II_Traditions of the Tinguian: a Study in Philippine Folk-Lore

The Ipogau who are trying to celebrate _Sayang_ make errors. The spirit

Kadaklan and his wife instruct them to go and watch the _Sayang_ at

Sayau. They do as bidden and after learning all the details return

home and perform the ceremony. The chief spirits are pleased and

cause the lesser spirits to attend the ceremony when summoned by the

medium. The sick improve.

The people who are conducting the _Dawak_ ceremony fail to do it

properly. Kaboniyan (a spirit) goes down and instructs them. After

that they are able to cure the sick.

The spirits of Dadaya notice that their feather headdresses have

lost their lustre. They place them on the house of some mortals, who

at once become ill. The spirit Kaboniyan instructs them to make the

_Pala-an_ ceremony. They obey, the feathers regain their brightness

and the people recover.

The father who is starting for a head-dance agrees to meet his wife

and baby at sun down. When he reaches the agreed spot, he finds only

their hats; he looks down and sees them in the ground. He tries in

vain to get them out. The spirit Kaboniyan instructs him to perform

the _Ibal_ ceremony. He does so and receives his wife and child.

The spirit Ináwen, who lives in the sea, sends her servants to spread

sickness. They kill many people who fail to make the _Sangásang_

ceremony. A man is disturbed at night by barking of dogs, goes to

door and meets a big spirit which has nine heads. Spirit tells him

how to make the offering in _Sangásang_. He follows directions and

spirits carry gift to their mistress. She mistakes the blood of a

rooster for that of human beings. Is displeased with the taste and

orders spirits to stop killing.

The spirit Maganáwan sends his servants to secure the blood of

a rooster mixed with rice. People see many snakes and birds near

gate of town. They make the ceremony _Sangásang_ and offer blood and

rice. The servants of Maganáwan carry the offering to him. He takes

it in his mouth and spits it out, and in the same way the sickness

is removed from the mortals.

The people who are digging holes for house poles get a bad sign from

the omen bird. They abandon the place and dig again. The deer gives a

bad sign, then the snake, then different birds. They change locations

many times, but at last ignore the signs and complete the house. The

family are continually in trouble and are ill.

The spirit Kaboniyan goes to see the sick persons; he lets his spear

drop through the house, and then tells them the cause of the trouble

is that they have failed to make _Sangásang_. He instructs them what

to do, and when they obey all become well.

The different parts of the house quarrel and each insists on its

importance. At last they recognize how necessary each one is for

the other and cease their wrangling; then the people who live in the

house are again in good health.

The great spirit sees the people of Bisau celebrating the _Ubaya_

ceremony, and determines to reward them by increasing their worldly

goods. He appears as a man and rewards them.

Dayapán, who has been ill for seven years, goes to bathe. The spirit

Kaboniyan enters her body and instructs her how to perform healing

ceremonies. He also teaches her how to plant and reap, and she in

turn teaches the Tinguian. While she is bathing she ties a cock and

dog by the water side. The dog eats the cock, and thus death comes

into the world.

Girl who lacks certain organs is ashamed to marry. She is sent by her

mother to cause lameness to people who pass. A man who falls victim

to her magic is only cured when the girl instructs him how to make

the _Bawi_ ceremony.

The spirit Kaboniyan instructs a sick man to make offerings at the

guardian stones. He does as bidden and becomes well. They perform

ceremonies near the stones when they go to fight or celebrate _balaua_,

and sometimes the spirit of the stones appears as a wild rooster, a

white cock, or a white dog. A man who defiles the stones becomes crazy.

Man sees a woman walking at night near the guardian stones. She

refuses to talk and he cuts her in the thigh. She vanishes into the

stones. Next day it is seen that one of the stones is cut. Man dies.

The old men of Lagayan see peculiarly shaped stones traveling down the

river, accompanied by a band of blackbirds. They catch the stones and

carry them to the gate of the village, where they have since remained

as guardians.

