Philippine Folk Tales Part 29

[126] In a strict sense, the term malaki is never applied to a man, unless he is young, unmarried, and perfectly chaste. But this technical use is not always preserved.

[127] Small bells cast from a hand-made wax mould, and extensively used for decorating baskets, bags, belts, etc.

[128] See footnote 1, p. 38.

[129] See footnote 2, p. 28.

[130] The good soul that goes to the city of the dead, and continues to live much as on earth. The gimokud tebang, or bad soul, becomes a Buso after death.

[131] The "lion" is borrowed from some foreign source, since in the Philippines there are no large carnivorous mammals.

[132] The so-called "chameleon" of the Malay Peninsula and the Malay Islands is Calotes, one of the Agamidae (cf. H. Gadow, Amphibia and Reptiles, pp. 517-518).

[133] A semi-aquatic lizard of the Philippines that lays edible eggs, and otherwise answers to the description of the Vara.n.u.s, or Monitor.

[134] This story, in an abbreviated form, was found by Clara Kern Bayliss at Laguna (cf. this Journal, vol. xxi, p. 46 (1908)).

[135] Roro, "slide;" s prefix (euphonic or formal, used by mountain Bagobo before vowels and many consonant sounds, as the l.a.b.i.al p here); punno, "tortoise."

[136] Langag, "look;" -ka (suffix, second person nominative), "you;"

pudung, "shut;" -nu (p.r.o.nominal suffix), "your;" yan (demonstrative p.r.o.noun), "that," "those;" mata, "eyes."

[137] Luit (transitive verb and noun), "peel," "sh.e.l.l;" -ko (suffix, first person p.r.o.nominal). "I;" 'ni (abbreviated from ini), "this,"

"here." in sense of "at hand;" sebad. "one;" abok, "piece;" saging, "banana."

[138] See footnote 5, p. 32.

[139] A white powder (calcined sh.e.l.l) that is sprinkled on the betel-nut. It is made by burning certain sh.e.l.ls to ashes, and mixing with water.

[140] The stem of a mountain-plant that is chewed in lack of betel-nut. It blackens the teeth, like betel.

[141] Basio', term used of any old palma brava tree that has been broken down or felled, and lies on the ground (supa, "drag," "lower;"

tapo, "p.e.n.i.s").

[142] A short, pointed iron tool; used to punch ornamental designs in bra.s.s ornaments, especially bracelets and leglets.

[143] In a slightly different version, the tortoise tells the monkeys to bore into his ear with the tiuk, a bra.s.s wire that forms a part of the hinge of a betel-box.

[144] The distal opening of the urethra.

[145] A small edible fruit with an acid pulp and red-and-white skin.

[146] A light-weight bamboo with slender, th.o.r.n.y branches, very inflammable, and used where a rapid-burning and intense fire is needed (bale ["house"], kayo ["wood"]). This wood is extensively used in building the lighter parts of the framework of a house.

[147] This story came to the Bagobo from a young man of the Ata tribe, whose habitat is the mountainous country in the interior, to the northwest of the Gulf of Davao.

[148] "Alelu'k" and "Alebu'tud" are Ata names, for which the Bagobo forms are respectively Bungen and Batol.

[149] The long handle or rod of a spear, tipped with a sharp-pointed iron cone; equally useful for killing animals, and, driven into the ground, for supporting the spear when at rest. The same name (tidalan) is applied to the shaft of a spear lacking the blade, and carried by old people like a mountain-staff.

[150] A vessel formed of a single internode of bamboo, in which water is brought from the river, and kept in the house.