210 COLE. 



FUNERALS. 



The death of a child is followed by little or uo demonstration, but 

 when an adult has expired elaborate ceremonies follow. The corpse is 

 dressed in good clothes and is placed in a death chair. Before it two or 

 three old women sit both day and night to wail and guard against evil 

 spirits who may wish to harm, the dead, or his spouse. The bereaved 

 dons old clothes, and with a white blanket thrown over her," sits in one 

 corner of the room behind a barricade of pillows. Thus placed she is 

 more easily protected from evil anitos who are sure to use every device 

 to take her life as well. Above the corpse a cord is stretched and on it 

 blankets and other gifts are placed so that the spirit of the dead man 

 may carry them with him to his ancestors in Maglawa. Offerings of 

 basij food, chickens and pigs are made to the different spirits who 

 always attend a funeral with evil intent. Other animals are slaughtered 

 for food and until sunset of the succeeding day the friends eat and 

 wail. There is neither music, singing, nor dancing. Burial is under 

 the house.- It is customary to reopen the grave of the dead man's an- 

 cestors and there to inter the body. Just at sunset the grave is in 

 readiness (this is the common, but not universal time for burial). The 

 greatest excitement jDrevails as the medium sits down in front of the body 

 and summons the spirit. As it enters her body she falls back in a faint, 

 in which condition she is allowed to remain for a moment ; then fire and 

 water are brought; the spirit is driven away and she gives the last 

 messages to the family. A mat is wrapped tightly about the corpse and 

 four men bear it from the house to the halaoa. It is rested near the 

 spirit structure for an instant on its way to the grave, for Kaboneyan 

 told the first Tinggians that unless they did that the spirit would be 

 poor in Maglawa and unable to build balaoa. 



That night the men gather and sing Sangsanget, a song in which 

 they tell of the dead man, encourage the widow and pray for the welfare 

 of the family. All that night and the succeeding nine days and nights 

 a fire is kept burning near the grave to keep away the evil spirit, Ebwa. 



The morning after the burial the relatives construct a bamboo box 

 and place in it the clothes, utensils and food which the spirit will need 

 in the future life. This is hung above the grave and the whole is sur- 

 rounded by a bamboo fence. 



Soon after this, the blood and oil ceremony is made, for until the 

 wife and relatives have been anointed with blood and oil, they may not 

 eat of anything except corn, neither may they swing their arms nor 

 touch anything bloody, and all work is tabooed. 



The spouse of the dead continues to wear old clothes until the layog 

 is made. This ceremony, which is celebrated in six months or a year, 



" The procedure is the same for men or women. 