The spirit Ibwa visits a funeral and is given some of the juices,

coming from the dead body, to drink. Since then he always tries to eat

the body of the dead unless prevented. He is accompanied by another

evil spirit whose embrace causes the living to die.

A widow leaves the town before the period of mourning for her husband

is past. The spirit appears first to the daughter-in-law and is fed

by her, then asks for his wife. He goes to the place where she is

watching the corn and sleeps with her. She apparently becomes pregnant,

but fails to be delivered, and dies.

Two men agree to hunt carabao the following morning. In the night one

dies, but the other not knowing this leaves the town and goes to the

appointed place. He meets the spirit of the dead man, and only saves

his life by running his horse all the way home.

A man and his wife are living near to their field when the husband

dies. An evil spirit comes to the door, but is driven away by the

wife with a headaxe. Several evil spirits attempt to gain entrance;

then the chief comes. He breaks down the door; he cuts off the dead

man's ears and makes the woman chew them with him--like betel-nut. The

signs are propitious. He changes the woman's two breasts into one,

in the center of her chest, and takes her home.

A man, whose brother has just died, goes to hunt. He begins to cut

up the game when his brother's spirit appears. He feeds it, but food

comes out of its anus as fast as it eats. He flees and is pursued

by the spirit until, by chance, he runs among _alangtin_ bushes. The

spirit dislikes the bush and leaves.

The people fail to put the _banal_ vine and iron on the grave. An

evil spirit notices the omission and steals the body.

A man goes to hunt his carabao in the mountains. He fails to plant

branches at his head before he sleeps. A spirit expectorates on him,

and he soon dies.

Two men who have to sleep in the mountains make beds of _sobosob_

leaves. In the night they hear the evil spirits come and express

a desire to get them. Spirits dislike the leaves, so do not molest

the men.

Three hunters spend the night in the open. One covers himself with

a red and yellow striped blanket. In the night two spirits come and

think he is a little wild pig, and decide to eat him. The hunter

hears them and exchanges blankets with one of his companions. The

companion is eaten, and hence the _kambaya_, or striped blanket,

is no longer used on the trail.

The spirit Bayon steals a beautiful girl and carries her to the sky,

where he changes her breasts into one and marries her. She drops her

rice pounder to the earth, and thus her people learn of her fate. Both

she and her husband still attend certain ceremonies.

A hunter is carried away by a great bird. He is placed in the nest

with its young and aids in feeding them. When they are large, he

holds on to them, and jumps safely to the ground. He goes to fight

against his enemies. While he is gone his wife dies. Upon his return

he sees her spirit driving a cow and two pigs. He follows her to the

spirit's town and is hidden in a rice bin. When spirits try to get

him during the night, he repels them by throwing feathers. Feathers

become exhausted, and he is forced to return home.

A man encounters a large being, which, from its odor, he recognizes

as the spirit of a dead man. He runs to get his friends, and they

find the spot trampled like a carabao wallow.

The dead wife of Baluga harvests his rice during the nighttime. He

hides and captures her. They go together to the spirit town, in the

ground, and secure her spirit which is kept in a green bamboo cup. As

they are returning to the ground they are pursued, but Baluga cuts

the vine on which their pursuers are climbing. When they reach home,

they hold a great celebration.

An _alan_ takes the afterbirth and causes it to become a real child

named Sayen. Afterbirth child marries a servant, thinking he has

married her mistress. Learns he is deceived, and causes death of his

wife; then kills many people in the town of the girl who has deceived

him. She gets him to desist, and after he revives some of the slain

marries him. People of neighboring town are troubled by the _komau_,

an evil spirit, who always causes the death of as many people as the

hunters have secured deer. Sayen kills the _komau_. He fights with the

great spirit Kaboniyan. Neither is able to overcome the other, so they

become friends. They fight together against their enemies. Sayen often

changes himself into a fish or chicken, and hides after a fight. This

is observed by people who set a trap and capture him. He is killed.

