Manaldek [154] was the next arrival, and as he was one of the spirits who was supposed to have caused the patient’s illness, his visit was of considerable importance.  He was presented with a spear and prepared betel-nut.  The latter was attached to the point of the weapon, and this was pressed against the body of the pig, then the spirit touched each member of the family in order to drive the sickness from them.

Mamonglo ordered the family under a white blanket, and then touched the head of each person with a lead sinker, while his companion spirit waved a bundle of rice and a firebrand over them, “To take away the sickness which they had sent.”  Six other spirits came long enough to drink, then Bisangolan occupied the attention of all for a time.  He is an old man, a giant who lives near the river, and with his head-axe keeps the trees and driftwood from jamming, and thus prevents floods.  For quite a time he chatted about himself, then finally blew smoke over the people, at the same time assuring them that the sickness would now vanish like the smoke.  Just before departing he informed the family that a spirit named Imalbi had caused the trouble in the patient’s eyes, and that on the next morning they must build a little house, called balitang, among the banana trees, and place in it a live chicken.

Gayangayan, a female spirit from Lagayan, followed, rubbed the head of each person, blew smoke over them, and then announced thus:  “The people of Layogan [155] must not close their doors when it rains, or it will stop.”

The attitude of the people toward the weaker and less important spirits was well shown when Ambayau, a wild female spirit, arrived.  She demanded to know where she could secure heads, and immediately the people began to tell her all sorts of impossible places, and made jests about her and her family.  Finally they told her to take the head of a certain Christianized native; but she refused, since she had short hair, and it would be hard for her to carry the skull.  While she was still talking, the men started to carry the pig from the room, but she detained them, to explain that the people cut the meat into too large pieces, for “we spirits eat only so much,” indicating a pinch.  The spirit Soyau came for a drink, and then all the people went out to the tangpap, where the pig was killed, singed, and cut up.  A small pig was laid beside the pala-an, and for a time was guarded by the son of the sick woman, who for this event had placed the notched chicken-feathers in his hair, and had put on bracelets of boar’s tusks.  As soon as she had finished at the tangpap, the medium came to the pala-an, and having recited the proper diam over the pig lying there, ordered it killed in the manner already described for this structure (cf. p. 329).  Both animals were then cooked, and soon all the guests were eating, drinking and jesting.