academy of sciences] DOMESTIC LIFE: MEDICINE, SICKNESS, AND DEATH 123 



children, nor in the case of those who have been slain in war. Should a stranger, or one who 

 is not a relative of the inmates, die in the house, it is an established custom to collect the value of 

 the house from the relatives of the deceased. Father Pastells in one of the " Cartas de los PP. 

 de la Compania de Jesus " cites an incident that happened to him in the house of Seliifigan on the 

 upper Siilug in the year 1878. It seems that one of Pastells' followers died and that Seluflgan 

 desired to collect the value of the house. I know of one case where the fine was actually collected. 

 I was asked by a warrior chief on the upper Tago, who would pay for the house in the case of 

 my death. 



INCIDENTS ACCOMPANYING DEATHS 



When death ensues, the relatives burst forth into loud wails of grief. In one death scene 

 that I witnessed the wife of the deceased fell down on the floor, and in the wildness of her grief 

 kept striking her head against the palma brava slats until she rendered herself unconscious. 

 Upon returning to herself, she violently embraced the corpse of her deceased husband, bidding 

 him return. Then she broke out into loud imprecations against her tutelary deities upbraiding 

 them for their ingratitude in not having saved her husband's soul from the clutches of its enemies. 

 She bade them be off, would have no more to do with them, and finally ended up by bidding them 

 go on the war trail and destroy the foul spirits that deprived her of her husband. 



In nearly every death scene that I witnessed this last procedure was the ordinary one, and 

 I may say that it is quite characteristic of the Manobo. 



On several occasions I witnessed some fierce displays of fury, to which the mourners were 

 driven by their poignant grief for some beloved relative. In one instance the father of the 

 deceased, drawing his bolo, started to hack down one of the house posts, and in another the son, 

 after a frantic outburst of grief, seizing his shield and lance, declared that he would ease his 

 sorrow in the joy of victory over his enemies and actually had to be detained by his relatives. 



The grief and fury felt on these occasions will readily explain the frequency of war raids 

 after the occurrence of a death. This was explained to me by Lino of the upper Salug, probably 

 the greatest warrior of eastern Mindanao, in the following manner: "After the decease of a near 

 relative, our enemies will rejoice and may, as is done with frequency, proclaim their joy. We do 

 not feel in good humor anyhow, so, if it can be arranged speedily, we start off to assuage the sorrow 

 of our friends and our relatives with the palms of triumph." 



This statement of Lino may explain the origin of the taboo that is observed throughout the 

 Agiisan Valley. The taboo referred to prohibits anyone except a near relative from visiting 

 the house of the deceased for seven days after the death. It is suggested that this custom was 

 instituted to prevent the enemy from learning whether an expedition was being set afoot. To 

 enforce compliance with this custom, the trails leading to the house are closed by putting a few 

 branches across them at a short distance from the house. It is not infrequent to find a broken jar 

 suspended (or placed) at these points, symbolic, probably, of the cruel fate that may overtake 

 the transgressor. Infringements of this taboo are punished with a fine that varies from 1*5 

 to ?15. 



PREPARATION OF THE CORPSE 



After the first paroxysm of grief has subsided, the body of the deceased is washed, the greatest 

 delicacy in exposing the person being shown, and it is then attired in the finest garments obtain- 

 able. No personal ornaments, such as necklaces and bracelets, are removed. Charms and 

 talismans, however, are removed, being considered heirlooms. The corpse is then laid on its 

 back, with the hands lying at the side, in the rude coffin. 



There is a tradition that, in the olden days, the bolo of the deceased used to be buried with 

 him but I never saw this done. The bolo, however, was placed by his side in a few cases that 

 I witnessed. Among the mountain Mandbos there exists the custom of winding strands of colored 

 cotton on the fingers and feet of young girls and maidens after death. I witnessed this in the 

 upper Agiisan, and, in answer to my inquiry, was informed that such was the custom of tha 

 Agusanon people. 



