The Blaan people refer to the world as Banwe or Tah Tana. When the sun is shining, they call it Fye Tana, while Se Tana describes the world when the wind blows and thunder rumbles, with both sunlight and rain occurring simultaneously, which they call Mayaw Tana. According to Blaan beliefs, the world was created by Dwata. In the beginning, there was no land, only darkness. They named the land Tah Tana, the sky Tah Labun, the ocean Ma Hin, the rivers Salwen or Ba Yeel, the stars Blatik, and the mountains Bulol.
The first people were formed from ashes and given human features. When Se Weh, a creator deity, shaped the nose, he made sure it was positioned to prevent water from easily entering during rain. The ash figures were then cooked, and those who were properly cooked turned into humans.
Initially, the creeks were straight, as Fye Weh (a spirit who resides in the sky) intended, and were seen as symbolic of hearts, with the sand representing rice and the water being oil and dugos, meant to ensure people lived smooth, prosperous lives. However, Tasu Weh, an evil deity, wanted to create creeks filled with stones, which would cause people to harm themselves if they stumbled. He also designed the creeks to be zigzagged, providing hiding places for warring groups. Because of Tasu Weh, life became difficult for the people.
The Blaan people refer to God as Mele. The term "Dwata," which means deity or god, was borrowed from the T'boli. The gender and appearance of Mele remain unknown, as no one has seen Mele except those whom Mele has chosen to be companions (mabatun) in the eighth heaven. Mele is also known as Ftabo To, the giver of life to humans, and is believed to have created horses and other animals. These creations allow individuals who have committed offenses against the tribe to make reparations. Mele expects all humans who seek life to obey, as disobedience to Mele is met with punishment.
Good spirits do not harbor anger or envy toward humans, while bad spirits, known as Busaw or Gaman, are associated with death. These harmful spirits influence people to commit offenses that lead to their demise. Spirits of natural elements like trees (amfun kayo), water (amfun eel), and hills (amfun bungtod) are easy to appease. If offended, these spirits will signal their displeasure, and a token offering (damsu) is typically made to seek forgiveness, a practice commonly followed in Blaan tradition.
In ancient times, the Blaan had a prophet known as Mlabat, a known leader who had many properties, wealth and two wives. One day, he called all his relatives and told them that he dreamed that god would soon call him to join the 'Eighth Heaven'. Mlabat will soon become a mabatun, a companion of the god and will soon go to heaven. He told all his family members to prepare for the event. Not all of his relatives took his words seriously and some seriously doubted Mlabat. The first to defy Mlabat was his brother-in-law, who he told not to work on his kaingin anymore but to prepare to accompany him to heaven. Mlabat also told his brother-in-law that on the day he sees the splinters of wood from the trees that he is cutting turn into butterflies (kalbangi), he should go home immediately since this is the sign that Mlabat will ascend to heaven. But Mlabat's brother-in-law went on cutting trees for his kaingin, and it was late when he finally got home. Upon arriving, he saw the whole house of Mlabat lifted from the ground with Mlabat inside. Mlabat's brother-in-law was turned into an insect (miw).
Next, Mlabat told a sister in law not to continue washing clothes in the river for he would soon go up to heaven and take her along. Mlabat warned the sister-in-law that when her falo-falo (a piece of wood used for trashing clothes) turns into a fuh (bird), that would signify Mlabat's ascent to heaven. For not listening to Mlabat, the sister-in-law turned into a fuh.
The third to dis-obey Mlabat was his second wife, whom he told not to dig camote (sweet potato) anymore because he would go up to heaven and take her along. His wife insisted, saying that she would cook the camote to be able to eat when they go up to heaven. Mlabat warned her that when the daludol of the camote turns into kyawit (bracelet) and the camote itself turns into a byokong (shells which are pounded into lime for making betel nut chew), that would be the time that Mlabat would go up to heaven. When his wife finally finished digging for camotes and went home, Mlabat was gone, as punishment, she turned into a monkey.
Before reaching the Eighth Heaven (Banwe Fanggula), Mlabat had to pass through the seventh heaven. The following signs indicated his approach to the eighth heaven:
Sufe Blawen (a yellow bamboo with many thorns) – Mlabat had to cut his way through this bamboo thicket, which marked the entrance to the eighth heaven.
Falimak (agong) – The gods told Mlabat that when he hears the sound of this agong, it would signal that he had crossed into the second heaven.
Ye-el Banwas (water that grants eternal youth) – The gods instructed Mlabat to drink this water with his right hand. Upon doing so, he regained his youth. Then, with his left hand, he was told to give a drink to his first wife and children, and they, too, were granted eternal youth.
Mlabat then began to feel sorrow for his relatives left behind on Earth and asked if God might grant them eternal youth as well. He also worried, as up until then, he had only heard God's voice but had never seen God. God reassured him not to worry, as he would soon behold God's presence. At the final step of his journey, Mlabat and his family reached the seventh heaven, and at that moment, they all raised their right hands toward the sun. As they did so, they saw God in all His glory, and they bowed their heads in reverence. In the eighth heaven, known as Banwe Fanggula, there was no sickness, anxiety, or sorrow. Everyone looked like Mlabat, and they lived happily with God in their midst. This was the place that everyone hoped to reach.
From this eighth heaven, God provided everything Mlabat needed. God also informed Mlabat that to return to Earth, he would have to travel for 80,000 years. Mlabat was concerned about his people left behind on Earth, so God allowed him to return through a dream. Upon seeing the sorry conditions of his relatives, Mlabat asked God to grant them various powers and make them Amloos (spiritual guardians), so that ordinary people could ask for favors from them. This is why the Blaan believe that forests, streams, trees, stones, and other natural elements have owners or spirit protectors, whose permission must be sought before they can be used. Additionally, the help of the Amloos can be sought to cure sicknesses.
When a Blaan person falls ill, it is believed that a spirit has been offended. To heal the sick person, a ceremony called Dmatah must be performed to ask the amloos for forgiveness. Those who were punished by Mlabat for disobedience became the bad spirits of the Earth. This is the Blaan understanding of the spiritual world and the reason for their respect and reverence for the natural world and its spiritual guardians.