The custom law of the southern Kankanay differs from that of the
Nabaloi only in unimportant details. [1]
The order of inheritance is the same, and the general principle that
property must go to the next generation and that parents, brothers,
and uncles can hold it in trust only, applies to the southern Kankanay
as well as to the Nabaloi. Another principle of common application
by the two tribes is that all relatives of the same degree, whether
male or female, inherit equally.
The southern Kankanay and the Nabaloi also have similar customs in
regard to marriage, and children are betrothed by their parents in
the same way. Among the northern Kankanay the young people choose
their own spouses as they do in Bontoc.
Divorces among the Kankanay are rather frequent, though they claim
that they are never divorced after children have been born. I know
of two cases of divorce, however, between Kankanay wives and their
Nabaloi husbands after there were children.
In general, the customs of the southern Kankanay and the Nabaloi
regarding the discovery and punishment of crime are the same; but a
larger proportion of cases are settled by the Kankanay according to
their old custom law, since the Nabaloi have lately become more prone
to take their troubles to the white officials.
All the ordeals known to the Nabaloi for discovering criminals or
testing the veracity of witnesses are used by the Benguet Kankanay. In
addition to these they have the test called manman, decided by
looking at the gall of two chickens furnished by the respective
contestants. The Kankanay as well as the Nabaloi contestant always
appeals to the sun.
Taken as a whole the custom law of the southern Kankanay and the
Nabaloi is the same; and judging from the information at present
available we may conclude that all the Igorot groups administer
justice according to the same basic principles.