104 THE MANOBOS OF MINDANAO— GARVAN [MEU0 ™ ?.xxm, 



A few hours before departure the bride is decked out with all available ornaments. Bead 

 necklaces, with pendants of crocodile teeth and strips of mother-of-pearl; bracelets of seashell, 13 

 large, white and heavy; bracelets of vegetable fiber and of sea wood; a comb inlaid with mother- 

 of-pearl, and adorned with beads and tassels of cotton; leglets of plaited jungle fiber — all these 

 constitute her finery. During the process of dressing, the bride's female relatives usually weep, 

 while the more distant ones set up a howl, often, I think, of ficticious grief, in which the children, 

 babies, and dogs may join. At this juncture the female relatives of the bridegroom intercede 

 and endeavor to assuage their grief. It is only after numerous presents have been given them 

 that they become resigned, but at the last moment, when the bride is about to be led away, 

 thej T surround her and hold her and perhaps repeat the wail till they receive more material con- 

 solation. This necessitates another supply of presents. Then the children have to be appeased. 

 Finally the girl is led down the pole, but as her father may have espied, let us say, a fine dagger, 

 or a lance that struck his fancy, nothing will satisfy him except to order them all back and tell 

 his cofather-in-law that he must needs have the lance or dagger, giving some sly reason, as, for 

 instance, that his wife had an ominous dream last night. In one marriage feast that I witnessed, 

 after all the bridegroom's people had left the house, the bride's father told his son to beat the dog. 

 Whereupon he ordered the party back and told his cofather-in-law that it was passing strange 

 that the dog should have howled just as they left the house and that he should leave his lance 

 and bolo as an offering toone of the family deities. It was done accordingly and in all good nature. 

 Then they started off again, but were recalled because the old fox happened to remember that 

 his cofather-in-law had on several occasions during the early marriage proceedings displeased 

 him, and so it became necessary to atone for the sua 14 by another gift. Finally they got a start, 

 filched of aU they had. It happens frequently that the marriage suitors are deprived even of 

 their personal weapons and of part of their clothes. It may be remarked that the bestowal of 

 a person's upper garment is considered an act of deep friendship, and is of fairly frequent 

 occurrence. 



The above is a description of the upper class marriage feast, but that of the poorer class is 

 carried on in much the same style, except that the proceedings are much briefer. The bride's 

 father and people on the one hand strive by might and main to get the highest payment obtain- 

 able, while the bridegroom's folk exert themselves to hold the price down. Whatever is given 

 in payment is overvalued — it is a keepsake, an heirloom, would never be given away under any 

 other circumstances — in fact, may result in evil to the giver. On the other hand everything that 

 is received is depreciated— it is old, or of no use to the receiver. An old trick is to return it, 

 whereupon a httle additional gift is made for a consolation. But even then it is never admitted 

 that the gift is received for its intrinsic value, but rather out of good will. 



MARRIAGE AND MARRIAGE CONTRACTS 



THE MARRIAGE RITE 



We will now follow the bride to her father-in-law's house and witness the religious ceremony 

 b}' which the hymeneal tie is indissolubly knitted. It is essential that the omen bird should 

 be favorable on the trip to the bridegroom's house, otherwise the party must return. Usually 

 the parting injunction of the bride's father to his cofather-in-law warns him to watch for the 

 omen bird. 



A pig is killed as soon as possible and set out in the usual style at the house of the bridegroom. 

 The bride and bridegroom sit side by side on an ordinary grass mat. No special decorations have 

 been made; no bridal chamber has been prepared, except sometimes a rude stall of slatted 

 bamboo or of bark. 



When the meal is ready, the bridegroom takes a handful of rice from his plate and offers it 

 to the bride while she also gives a similar portion to him. Then he passes his rice from hand to 



» Tak-16-bo {Tridacna gigas). 



'< Huqad (o sai-ya. This is another instance of that peculiar belief iu an atonement rite of which I can give no details. 



