402 The Tinguian 



the guardian stones, they pause long enough to sacrifice a pig and a 

 rooster, and offer blood and rice to the spirits, and then they proceed 

 to the center of the village, where they dance tadek and da-eng until 

 dusk. At nightfall a pig is killed, its flesh is divided among the people, 

 and a lono stalk, after being dipped in the blood, is given to a member 

 of each family. This is carried home, and is placed on the outside wall 

 as a sign that the ceremony has been held. 



If the sun is shining the following morning, the lakay will go out- 

 side the town to gather wood. Upon his return the people are again 

 free to fish and hunt, but work is forbidden until evening. Should the 

 sun fail to appear, all remain quietly in the village until the lakay 

 can remove the taboo by his wood gathering. 



In Manabo the ceremony is a mixture of the two types just de- 

 scribed, and is always held at the time of planting and when droughts 

 occur. 1 



The procedure at harvest time varies considerably in different dis- 

 tricts, but the usual custom is for a woman, from each family, to go to 

 the fields and cut alone until she has harvested one hundred bundles. 

 During this time she may use no salt, but a little sand is placed in her 

 food as a substitute. No outsider may enter the dwelling during this 

 preliminary cutting. So strictly is this rule observed that the writer 

 has been absolutely excluded from homes where, on other occasions, 

 he was a welcome guest. In Lumaba and vicinity it is the custom to 

 sacrifice a chicken two "days before the harvest begins, and to cook its 

 neck and intestines without salt. These are then divided into nine 

 parts, are placed in dishes, and are carried to the spirit house in the 

 field. At the end of the second day, the feathers of the fowl are stuck 

 into the sides of the structure, and the spirits are entreated to grant 

 a good harvest and health for the workers. The dishes are then re- 

 turned to the village, and on the following morning the women may 

 begin cutting. 



When the rice is ready to be stored, the Palpala-em 2 ceremony 

 is held in honor of the spirit of the granary. Vines and shrubs 3 are 

 tied to each supporting post of the granary and above the door, while 



1 The Igorot villages of Lukuban and vicinity have a similar ceremony. It is 

 here followed by a three-day period of taboo. Should the bird known as koling 

 fly over the town during this period, uttering its peculiar cry, the ceremony will 

 be repeated ; otherwise, all is well. 



3 Literally, "to give a taste." 



5 Those used are sikag (Lygodium near scandens), talabibatab (Capparis 

 micracantha D. C.) and pedped (?). 



