530 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS [vor. 48 
unto thee we recommend them in order that thou givest to them a 
happy union and the facilities to hunt and to meet with those things 
which are necessary for their life, their prosperity, and their well 
being.” 
This being said, he will then place his thumb in the vessel con- 
taining the oil and will anoint with it the fore-finger of the groom, 
touching it from the end of the finger down to the pulse and saying 
the following words in Tagbanua: “Apiat magayen nga palad,” 
which is to say, “ May your good fortune ascend.” Afterwards, 
placing the palm downwards, he will again anoint the same fore- 
finger, beginning’ at the pulse and thence to the tip, saying words 
very similar to the above and which signify ‘“ May your bad for- 
tune descend.” The bride is similarly anointed. After this cere- 
mony the padrinos (best man and bridesmaid) of the newly wedded 
pair prepare two plates of- boiled rice. Each one will make a ball 
of rice the size of a hen’s egg and hand it to their respective pro- 
teges who receive it with great attention and presently exchange it 
with one another, so that the groom gives his portion of boiled 
rice to the bride who immediately gives hers in exchange. 
When this has been done the wedding ceremony is completed. 
From this day the groom remains in the house of his father-in-law. 
He has no right to depart from it, not even to live independently 
with his wife in another house which they might build. He must 
always remain with his father-in-law. If the newly married pair 
are of the rich class and have prepared all that may be necessary 
for the feast, then, after the ceremony, the guests begin to dance, 
to eat and to drink pangasi; if, however, the wedded pair are poor, 
the dance and the feast are omitted. 
Polygamy is permitted on the part of men. As has been said 
before, a man who is rich and who is able to take care of two or 
more wives is allowed to have them, but he is not permitted to 
marry them at one time, the marriages taking place one after the 
other. The first wife is the head of all the others, and they are 
obliged to assist her in all the work pertaining to the service of the 
husband and the house. In case of disrespect or disobedience on 
the part of any of the wives towards the first wife, it is incumbent 
upon the husband to give the needed reprimand or punishment to 
the one guilty of the misdemeanor. 
As the reader may imagine, the husband, in spite of being a 
spouse to three or four women, nevertheless is not able to have them 
all with him at the same time. He is obliged to live with each one 
