246 VILLAVERDE. 



In order to get married a man must make i)resenti? of considerable 

 value in cloth or similar articles to tlie uncles of the women, and in 

 lack of these to the brothers or cousins. When he wants to marr}' 

 another wife because the first has died, or because he is obliged to 

 abandon her, he must again make the same presents to the same people, 

 adding a carabao in compensation for lack of respect to the departed 

 one or for the abandonment, if she still lives. He has also to make the 

 same presents to the uncles, brothers or cousins of the second, and so 

 on successivel}'. The expenses and feasts which occur on such occasions 

 are also at the cost of the man. It seems that they ought to cut down 

 expenses, on account of changing wives so frequently. But it makes 

 little impression on them, because they are very obstinate and capricious. 



. ■ JUSTICE, DEFENSE AND VEXGEANCE AMONG THE IFUGAOS. 



There does not e.xist among them any superior authority to defend 

 them or to punish their mutual aggressions. Each one supplies this 

 deficiency after a fashion with his lance, and this in the hands of so 

 fierce a people is the cause, in turn, of an infinite number of misfortunes 

 and cruelties. 



For every murder committed, although it be involuntary, inexorable 

 vengeance follows, carried out by the relatives of the dead person, on 

 the author or some one of his nearest relatives. Among the Ifugaos 

 vengeance is a rigorous precept which must be fulfilled. When a ple- 

 beian or a rustic, as they say, kills another rustic. Justice is satisfied by 

 the death of another of the same rank. In case the murdered man is 

 an important person or a noble his relatives are not satisfied by killing 

 the aggressor if he is rustic, or by killing some relative of the same 

 rank, for they say how will there be equality if we only kill this fellow 

 who is like a dog? Therefore they look to see if there is among the 

 relatives of the rustic some important person in order to wreak their 

 vengeance on him, and, if not, thinking it beneath them to kill those 

 whom they regard as dogs, they wait until some of them ascend to the 

 rank of headmen. It results that an act which is originally individual 

 becomes always a question of family, even if it does not involve the 

 whole settlement, as often happens. \Y\\en the death, or deaths have 

 been avenged, by others equal in number and rank, the individuals of 

 one and the same family and even of the same settlement are wont to 

 quiet down and become friends, either in the desire of self-preservation 

 or because they weary of perj^etual ambushes and surprises, with the 

 consequent harmful results to their crops and their interests. For the 

 rest, between those of different mountains or districts, and especially 

 between those who give themselves on the one side to the cultivation 

 of rice and on the other to that of sweet potatoes, there exist inter- 

 minable hatred and wars ever more bloodv. the men going forth to kill 



