VIII. D. 2 Beyer: Myths Among Mountain Peoples 109 



them — leaving the half for her husband. The partition having been com- 

 pleted, Bugan mounted to her heavenly mansion, taking with her the part of 

 her son which fell to her lot, and, giving it a breath of life, she converted 

 it into a new celestial being retaining the very name of Balituk. On 

 the other hand, the part which she had left to her husband, on the earth, 

 began to be corrupted and decayed, because he, Kiiiggauan, had not been 

 able, or did not know how, to reanimate it. The foul odor of the 

 putrified flesh reached unto the dwelling place of Bugan in Luktag, and, 

 having been perceived by her, she descended to Kabunian in order to 

 better acquaint herself with the happening. From Kabunian she saw that 

 the evil odor issued from the decomposition of the part of the entrails 

 which she had left on the earth in charge of her husband, and which 

 he had not reanimated. Then she broke forth in cries of grief, pity, and 

 compassion — and, descending to Kiafig-an, she severely accused Kiiiggauan, 

 saying unto him: "Why hast thou allowed our son to rot? And why hast 

 thou not quickened him to life?" Upon which he answered that he did 

 not understand the art of reanimation. 



Bugan endeavored to remove the greatest possible portion of the 

 corrupted part of her son. Consequently, she changed the head of Balituk 

 into an owl" — a nocturnal bird called akup by the Ifugaos — whence the 

 origin of the Kiafigan custom of auguring evil from this bird, and the 

 offering of sacrifices of fowls to Biigan, in order that no harm should 

 come to them, and that the said owl should not return to them. 



The ears she threw into the forest, and for that reason there come 

 forth on the trees certain growths, like chalk, half spherical (certain 

 species of fungi). The nose she threw away and changed it also into a 

 certain species of shell which attaches itself to trees. Of the half of 

 the excrement she made the bill of a small bird called ido, from which the 

 Ifugaos augur well or ill, according to certain variations of its song." 



From the putrified tongue she produced a malady, or swelling, of the 

 tongue in men, which is cured with a hot egg, or vnth a chicken, which 

 they offer to their mother, Bugan. 



From the bones of the breast she created a venomous serpent. From 

 the heart she made the rainbow. From the fingers she made certain 

 very long shells, after the form of fingers. From the hair, thrown into 

 the water, she created certain little worms or maggots. From the skin 

 she drew forth a bird of red color, called kukuk. From the half of the 

 blood she created the small bats (litdlit). From the liver she drew 



"It will be noted that most of the things created by Bugan from the 

 corrupted half of Balituk were pests and things of evil omen to torment 

 the people of KiafTg-an as they had tormented her. 



"/do, or idu, is the Ifugao name for the omen spirits. A certain 

 small black and white bird called pitpit is believed to be an omen spirit, 

 and therefore it is also properly called ido. When an Ifugao is going on 

 a journey and sees one of these birds, or hears its cry, he immediately 

 stops and calls out to it. He tells it where he is going and why. If 

 the bird flies away to one side or in a forward direction, it is a good 

 sign; but if it flies backward along the path, uttering a sharp cry of 

 fright, it is a very bad omen, and the man will probably return home 

 and not continue on his journey until another day. 