A man while in the woods hears the _alan_ near him. He feigns death

and the spirits weep for him. They put gold and beads on the body. He

springs up and seizes the offerings. They demand the return of one

bead; he refuses, and the spirits burn his house.

Two men who have killed a wild pig desire fire. One goes to house of

an _alan_ and tries to secure it while the spirit sleeps. She awakes

and goes with the man to the pig. Man carries liver of the animal back

to the baby _alan_. He eats the liver and then throws the child into a

caldron of hot water. He tells his companion what he has done, and they

climb a tree near the water. The _alan_ discovers their hiding place by

seeing their reflection in the water. She climbs up, feet first, but

they cut the vine on which she is ascending, and she is killed. They

go to her house and secure a jar of beads and a jar of gold.

The flat earth is made by the spirit Kadaklan. He also makes the moon

and sun, which chase each other through the sky. The moon sometimes

nearly catches the sun, but becomes weary too soon. The stars are

stones, the lightning a dog.

A flood covers the land. Fire has no place to go, so enters bamboo,

stones and iron. It still lives there and can be driven out by those

who know how.

A man finds his rice field disturbed even though well fenced in. He

hides and in middle of night sees some big animals fly into it. He

seizes one and cuts off its wings. The animal turns out to be a mare

which is pregnant and soon has male offspring. The place where the

wings once grew are still to be seen on the legs of all horses.

A lazy man, who is planting corn, constantly leans on his planting

stick. It becomes a tail and he turns into a monkey.

A boy is too lazy to strip sugar cane for himself. His mother in anger

tells him to stick it up his anus. He does so and becomes a monkey.

A lazy girl pretends she does not know how to spin. Her companions,

in disgust, tell her to stick the spinning stick up her anus. She

does so and at once changes into a monkey.

A war party are unable to cross a swollen river. They wish to become

birds. Their wish is granted and they are changed to _kalau_, but

they are not able to resume the human forms. Those who wore the white

mourning bands, now have white heads.

A mother puts a basket over her lazy son. When she raises it a bird

flies away crying "sigakók" (lazy).

A young man who owns a rice field gets a new wife. He leaves her to

harvest the crop. She is discouraged over the prospect and wishes to

become a bird. Her wish is fulfilled, and she becomes a _kakok_.

The dog of Ganoway chases a deer into a cave. The hunter follows

and in the darkness brushes against shrubs which tinkle. He breaks

off some branches. Cave opens again on the river bank, and he finds

his dog and the dead deer at the entrance. He sees that fruits on

the branches he carries are agate beads. Returns, but fails to find

more. His townspeople go with him to seek the wonderful tree, but

part of the cave is closed by the spirit Kaboniyan who owns it.

The jar Magsawi formerly talked softly, but now is cracked and cannot

be understood. In the first times the dogs of some hunters chased the

jar and the men followed, thinking it to be a deer. The jar eluded

them until a voice from the sky informed the pursuers how it might

be caught. The blood of a pig was offered, as the voice directed,

and the jar was captured.

The sun and moon fight. Sun throws sand in moon's face and makes the

dark spots which are still visible.

A man who went with a war party is away so long that he does not

recognize his daughter when he returns. He embraces her when she meets

him at the town gate. In shame she changes herself into a coconut tree.

Two flying snakes once guarded the gap in the mountains by which the

Abra river reaches the sea. Two brave men attack them with banana

trunks. Their wings stick in the banana trees and they are easily

killed. The men are rewarded with gold made in the shape of deer

and horses.

A man named Tagápen, of Ilocos Norte, with his wife and child goes

up the Abra river on a raft. They stop at various towns and Tagápen

goes up to each while his wife comforts the child. They finally

reached Patok where they go to live in the _balaua_. They remain

there teaching the people many songs.