academy ot sciences] DOMESTIC LIFE AND MARITAL RELATIONS 105 



hand behind his back seven times, after which he says in a loud voice: "We are now married; 

 let our fame ascend." I6 The bride imitates him. Whereupon loud howls of assent proclaim the 

 consummation of the marriage contract. 



The meal goes on in the same riotous style as described before. I seldom witnessed a 

 marriage during which the bridegroom did not become rather hilarious toward the end of the 

 meal, but never displayed anything but feelings of delicacy and respect toward the bride. 

 Instructions of a kind that would be considered highly indecent, according to our standards 

 of morality, are howled out in the most candid way, so that this ordeal proves embarrassing for 

 the bride. She eats hastily and retires to her female friends in the cooking portion of the house. 

 I have seen several cases where the girl, being a mere child continued to weep during the whole 

 proceeding. 



The feast being concluded a female priest takes the betel-nut omen. Seven quids of betel 

 nuts are placed by one of the family priestesses upon a sacred dish. 16 She then sets it upon the 

 head of the bridegroom and falls into an ecstatic condition, steadying the plate with her hand. 

 Should one of the betel-nut slices become separated from its betel leaf, the omen is considered 

 unpropitious and is followed immediately by the prophylactic rite — the fowl-waving ceremony. 



The matter of overcoming the delicacy of the newly married maiden is not infrequently 

 attended with considerable difficulty. It is accomplished, however, by means of an elderly 

 relative of the girl, who occupies night after night the mat between the newly married couple, 

 until such time as she thinks that her ward has become well enough acquainted with her husband 

 so that she will not run away. The go-between returns the following day and claims her guerdon. 

 Several cases passed under my observation, in which the husband was unable to use his marital 

 rights for weeks owing to the timorousness and bashfulness of his youthful spouse. In no case 

 was anything but patience and gentleness displayed by the husband. 



MARRIAGE BY CAPTURE 



The custom of wife capture is fairly frequent, especially in the upper Agusan where the 

 Manobo is within the Mandaya culture area. During my last visit to the upper Agusan (Sep- 

 tember, 1909, to February, 1910) three cases occurred, and I had the pleasure of taking part in 

 the settlement of one of them. 



The capture is effected by a band of some four to eight friends of the party interested. They 

 repair to the vicinity of the camote patch, which is almost invariably situated at some distance 

 from the house of its owner. Here a watch is kept until the intended captive, in company 

 probably with a few of her own tribe, appears upon the scene. Probably it has been already 

 ascertained that the male relatives have gone on a hunting or fishing expedition, but to make 

 assurance doubly sure one or two of the party advance toward the women unarmed and make 

 inquiries in an offhand way. If the absence of the male relatives is confirmed, they thereupon 

 seize the girl, and their companions rush out in full panoply from their hiding places and carry 

 off the fair prize. By the time the girl's relatives become aware of the occurrence, the captors 

 have eluded all chance of discovery and the captive has probably resigned herself to her fate, 

 if she had not already consented by connivance. 



With regard to wife capture it may be remarked that it is generally resorted to under the 

 advice and protection of some more powerful and affluent personage. If undertaken on one's 

 own initiative it might be risky, and certainly always is a highly expensive affair. Even when 

 carried out with the connivance of a datu or a warrior chief, it has on occasions proved fatal, so 

 I was assured. 



The case referred to was that of the son of an influential Manobo of the Nabuk River, in 

 the upper Agusan Valley. His son had a few months before my arrival lost his first wife in a raid 

 made by a neighboring settlement. He determined to avoid the prolixities and delay of the 

 ordinary matrimonial course, and, accordingly, captured the daughter of a Mangguangan war- 

 rior chief who lived near Pilar. I was in Compostela at the time and on hearing that an expedi- 



i* Kandmi no miHo nakalibto ang b&ntug ndmi » B A-puq'-an. 



