III. THE CYCLE OF LIFE 



Birth. — The natural cause of pregnancy is understood by the 

 Tinguian, but coupled with this knowledge is a belief in its close rela- 

 tionship to the spirit world. Supernatural conception and unnatural 

 births are frequently mentioned in the traditions, and are accepted as 

 true by the mass of people ; while the possibility of increasing the 

 fertility of the husband and wife by magical acts, performed in con- 

 nection with the marriage ceremony, is unquestioned. Likewise, the 

 wife may be affected if she eats peculiar articles of food, 1 and unap- 

 peased desires for fruits and the like may result disastrously both for 

 the expectant mother and the child. 2 The close relationship which 

 exists between the father and the unborn babe is clearly brought out 

 by various facts ; for instance, the husband of a pregnant woman 

 is never whipped at a funeral, as are the other guests, lest it result 

 in injury to the child. 



The fact that these mythical happenings and magical practices do 

 not agree with his actual knowledge in no way disturbs the Tinguian. 

 It is doubtful if he is conscious of a conflict; and should it be brought 

 to his attention, he would explain it by reference to the tales of former 

 times, or to the activities of superior beings. Like man in civilized 

 society, he seldom rationalizes about the well-known facts — religious 

 or otherwise — generally held by his group to be true. 



It is thought that, when a mortal woman conceives, an anito woman 

 likewise becomes pregnant, and the two give birth at the same time. 

 Otherwise, the lives of the two children do not seem to be closely 

 related, though, as we shall see later, the mothers follow the same 

 procedure for a time after delivery (cf. p. 268). 



According to common belief, supernatural beings have become 

 possessed at times, with menstrual blood or the afterbirth which under 

 their care developed into human offspring, some of whom occupy a 



*The eating of double bananas or vegetables is avoided, as it is thought to 

 result in the birth of twins. The birth of twin girls is a particular misfortune; 

 for their parents are certain to fare badly in any trades or sales to which they 

 may be parties. 



2 The importance of gratifying the longings of pregnant women appears in 

 the legends of the Malay Peninsula. See Wilkinson, Malay Beliefs, p. 46 

 (London, 1906). Hildebrandt states that the Indian law books such as Yajna- 

 valkya (III, 79) make it a duty to fulfill the wishes of a woman at this time, 

 since otherwise the embryo would be exposed to injury. Encyclopaedia of Re- 

 ligion and Ethics, Vol. II, p. 650. 



261 



