The Tinguian: Social, Religious, and Economic Life of a Philippine TribeCole, Fay-Cooper
Religion
The Tinguian: Social, Religious, and Economic Life of a Philippine Tribe
Cole, Fay-Cooper
Tinguian (Philippine people)
Sopo, a gambler, next appeared and tossed handfuls of coins into a
blanket. He stated that if heads came up, the people won and would
have good health, but if they lost, their lives were his. As soon as
he threw, the people rushed up, and if they saw any tails they were
quickly turned, and the spirit was informed that he had lost.
Kimat, lightning, came and demanded a drink, which was given. As he is
usually considered as a dog, the writer inquired why he had appeared
as a man, but was rewarded only by a shrug of the shoulders and the
word--_kadauyan_ ("custom").
Another spirit, Andeles, quickly replaced lightning, and with Sopo
danced on the spirit raft, while the old men put dishes of water and
coins inside, and fastened a small live chicken to the roof. The people
then tried to induce the spirits to leave, but they refused. Suddenly
they were flung aside, and two strong men seized the raft and started
to run with it. Immediately the two spirits gave chase and fought
viciously all who tried to get in their way, but when, finally,
their opponents were joined by an old woman carrying a bundle of
burning rice straw and an old man beating a drum, they gave up the
chase and vanished. The party proceeded on to the Abra river, where
they waded out into deep water and set the raft afloat (Plate XXVI).
That evening the guests danced _da-eng_, and the ceremony was over.
Throughout the three days, the mediums had been constantly drinking
of _basi_, and while under the strain of the ceremony, they had not
appeared intoxicated, but at its conclusion both were hopelessly
drunk. The payment for the service was one half of the largest pig,
unthreshed rice, and about two pesos in money, which was given in
exchange for the beads which different spirits had demanded.
Kalangan.--In Manabo and the villages of that vicinity a period
of about seven years elapses between the building of _tangpap_ and
the celebration of _Kalangan_, but in most of the valley towns the
latter ceremony follows _Pala-an_ after two or three years. [159]
The ceremony is so similar to the _Tangpap_ just described that only
the barest outline will be given here. The chief difference in the
two is the type of structure built for the spirits. _Kalangan_ has
four supporting timbers to which the flooring is lashed, and from
which kingposts go to ridge poles. A bamboo frame rests on this and,
in turn, supports an overhanging grass roof (Plate XXIII).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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