The writer did not hear the foregoing tale, but the following, with more or less variation, was told to him by several Bila-an:
"In the beginning four beings, MElú and Fiuweigh-males, and Dwata and Sawegh (or sEwE or sEweigh)-females, lived on a small earth or island as large as a hat and called salnaoñ. There were no trees or grass on this island, but they had one bird called Baswit. They sent this bird across the waters to secure some earth, the fruit of the rattan and of trees. When it returned MElú took the earth and beat it the same as a woman beats pots until he had made the land, then he planted the seeds in it and they grew. When he had watched it for a time he said: 'Of what use is land without people'; so the others said, 'Let us make wax into people.' They did so, but when they put the wax near to the fire it melted, so they saw they could not make man that way. Next it was decided that they should use dirt, and MElú and Fiuweigh began to make man. All. went well until they were ready to make the nose. Fiuweigh who was making this part put the nose on upside down and when MElú told him that the people would drown if he left it that way he became very angry and refused to change it. When he turned his back, MElú seized the nose quickly and turned it as it now is, and you can see where, in his haste, he pressed his fingers (at the root).
"The people they made were Adnato and Andawi, male and female. These two had children, Tapi (or Mastafi) and Lakarol. (Informants disagreed here, part insisting that MEsa, Lakbang, and Mangarang were part of the first people made.) Their descendants were Sinudal (female), Moáy (male), Limbay (female), Madinda (female), Sinnamoway (male), Kamansa (male), Gilay (female), Gomayau (male), Salau (male), Slayen (female), BaEn (female), Kanfal (female), Latara (male)."
[Transcriber's note: These identifications of male and female (in parentheses above and below) are all signaled in the text using non-ASCII symbols; the symbols for male or female were footnoted.]
The last was the father of Alimama, the chief informant of this tale. Inok, dato of Labau, is also of this line, tracing his descent from Lakbang.
It is said that MElú and Sawegh now live below, Dwata and Fiuweigh in the sky.
A variation of this story credits MElú and Dwata with being the creators of Fiuweigh and SEweigh. They were the ancestors of men, for they took earth and made it into the form of people and then whipped it until it moved. The first people they made were Otis (male) and Lakbang (female). Two of their children were Mastafi (male) and Lakarol (or Landol) (female). From these two came all the Bila-an. "These two lived in a small distant place and their one animal was Baswit—a bird. They sent him on a long journey and when he returned he brought a piece of earth and the fruit of a pandag tree. Lakarol planted the fruit in the piece of earth and when it grew the leaves fell down and finally made the earth."
From these tales and later questioning we learn the MElú, or MElE, is the most powerful of all the natural spirits and that his help is sought in times of calamity and at very important occasions.
Duwata (Duatá, Dwata, Adwata, Diwata) is generally considered to be the wife of MElú and of equal strength with him. She is sometimes identified with a female spirit called Kalalokan.
Fiuweigh and SEweigh are now powerful spirits; but there is some dispute as to whether they have always been so, or once were human.