ceremonies with all male members of the local group. If there are any problems in the group, the priests will make the decision to pray and direct their prayers to the sun (sa isai or sangaan). Among the Bayanan, the ceremony begins at noon and lasts until sundown with all of the males participating in the prayer. The females may also participate but only in the preparation of the ritual offering-for instance, of white chickens (as specifically mentioned by the informant).

The emdanaama is succeeded in the same way as the bolo, that is, its title is passed on to the eldest male offspring. If there is no male offspring, the daughter’s husband or an adopted son receives the title without fail. Although within the Tau-buid society there is no recognition of personal ownership, they still recognize the land being used for cultivation by the group or the property used in common as having communal character. Therefore, those living in the area from generation to generation are recognized as being able to enjoy the right of cultivation.

 

Source: Kikuchi, Yasushi, Mindoro highlanders: the life of the swidden agriculturists, New Day Publishers (1984)
Pennoyer, F. Douglas, The Taubuid of Mindoro, Philippines, Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society Vol. 5, No. 1/2, Philippine Cultural Minorities – II (MARCH – JUNE 1977), pp. 21-37