When the child has been washed, it is placed on an inverted rice-winnower, and an old man or woman gives it the name it is to bear.  The winnower is raised a few inches above the ground, and the woman asks the child its name, then drops it.  Again she raises it, pronounces the name, and lets it fall.  A third time it is raised and dropped, with the injunction, “When your mother sends you, you go,” or “You must not be lazy.”  If it is a boy, it may be instructed, “When your father sends you to plow, you go.”

Among the Tinguian of Ilocos Norte it is customary for the person who is giving the name to wave a burning torch beneath the winnower, meanwhile saying, if to a boy, “Here is your light when you go to fight.  Here is your light when you go to other towns.”  If the child is a girl, she says, “Here is your light when you go to sell things.”

In the San Juan district, the fire is made of pine sticks; for “the burning pine gives a bright light, and thus makes it clear to the spirits that the child is born.  The heat and smoke make the child hard and sturdy.”  Just before the naming, the rice winnower is circled above the fire and the person officiating calls to the spirits, saying, “Come and take this child, or I shall take it.”  Then, as the infant still remains alive, she proceeds to give it its name. [59]

A Tinguian child is nearly always named after a dead ancestor; often it receives two names—­one for a relative in the father’s family, and one in the mother’s.  A third name commemorating the day or some event, or perhaps the name of a spirit, is frequently added. [60] Certain names, such as Abacas ("worthless"), Inaknam ("taken up"), and Dolso ("rice-chaff”) are common.  If the infant is ailing, or if the family has been unfortunate in raising children, the newborn is named in the regular way, then is placed on an old rice winnower, and is carried to a refuse heap and left.  Evil spirits witnessing this will think that the child is dead, and will pay no more heed to it.  After a time, a woman from another house will pick the child up and carry it back to the dwelling, where it is renamed.  In such a case it is probable that the new name will recall the event. [61]

If a former child has died, it is possible that the infant will receive its name, but if so, it will be renamed within a few days.  In this manner, respect is shown both for the deceased child and the ancestor for which it was named; yet the newborn is not forced to bear a title which is apparently displeasing to the spirits.  Continued sickness may also result in the giving of a new name. [62] In such a case a small plot of rice is planted as an offering to the spirits, which have caused the illness.

According to Reyes, the child to be named is carried to a tree, and the medium says, “Your name is ——­;” at the same time she strikes the tree with a knife.  If the tree “sweats,” the name is satisfactory; otherwise, other names are mentioned until a favorable sign is obtained. [63] The writer found no trace of such procedure in any part of the Tinguian belt.