A man may carry on his shoulder a huge short log of wood cut in the mountains, the wood partially supported on the shoulder by his spear; or he perhaps carries a large bunch of dry grass to be thrown into the pigpen as bedding; or he comes swinging along empty handed save for his spear used as a staff.  Most of the returning men and boys carry the empty topil, the small, square, covered basket in which rice for the noon meal is carried to the sementera; sometimes a boy carries a bunch of three or four, and he dangles them open from their strings as he dances along.

For an hour or more the procession continues —­ one almost-naked figure following another —­ all dirty, most of them doubtless tired, and yet seemingly happy and content with the finish of their day of toil.  It is long after dark before the last straggler is in.

Harvesting

Rice harvesting in Bontoc is a delightful and picturesque sight to an American, and a most serious religious matter to the Igorot.

Though ceremonials having to do with agriculture have purposely been omitted from this chapter, yet, since one of the most striking and important features of the harvesting is the harvest ceremonial, it is thought best to introduce it here.

Sa-fo’-sab is the name of the ceremony.  It is performed in a pathway adjoining each sementera before a single grain is gathered.  In the path the owner of the field builds a tiny fire beside which he stands while the harvesters sit in silence.  The owner says: 

“So-mi-ka-ka’ pa-ku’ ta-mo i-sa’-mi sik’-a kin-po-num’ nan a-lang’,”

which, freely rendered, means, “Palay, when we carry you to the granary, increase greatly so that you will fill it.”

As soon as the ceremonial is said the speaker harvests one handful of the grain, after which the laborers arise and begin the harvest.

In the trails leading past the sementera two tall stalks of runo are planted, and these, called “pud-i-pud’,” warn all Igorot that they must not pass the sementera during the hours of the harvest.  Nor will they ignore the warning, since if they do they are liable to forfeit a hog or other valuable possession to the owner of the grain.

I spent half a day trying to get close enough to a harvesting party to photograph it.  All the harvesters were women, and they scolded our party long and severely while we were yet six or eight rods distant; my Igorot boys carrying the photographic outfit —­ boys who had lived four months in my house —­ laughingly but positively refused to follow me closer than three or four rods to the sementera.  No photographs were obtained at that time.  It was only after the matter was talked over by some of the men of the pueblo that photographs could be willingly obtained, and the force of the warning pud-i-pud’ withdrawn for our party.  Even during the time my Igorot boys were in the trail by a harvest party all other Igorot passed around the warning runo.  The Igorot says he believes the harvest will be blasted even while being gathered should one pass along a pathway skirting any side of the sementera.