236 BEYER AND BARTON. 



clothing and ornaments and the parties certainly presented a striking 

 appearance as they slowly wended their way into the valley. At times 

 a dozen of them were in sight, coming from different directions, and 

 the beating of the wooden musical instruments could be heard for 

 miles. 



In Central Ifugao the parties do not go to the house of the dead 

 man unless their path leads them by it, but pi'oceed at once to the plateau 

 or hill upon which the ceremony is being held. In the present case, 

 as each party approached the plateau the women and children dropped 

 out and only the men who were to take part in the procession went 

 on. The men trotted with a swinging dance step onto the plateau, 

 playing their hangihang " rapidly, and passing once around the circle 

 of runo clumps came to a halt beside it. The leader communicated 

 with the priests within the circle, and they assigned him his position 

 in the procession. Upon learning this the party broke up, the members 

 wandering off singly or in groups to find their assigned places. 



In the meantime, since 10 o'clock, the religious part of the ceremony 

 had been in progress. Two hogs and several chickens were necessary 

 for the sacrifice, and on the present occasion one of the hogs was con- 

 tributed by Lieutenant Gallman and the other by myself. This was emi- 

 nently proper, for Bahatan had died in our service, and, to the Ifugao, 

 Lieutenant Gallman stood in the relation of his overlord. The chickens, 

 rice, and other things necessary were contributed by the family of the 

 deceased and by Taiiggana, his former overlord. The hogs and chickens 

 were placed in the little grass shelter, already referred to, to await the 

 time when they would be needed. 



The first ceremony for the securing of vengeance is called munuhub. 

 Two chickens were sacrificed in the ordinary manner, after a short 

 religious ceremony.^' Their meat was then cooked in one pot and 

 some rice in another. Several pieces of the cooked meat were tied 

 in various places on the roof of the little grass shelter, and others 

 were placed in a small basket which was tied in the top of one of the 

 runo clumps near which the priests sat. At the foot of this clump 

 five small wooden bowls were placed, and filled, one with the chicken's 

 blood, two with chicken broth, and two with the rice drink (hubud). 

 All of these articles were carefully watched by the priests from the 

 time they were so placed until high noon, when the ceremony ended. 

 This was to learn the will of an idu, or omen spirit which usually 

 manifests itself in the form of a little bird called pitpit}^ If one or 

 more of these birds comes to eat of the meat or drinJc of the liquids 



'"' Wooden musical instruments, see p. 232. 

 " Bali, see p. 233. 

 " PrionocMhis sp. 



