The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 21 of 55: 1624; Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century.
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 21 of 55: 1624; Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century.
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
During the time that those barbarous obsequies lasted, it was
unlawful for anyone to go to any place where the deceased had gone,
or where he had bathed, under penalty of the culprit's losing
his life immediately. After the days for the mourning had been
completed, they covered the eyes and mouth of the corpse with sheets
of gold. They carried it to the field in a coffin, and into distant
caves or sepulchers among themselves; and buried it, together with
a male servant if the deceased was a man, or a female servant if the
deceased was a woman, so that such person might serve them, as they
thought that that was necessary in the other life. Thus did the dead
and living go hand in hand, without any recourse or dispensation. Such
servants of the deceased were set apart for that purpose from their
childhood, and were called _atabang_. If the deceased was rich, a
greater number of servants was added. This is confirmed by the event
that was rumored in the island of Bohol shortly before Miguel Lopez
de Legaspi arrived at Zibù; for those people placed seventy slaves
in the sepulcher of one of those barbarians, all arranged in order
in a little ship, which they call _caracoa_--which was provided with
anchors, rigging, and everything else, even arms and food, as if it
had been launched in the sea.
Of the aforesaid, it is well known that that people believed in the
error that the soul went with the body, and that they were maintained
in the other life as in this. Consequently, they placed the most costly
clothes in the sepulchers. The relatives added others, and even arms,
if the deceased was a man, and the instruments of her domestic labor
if a woman, together with all the other dishes and jewels of the house
(not even excepting gold and precious jewels), in accordance with
their taste, so that these might be enjoyed in the other life. The
food was carried to them for the space of one year, and it was placed
on an adorned table every day. When it was taken there, the food of
the preceding day was taken away. That they threw into the water, and
no one dared to touch it, as it was a sacred thing. They generally
built a hut over the grave, so that the deceased should not suffer
from the inclemency of the weather.
If the death were by violence, vengeance pertained to the children,
and in default of children to the nearest relative. The sign of that
obligation was to place certain armlets on the arms, as for instance,
twigs of osier, more or less according to the station of the dead. Upon
killing the first man whom they encountered--even though he were
innocent--one armlet was removed; and thus they continued to kill
until all the rings were removed from the arms. The avenger did not
eat anything hot, or live in a settlement, during that wicked and
barbarous vengeance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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