Hunting for animal meat in the forest is almost non-existent in the Loreto today, after the commercial logging enterprises beginning the 1950s had practically wiped out the primary forests with timber. In 1996, however, some Manobos claimed to have been practising the ritual that a hunter would do before embarking on a hunting trip to the forest. Sugujen is the name of the spirit of the game, but also of the dog, which accompanies the hunter. Being attached to the human act of intruding or “invading” the forest, the spirit is bound to nature. It is recognized with an offering of chicken blood and betel nuts put on a triangular tray. This is hung at the rafters outside the house on the eve of the hunter’s journey to the forest.

Figure in Montilla-Burton

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