After the return of the family to the village, the guests drink basi, sing and dance, and usually several spirits are summoned by the mediums.

The next morning two Pinalasang [167] are constructed in the yard.  Each supports a plate containing beads, a string of beads is suspended from one of the poles, and a jar of basi is placed beneath.  In front of them the mediums call the spirits, then offer the heart, livers, and intestines, while they call out, “Take me and do not injure the people.”  The final act of the ceremony is to construct the spirit raft taltalabong, load it with food, and set it afloat on the river, “so that all the spirits may see and know what has been done.”

In addition to the regular pay for their services, the mediums divide the jaw of a pig and carry the portions home with them, as their protection against lightning, and the spirits whose hostility they may have incurred.

Binikwau.—­This ceremony, like the one just described, seems to be limited to the San Juan region, and is given under similar circumstances.

The room is decorated as usual, and a bound pig is laid in the center.  This is known as “the exchange,” since it is given in place of the patient’s life.  Two mediums place betel-nut on the animal, then stroke it with oil, saying, “You make the liver favorable,” i.e., give a good omen.  After a time they begin summoning the spirits, and from then until late evening the guests divide their time between the mediums and the liquor jars.  Soon all are in a jovial mood, and before long are singing the praises of their hosts, or are greeting visiting spirits as old time friends.

The pig is killed early next morning, and its liver is eagerly examined to learn whether or no the patient is destined to recover.  A part of the flesh is placed on the house rafters, for the use of the spirits, while the balance is cooked and served.  Following the meal, the gongs and drums are brought up into the house, and the people dance or sing until the mediums appear, ready to summon the spirits.  The first to come is Sabian, the guardian of the dogs.  He demands that eight plates and a coconut shell be filled with blood and rice; another shell is to be filled with uncooked rice, in which a silver coin is hidden; and finally a bamboo dog-trough must be provided.  When his demands are met, he begins to call, “Come, my dogs, come and eat.”  Later the blood and rice are placed in the trough, and are carried to the edge of the town, where they are left.  This done, the spirit pierces the pig’s liver with a spear and, placing it on a shield, dances about the room.  Finally, stopping beside the mat, he lays them on the patient’s stomach.  The next and final act is to scrape up a little of the liver with a small head-axe, and to place this, mixed with oil, on the sick person.

On the third and last day, the medium leads a big dog to the edge of the village, and then kills it with a club.  A piece of the animal’s ear is cut off, is wrapped in a cloth, and is hung around the patient’s neck as a protection against evil, and as a sign to all spirits that this ceremony has been held.