Objects in Manobo ritual are not fetishes nor totems. They are understood locally as sinugbahan (burnt gifts) that signify the ritual sponsors’ desire to be seen by spirits of nature and hence recognized by them. As symbols, these objects

1. 1)Represent the materialities of each domain in the Manobo cosmos. (see categories of rituals).
   

2. 2)Point to human activities in those cosmic domains.
   

3. 3)As material embodiments, they define and mark boundaries of the landscapes that characterize those cosmic domains.
   

4. 4)Some of them occur in more than two rituals, which means that some objects have greater symbolic values. In the most elaborate form of Manobo ritual entailing the slaughter of domesticated pig and chicken, festive altars inside and outside the house are decorated with palm fronds. In these altars, the consecrated offerings are put. In the altar inside the house, the crocodile icon is stored.