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The Philippine Journal of Science 



1914 



where the girl lives and there they have a canao, for which they kill 

 a chicken; three days later they have another canao for which they 

 kill a suckling pig, and after this canao they become man and wife. 

 After they have been living together for one year they have a canao 

 again for which they kill 3 or 4 hogs, at the third day of this canao 

 they kill a suckling pig, thus signifying that the canao is over. After 

 being married five years and after they have acquired a little property, 

 they have another canao, for which they prepare beforehand plenty of 

 binobodan. Preparations for this canao are commenced seven days before 

 the date of the canao; the day before the canao they repair the roof of 

 their house and bring in plenty of firewood. The day after all these 

 preparations are completed the parents and relatives of both gather together 

 there; then they kill a carabao and prepare food for all the people. In 

 the meantime they send after all their relatives living in other towns. 

 After all their relatives and visitors have arrived, the man and his wife 

 erect in front of their house 4 pieces of wood; the pieces of wood are 

 tied together at the top and spread out at the bottom; they kill a hog 

 and roast it between these 4 pieces of wood; after it is roasted they 

 cut the head off and place it on a little platform, which is fixed between 

 these pieces of wood, about halfway up; this arrangement is called bansa. 

 The married couple then dances the bansa, the man holding a basket 

 while the woman scatters rice around it and in front of the house. The 

 relatives and guests then make presents to the married couple, such as 

 money, rice, or anything else that they wish to give. After this last 

 ceremony is over, all the people are allowed to dance and sing as they 

 please. 



CANAO FOR THE SICK AND THE DEAD 



When a person gets sick, a canao is made for him, for which a chicken 

 or a hog is killed, which serves as treatment for his or her sickness. 



When a person dies, all the relatives of other towns are sent for. 

 The dead are either buried early in the morning or late in the evening; 

 the parents and relatives have a canao for which a chicken is killed. 

 Five days after the burial, all the people participating in this canao go 

 to the river and take a bath; for this occasion a chicken is killed over 

 which a prayer is offered up for the soul of the dead. A year after, 

 the parents and relatives of the dead person have one more canao for 

 which a she hog and 3 suckling pigs are killed. After this ceremony, the 

 mourning for the dead is over. 110 



110 The death-canao described above is for the poor people. If the dead 

 person is a rich Igorot, the canao will last as long as there are any 

 animals left to be killed. When about all the animals are killed, some 

 old woman goes into a trance and while in that state pretends to see 

 the man sitting along the mountain side, all tired out and unable to go 

 any farther. She will communicate this to the relatives of the dead 

 person, and they will immediately procure a horse and kill it in order 

 that the dead man may have a horse to ride and in that manner reach 

 his destination. During all this time the dead person is placed in a sitting 

 posture, tied in a chair, raised up from the ground 4 or 5 feet. Under 

 the chair a smouldering fire is built, thereby preserving the body. This 

 lasts sometimes ten or twelve days, according to the number of animals 

 to be killed. — W. A. Miller. See also footnote 79. 



