94 The Philippine Journal of Science wis 



The sun gods, and the deities of the sky world in general, 

 occupy the most important place in the Igorot religion. Place- 

 spirits and animal deities are likewise highly developed. At a 

 place called Kagubatan,- at the foot of the sacred mountain 

 Mugao in eastern Lepanto, is a small lake full of sacred eels 

 which the people guard with great care. They believe that if 

 these eels were killed the springs would all dry up and they 

 would have no water for their terraced rice fields. The eels are | 



fed every day with rice and sweet potatoes by the children of ; 



the village, who, as they approach the lakelet, sing a peculiarly 

 sweet and mournful song, upon hearing which the eels all rise 

 to the surface of the water and approach the shore to receive 

 their food. 



The Igorots have both priests and priestesses, and they per- 

 form many public and private ceremonies, both for the benefit i 

 of the great deities and for the countless minor spirits which \ 

 inhabit the sacred mountains, cliffs, groves, trees, and bushe¥ i 

 that are scattered throughout the Igorot country. Sacrifices of I 

 pigs or chickens are made at every ceremony. The ceremonies i 

 of the common people are more or less of a private nature, but 

 those of the aristocracy and of wealthy men are nearly always | 

 public and general. The greatest ceremonies are those con- ' 

 nected with war and marriage and the great public festival 

 which proves a man's right to the title of nobility. 



The Igorots have a high code of morals which is closely 

 associated with their religious belief. They also have a scientific 

 calendar and a considerable knowledge of astronomy which has 

 effected many modifications in their religion. Their mythology 

 is extensive, and they have a rich unwritten literature of epic 

 poems, hero-stories, and historical legends. Most of the myths 

 are too long to be given here, but for purposes of comparison 

 I give the following short one which was collected by the 

 Dominican, Fr. Mariano Rodriguez : 



It has been mentioned above that among their tales and stories they 

 preserve a tradition relating to their origin and beginning, after a great 

 and dreadful flood which, a very long time ago, as their old people relate, 

 covered the earth. All the inhabitants except a brother and sister were 

 drowned. The brother and sister, though separated from each other, were 

 saved, the woman on the summit of the highest mountain in the District 

 of Lepanto, called Kalauitan, and the man in a cave of the same mountain. 



" Note the similarity of this place-name to the Kagbubatang of the 

 Manobo legend, p. 89. 



