The Cycle of Life 289 



wrapped in a mat, and is carried from the house. 1 The bearers go 

 directly to the balaua, 2 and rest the body in it for a moment. Unless 

 this is done, the spirit will be poor in its future life and unable to 

 build balaua. 



The body is deposited full length in the grave, the stone slabs are 

 relaid, the chinks between them filled in with damp clay, and the grave 

 is refilled. 3 As the last earth is pushed in, a small pig is killed, and its 

 blood is sprinkled on the loose soil. Meanwhile SElday is besought to 

 respect the grave and leave it untouched. The animal is cut up, and a 

 small piece is given to each guest, who will stop on the way to his home, 

 and place the meat on the ground as an offering, meanwhile repeating a 

 dlam. Should he fail to do this, sickness or death is certain to visit his 

 home or village. 



As a further protection against evily disposed spirits, especially 

 Ibwa, an iron plough-point is placed over the grave, "for most evil 

 spirits fear iron ;" and during this night and the nine succeeding, a fire 

 is kept burning at the grave and at the foot of the house-ladder. 4 



That night the men spend about an hour in the house of mourning, 

 singing sang-sangit, a song in which they praise the dead man, en- 

 courage the widow, and bespeak the welfare of the family. The wailers 

 still remain in the dwelling to protect the widow, and a male relative is 

 detailed to see that the fire at the foot of the ladder is kept burning 

 brightly. 



Early the next morning, the widow, closely guarded by the wailers, 

 goes to the river, throws her headband into the water, and then goes 

 in herself. As she sinks in the water, an old man throws a bundle of 

 burning rice-straw on her. "The water will wash away some of the 

 sorrow, and the fire will make her thoughts clear." Upon her return 

 to the village, the grave is enclosed with a bamboo fence, and above 

 it is hung a shallow box-like frame, known as patay, in which are placed 

 the articles needed by the spirit. 5 Within the house the mat and pillow 



1 Several times the writer has seen friends place money inside the mat, 

 "so that the spirit may have something to spend." 



2 The large spirit house, built only by well-to-do families having the heredit- 

 ary right. 



8 In the folk tales a very different method of disposing of the dead is 

 indicated (Traditions of the Tinguian, this volume, No. 1, pp. 23-24, and note). 



4 Among the Tuaran Dusun of British North Borneo, a fire is built near 

 the mat on which the corpse lies, to protect the body from evil spirits, who 

 are feared as body snatchers (Evans, Jour. Ant. Inst., Vol. XLVII, 1917, p. 159) . 



* These consist of dishes, food, tobacco, fire-making outfit, weapons, cloth- 

 ing, and the like. 



