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Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Tagbanua deities

The Tagbanua deities

Major Gods


  • Mangindusa or Nagabacaban - the highest-ranking deity who lives in Awan-awan, the region beyond the Langit; the god of the heavens; the punisher of crime;
  • Polo - the benevolent god of the sea; whose help is invoked during the time of illness
  • Sedumunadoc - the god of the earth, whose favor is sought in order to have a good harvest
  • Tabiacoud the god of the underworld in the deep bowels of the earth

The Diwatas


The diwatas control the rain, and they are believed to be the creator of the world and of the human beings. They live where the tree trunks that hold up the Langit ("an infinitely high canopy"), which is the visible celestial region.

  • Diwata Kat Sidpan - a deity who lives in Sidpan (West)
  • Diwata Kat Libatan - a deity who lives in Babatan (East)

Celestial beings

  • Bugawasin - the wife of Mangindusa
  • Tungkuyanin - sits on the edge of Langit, with his feet dangling in the vastness of the cosmos and his eyes always cast down toward the earth
  • Tumangkuyun - washes the trunks of the trees that hold up the Langit with blood of Tagbanua who died in epidemics
  • Bulalakaw or Diwata Kat Dibuwat - flying deities who roam the region of the clouds, ready to come to the aid of any Tagbanua needing their help
Other deities

  • Taliyakad - the watcher who guards the vine bridge called Balugu
  • Anggugru - the "keeper of the fire," who welcomes the soul to the underworld and gives it fire

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