Besides the above-mentioned plants, he has probably only a few banana plants, a few ginger plants, some semiwild tomatoes, a little mint11 and, perchance, a few other plants intended for seasoning. He is not accustomed to plant more than will supply the bare necessities of life.
11Called labwéna probably from the Spanish yerba buena.
As a concomitant of his rice or camotes, he must have his is-da12 which he procures from the forest13 or from the river.14
12This word in its present usage corresponds to the Spanish vianda, to the Bisáya súdan, and the Tagalog úlam. Note that the generic word for is-da, "fish," has received a still more general application among the Manóbos and Bisáyas of the middle Agúsan. Originally, no doubt, it meant simply "fish," but as the háu-an is almost the only fish in the middle Agúsan that is caught with frequency and in numbers, the generic term for fish was narrowed down to this one particular fish. Thence the application of the word expanded and it now corresponds to the Tagalog úlam and the Cebu-Bisáya sú-dan.
13See under "Hunting."
14See under "Fishing."
It is not essential that the meat or fish should be fresh. I have seen pig meat eaten after three days' decomposition. Neither is the rawness an impediment, for it is customary in certain localities to eat pork absolutely raw, for ceremonial reasons. Besides pork, venison, and fish, an occasional wild chicken or other bird snared in the forest, or a hornbill killed with an arrow, helps to keep his larder supplied.
When no fish or meat has been procured, and this is more often the rule than the exception, he may have found on his rambles some mushroomlike fungi,15 or even mushrooms,16 or he may have taken a notion to cut down some palm tree, and get a fine palm 17 or rattan core 18 or even young bamboo shoots.19 While straying along the river bank he may pick some fern tops of an edible variety.20 Any of these things affords as fair supplement to his rice, as butter does to bread. The palm-tree cores are full of big luscious larvae.21 He may have a chance to kill an iguana22 or monarch lizard.23 The killing of a monkey with his bow and arrow, or in his traps, affords him a choice piece of meat. And when he has the good fortune to kill a python, he has enough ís-da for himself, his relatives, and his neighbors for at least one meal. Occasionally, during the proper season, he locates a bees' nest and therefrom procures an amount of honey, larvae, and beebread that proves an uncommon treat for himself and his family. Again, on the river at certain periods he has nothing else to do except to scoop into his dugout (if he has one) the exhausted "water-skimmers,"24 or while passing near some sand bank to spy the spot where the water lizard buried her delicious eggs. In the little side streams he may catch a few frogs and go on his way rejoicing.
15Ta-líng-a bá-tang.
16Líg-bus, sa-gíng-sá-ging.