The Bagobo Numbers

Let's count the Bagobo way:

1 - Sab-bad

2 - Duwa

3 - Tal-lo

4 - Ap-pat

5 - Lima (stress on the first syllable)

The Early Bagobo Society

Traditional Bagobo society was divided into three classes.

1. Magani – the warrior class

The Datu was the chief magani who inherited his position from his ancestors. He did not enjoy special privilege except for the title and rank. His main function was to be a judge, arbiter, and a defender of the tribe. The magani who should have killed at least 2 persons was allowed to wear blood-red clothes and a headkerchief called tangkulu, and he was allowed to possess a small bag for betel nut and lime which was considered a property of the spirits.

If the magani was held in high esteem,  a man called the matalo was scorned by the Bagobo society because he had never killed a person and had no desire to fight.