more daughters than sons because the father will be able to recover the dowry he paid for his wife. There is a general belief that all human beings should marry. The tribe has no religion although it is believed that they had a holy book at one time. In marriage, the parents of the man look for a woman he will marry and both sets of parents set the wedding date. Polygamy and polyandry are practiced but separation is not allowed nor is marrying nearest relatives. When a couple wants to have only one or two children the wife, after giving birth, eats an herb called benayan. For birth spacing she eats two herbs, and if no more children are desired she eats more. Another type of birth control is practiced by the midwife who "manipulates" the woman after delivery. Various methods are practiced to predetermine a child's sex. Pregnant women must abide by many regulations including placing a piece of wood across her path before going in a doorway. It is considered a blessing to have more daughters than sons because the father will be able to recover the dowry he paid for his wife. There is a general belief that all human beings should marry. Language Religious beliefs and practices The indigenous beliefs of the Subanon include the veneration of a supreme being called Diwata Migbebaya. Today the Subanon people have adopted either Islam, Catholicism, or Evangelical Protestantism, the last particularly among the Subanon in Lapuyan, Zamboanga del Sur. Those Subanon who adopted Islam are known as the Kalibugan or Kolibugan. Indigenous religion Indigenous Subanon cosmogony exemplifies the basic duality of mortal life and spiritual realm, with a complex system of interrelationships between these two cosmic elements. The physical world is inhabited by the kilawan (visible mortals), who become sick and whose ailments are attributed to supranatural causes. In the nonmaterial realm exist the kanagkilawan (supernaturals), who are not visible to ordinary mortals, but who can be perceived and addressed by the balian (medium or shaman). The supernatural beings are of four kinds: gimuud (souls), mitibug (spirits), getautelunan (demons), and diwata (deities). In place of a hierarchy or pantheon of supreme beings, the Subanon believe in the spirits who are part of nature. Spirits and deities are said to inhabit the most striking natural features which are considered the handiwork of the gods, such as unusually large trees,