The Bontoc Igorot Part 30

Loskod

This ceremony occurs once each year at the time of planting camotes, in the period of Ba-li'-ling.

Som-kad' of ato Sigichan is the pueblo "priest" who performs the los-kod' ceremony. He kills a chicken or pig, and then pet.i.tions Lumawig as follows: "Lo-mos-kod'-kay to-ki'." This means, "May there be so many camotes that the ground will crack and burst open."

Okiad

Som-kad' of ato Sigichan performs the o-ki-ad' ceremony once each year during the time of planting the black beans, or ba-la'-tong, also in the period of Ba-li'-ling.

The pet.i.tion addressed to Lumawig is said after a pig or chicken has been ceremonially killed; it runs as follows: "Ma-o'-yed si ba-la'-tong, Ma-o'-yed si fu'-tug, Ma-o'-yed nan i-pu-kao'." A free translation is, "May the beans grow rapidly; may the pigs grow rapidly; and may the people [the children] grow rapidly."

Kopus

Ko'-pus is the name given the three days of rest at the close of the period of Ba-li'-ling. They say there is no special ceremony for ko'-pus, but some time during the three days the pa'-tay ceremony is performed.

Ceremonies connected with climate

Fakil

The Fa-kil' ceremony for rain occurs four times each year, on four succeeding days, and is performed by four different priests. The ceremony is simple. There is the usual ceremonial pig killing by the priest, and each night preceding the ceremony all the people cry: "I-teng'-ao ta-ko nan fa-kil'." This is only an exclamation, meaning, "Rest day! We observe the ceremony for rain!" I was informed that the priest has no separate oral pet.i.tion or ceremony, though it is probable that he has.

Kalob

Once or twice each year, or maybe once in two years, in January or February, a cold, driving rain pours itself on Bontoc from the north. It often continues for two or three days, and is a miserable storm to be out in.

If this storm continues three or four days, Le-yod', of ato Lowingan, performs the following ceremony in his dwelling: "Ma-kis-kis'-kay li-fo'-o min-chi-kang'-ka ay fat-a'-wa ta-a'-yu nan fa'-ki lo-lo'-ta." A very free translation of this is as follows: "You fogs, rise up rolling. Let us have good weather in all the world! All the people are very poor."

Following this ceremony Le-yod' goes to Chao'-wi, the site of Lumawig's former dwelling in the pueblo, shown in Pl. CLIII, and there he builds a large fire. It is claimed the fierce storm always ceases shortly after the ka-lob' is performed.

Chinamwi

Ang'-way of ato Somowan performs the chi-nam'-wi ceremony once or twice each year during the cold and fog of the period Sama, when the people are standing in the water-filled s.e.m.e.nteras turning the soil, frequently working entirely naked.

Many times I have seen the people shake -- arms, legs, jaw, and body -- during those cold days, and admit that I was touched by the ceremony when I saw it.

A hog is killed and each household gives Ang'-way a manojo of palay. He pleads to Lumawig: "Tum-ke'-ka ay li-fo'-o ta-a-ye'-o nan in sa-ma'-mi." This prayer is: "No more cold and fog! Pity those working in the s.e.m.e.ntera!"

Ceremonies connected with head taking[35]

Kafokab

Ka-fo'-kab is the name of a ceremony performed as soon as a party of successful head-hunters returns home. The old man in charge at the fawi says: "Cha-kay'-yo fo'-so-mi ma-pay-ing'-an. Cha-kay'-mi in-ked-se'-ka-mi nan ka-nin'-mi to-kom-ke'-ka." This is an exultant boast -- it is the crow of the winning c.o.c.k. It runs as follows: "You, our enemies, we will always kill you! We are strong; the food we eat makes us strong!"

Changtu

There is a peculiar ceremony, called "chang'-tu," performed now and then when i'-chu, the small omen bird, visits the pueblo.

This ceremony is held before each dwelling and each pabafunan in the pueblo. A chicken is killed, and usually both pork and chicken are eaten. The man performing the Chang'-tu says:

"Sik'-a tan-ang'-a sik'-a lu'-fub ad Sa-dang'-a nan ay-yam' Sik'-a ta-lo'-lo ad La'-G.o.d nan ay-yam' Sik'-a ta-lo'-lo ye'-mod La'-G.o.d nan fa-no wat'-mo yad Ap'-lay."

This speech is a pet.i.tion running as follows:

"You, the anito of a person beheaded by Bontoc, and you, the anito of a person who died in a dwelling, you all go to the pueblo of Sadanga [that is, you destructive spirits, do not visit Bontoc; but we suggest that you carry your mischief to the pueblo of Sadanga, an enemy of ours]. You, the anito of a Bontoc person beheaded by some other pueblo, you go into the north country, and you, the anito of a Bontoc person beheaded by some other pueblo, you carry the palay-straw torch into the north country and the south country [that is, friendly anito, once our fellow-citizens, burn the dwellings of our enemies both north and south of us]."

In this pet.i.tion the purpose of the Chang'-tu is clearly defined. The faithful i'-chu has warned the pueblo that an anito, perhaps an enemy, perhaps a former friend, threatens the pueblo; and the people seek to avert the calamity by making feasts -- every dwelling preparing a feast. Each household then calls the names of the cla.s.ses of malignant anito which destroy life and property, and suggests to them that they spend their fury elsewhere.

Ceremony connected with ato

Young men sometimes change their membership from one a'-to to another. It is said that old men never do. There is a ceremony of adoption into a new a'-to when a change is made; it is called "pu-ke'"

or "pal-ug-peg'." At the time of the ceremony a feast is made. and some old man welcomes the new member as follows:

If you die first, you must look out for us, since we wish to live long [that is, your spirit must protect us against destructive spirits], do not let other pueblos take our heads. If you do not take this care, your spirit will find no food when it comes to the a'-to, because the a'-to will be empty -- we will all be dead.

PART 9

Mental Life

The Igorot does not know many things in common with enlightened men, and yet one constantly marvels at his practical knowledge. Tylor says primitive man has "rude, shrewd sense." The Igorot has more -- he has practical wisdom.

Actual knowledge

Concerning cosmology, the Igorot believes Lumawig gave the earth and all things connected with it. Lumawig makes it rain and storm, gives day and night, heat and cold. The earth is "just as you see it." It ceases somewhere a short distance beyond the most distant place an Igorot has visited. He does not know how it is supported. "Why should it fall?" he asks. "A pot on the earth does not fall." Above is chayya, the sky -- the Igorot does not know or attempt to say what it is. It is up above the earth and extends beyond and below the visible horizon and the limit of the earth. The Igorot does not know how it remains there, and a man once interrupted me to ask why it did not fall down below the earth at its limit.

"Below us," an old Igorot told me, "is just bones."

The sun is a man called "Chal-chal'." The moon is a woman named "Ka-bi-gat'." "Once the moon was also a sun, and then it was always day; but Lumawig made a moon of the woman, and since then there is day and night, which is best."

There are two kinds of stars. "Fat-ta-ka'-kan" is the name of large stars and "tuk-fi'-fi" is the name of small stars. The stars are all men, and they wear white coats. Once they came down to Bontoc pueblo and ate sugar cane, but on being discovered they all escaped again to chayya.

Thunder is a gigantic wild boar crying for rain. A Bontoc man was once killed by Ki-cho', the thunder. The unfortunate man was ripped open from his legs to his head, just as a man is ripped and torn by the wild boar of the mountains. The lightning, called "Yup-yup,"

is also a hog, and always accompanies Ki-cho'.