THE IFUGAOS OF QUINGAN AND VIGIXITY. 251 



such a spirit detains it in such and such a place. It would seem that it 

 has become accustomed to the other life, or wishes to live with its dead 

 wife; there is need of more hogs and more buffaloes to make it come 

 down." Finally the sick man dies, if it is the will of God, after those of 

 his household have spent everything they have. This is the way of 

 curing the sick, at whose expense the well eat and drink, the healer 

 carrying away meat enough to last for many days in addition to his pay. 

 As a result, the family often is completely ruined, the usurers getting 

 away from them their estates or fields. 



BELIEF OR FAITH OF THE IFUGAOS IN" SIGNS. 



I asked a certain Ifugao, who narrated to me with the utmost sim- 

 plicity many of the things that T have just set forth, "Do you believe 

 in these necessities -svhich serve only to ruin you?" to which he re- 

 plied: "I do not know, father, how much truth there may be in what 

 other persons relate, because I have not seen it. I do believe what I 

 saw very plainly on one occasion when I was sick for a whole year. 

 It seemed that my spirit had gone up into heaven. There I ate and 

 drank very well ; I saw other Ifugaos who did the same, eating and 

 drinking until they got drunk; their houses were like ours, and those 

 who go about there without their heads on account of having had them 

 cut off by the Mayoyaos, had others, although very small. When I 

 awoke, after having dreamed all of these things, I hardly wished to 

 eat, and desired to die." 



Here is the jsrincipal reason for the persistency of the Ifugaos in 

 their gross and stupid idolatrous practices. Dreams which they look 

 upon as supernatural things, hold them all fascinated, especially the 

 more simple of them. By this means, in which the devil may exercise 

 so much influence, they are perfectly fdled with the most stupid and 

 absurd errors; they act upon impulse, and do or leave undone what 

 vanity dictates or what is suggested Ijy their insane imaginations, excited 

 by the father of lies. 



I ascribe the tenacity with which they adhere to their idolatrous 

 practices to the fact that these things are quite in accord with their 

 passions and their stomachs; and especially because they are confirmed 

 as true and good by the apparent evidence, and the sort of vision, which 

 more or less vivid dreams produce, in which they trust as facts revealed 

 by hell or their hellish divinities. They dream what they do, and are 

 going to do, and they believe what they dream. Thus it is that it is 

 well-nigh useless to attempt to reason with the Ifugaos as to the evil 

 course which they follow, and there is no other human means of making 

 them abandon gradually their infidelity than by educating their children 

 and their young. Thus, and in no other manner, speaking in general 

 terms, have Christianity, the truth, .and civilization been introduced 

 among the other wild tribes that have been subdued. 



