176 Traditions of the Tinguian 



I (am) always the one for whom you make dlam" said Kabonlyan. 

 And truly, before they had finished making Sangdsang, it was as if 

 there had been nothing wrong, that family was cured of their sickness. 



39 1 



The poles of the Ipogau's house were quarreling. Said the floor 

 supports to the poles who were quarreling, "What can you do if I am 

 not?" "What can you do if I am not?" said the foot-boards to those 

 floor supports who are quarreling. "What can you do if I am not?" 

 said the cross supports to those floor supports who are quarreling. 

 "What can you do if I am not?" said the cross supports to those foot- 

 boards who are quarreling. "What can you do if I am not?" said the 

 floor to those cross supports who are quarreling. "What can you do 

 if I am not?" said the wall to the floor boards who are quarreling. 

 "What can you do if I am not?" said the beams to the wall boards who 

 are quarreling. "What can you do if I am not?" said the pongo 2 to 

 the beams who are quarreling. "What can you do if I am not?" said 

 the daplat z to the pongo who are quarreling. "What can you do if I 

 am not?" said the end pole to those daplat who are quarreling. "What 

 can you do if I am not?" said the salabdwan 2 to those end poles who are 

 quarreling. "What can you do if I am not — who am legpet?" said 

 those legpet to those salabdwan. "Though you are legpet, you can do 

 nothing if I am not," said the gakot, "because you fall," said the gakot 

 to the legpet who are quarreling. "And what can you all do if I am not, 

 who am grass? you all decay if I am not," said the grass (roof) to those 

 who are quarreling. "Therefore we are all the same use to the house 

 of the Ipogau; we will unite our thoughts and breath, so that in the 

 same manner the thoughts of the Ipogau are united, who live in us," 

 said those who are quarreling. And they united their thoughts and 

 breath. After that the Ipogau who were sick were cured, those who 

 lived in the house. It was as if there was nothing bad for that family. 



The great spirit lives in the sky, and he is carrying the goods of the 

 people. He says to himself, "To whom shall I give these goods which 

 I am carrying? I shall take them to the earth." He looked down on 



1 Dlam recited during the Sangdsang ceremony held to remove continued mis- 

 fortunes. 



2 Several native names which have no exact English equivalents are used here. 

 * Woven bamboo used on ceilings. 



4 This dlam was chanted during the Ubaya ceremony in Villaviciosa, an Igorot 

 town much influenced by Tinguian. The Ubaya is also held in Lumaba, a Tin- 

 guian settlement. 



