ABSTRACT
Agusanen Manobos distinguish human beings in various ways. Human bodies are generally taken to be hot;1 they nibble meat from animal bones and leave footprints on forest trails. Spirits, by contrast, are always perceived to have cold bodies. They delight in the sight of sacrificial blood, are attracted by betel quids and palm fronds, and are nourished with food and drinks consumed by smelling alone. They do not leave footprints, but travel like the wind. The obvious distinctions between these beings are blurred when it comes to the speech they share, particularly in figuring out whether the capacity to perform ted-em (unaccompanied solo song) is a characteristic of the one or the other. Though Manobos generally believe song originates from the spirit world, human beings can use and claim it as their own personal voice. Song, therefore, crosses the conceptual and ontological divide. It unites the separate worlds of human beings and spirits.
