318 The Tinguian 



The acts and conversation of the spirits when summoned in Dawak 

 are well illustrated by the following. 



A woman of Lagangilang was ill with dysentery ; and a medium, in 

 this instance, a man, was instructed to make Dawak. He began sum- 

 moning the spirits by striking a dish with his head-axe. Soon he cov- 

 ered his face with his hands, began to sway to and fro, and to chant 

 unintelligible words. Suddenly he stopped and announced that he was 

 the spirit Labotan, and that it was his wish that blood and rice be placed 

 on a head-axe, and be laid on the woman's abdomen. Next he ordered 

 that they should feed some rice to the small pig which lay bound on 

 the floor. "If he eats, this is the right ceremony, and you will get well," 

 he said. The pig refused the food, and, after expressing regret that he 

 was unable to help, the spirit departed, to be succeeded by Binongon. 

 He at once directed that the pig be killed, and the palpitating heart be 

 put on the woman's stomach, and then be pressed against each person 

 in the room, as a protection against illness. At first he refused to drink 

 the liquor which was offered to him, for it was new and raw ; but when 

 he learned that no other could be obtained, he drank, and then ad- 

 dressed the patient. "You ate something forbidden. It is easy to cure 

 you if the spirits have made you ill ; but if some one is practising magic, 

 perhaps you will die." With this cheering message the spirit departed, 

 and Ayaonwan appeared. He directed an old woman to feed rice and 

 water to the patient, and then, without further advice, he said, "The 

 other spirits do not like me very well, so I cannot go to their places. 

 I went to their places, but they said many bad words to me. I offered 

 them basi, but they did not wish to take ; so I asked the way, and they 

 showed me to the other spirits' place. I was poor, and had nothing 

 to eat for noon or night. When I was in the road, I met many long 

 snakes, and I had to push them apart so I could walk. And I met 

 many eels, and asked of them the road; but the eels bit me, and took 

 me into their stomachs, and carried me to Luluaganan to the well 

 there; then I died. The people, who go to the well, say, "Why is 

 Ayaonwan dead ? We have a bad odor now ;" and the eels say, "Whose 

 son is this?" and they rubbed my dead spirit, and I received life again. 

 Then I took blood and rice with me to the sky to the other eels to 

 make Sayang. The eels gave me gold for my wrists ; the monkeys 

 gave me gold for my teeth and hair; the wild pig gave me bracelets. 

 There is much more I can tell you, but now I must go." The spirit de- 

 parted, and a new one was summoned. This spirit took the spear in 

 his hand, and after chanting about the illness of the woman, he drank 

 basi out of a dish, sitting on the head-axe. Then singing again he 



