Mandit
The mandit of the Kankanay corresponds to the pachit of the Nabaloi. The Nabaloi use the word manchit, meaning “to celebrate the pachit.” The Kankanay always substitute “d” for the “ch” of the Nabaloi.
However, there is a difference in the purpose for which the Nabaloi and the Kankanay of Kibungan and surrounding towns celebrate this ceremony. In Kibungan it is given neither to cure nor to prevent sickness, but only to cause the person celebrating it to become rich and to be honored by the people. In the Kankanay town of Buguias it is celebrated to cure or prevent sickness as well as to enhance the prestige and to increase the wealth of the giver.
The following is an account of a mandit which I saw on the 3rd and 4th of October, 1916, at the house of Damadan, a rich Igorot living in Kibungan:
The ceremony began about nine o’clock in the morning. The mambunong took a cocoanut shell filled with tapuy, and squatted in front of the house. He then prayed as follows, while holding the tapuy in his hand:
Sikayao ay pinading ay kayilinganmi, ipitikĕnmi dakayos nan tapuy ut makikan kayo; ut adayo golgolidan di pakanĕnmi.
You, the pinading living near us, we are giving you tapuy and food to eat and drink with us; so do not permit what we feed to have a skin disease.
The old men then squatted around in a group and sang the bayog, which is as follows:
Linmayad si Taydak, linmayad si Dakodak;
Ginmosad si Soyaan, linmayad si Taydak;
Ginmosad si Balitok, Balitok nay masobok.
Tadyonay manyokayok dalingyos bintauwanyo,
Linmoboi di baboiyo, inmingyap di manokyo,
Ganakyoi sauwaswoo. Sīya say isongdoyo
Linan inmananito.
Ginmosad si Aponan, ingosadna baboina
Sīay intayawanda sinan boi di mansīna.
Sīya sat matoganda mobalung ya ipidwada
Tamonmasinop nan litagua way panamtamangan un dayida.
Ginmosad si Maodi balitok nay masodi,
Madīli ay babayī, dalingyos bintauwanyo,
Liniboi di baboiyo, inmingyap di manokyo.
Alanyat i songdoyo si bomooi ay nayo.
Balbalungmo matago, ipidwanas bungbungo
Ut maad adotako.
Ginmosad si Angtan; galinay kinadangian.
Tanbanos di baknang ingosad ni baboiyo
Ay inbayogunyo.
Became happy Taydak, became happy Dakodak;
Came down from the sky Soyaan, became happy Taydak.
Came down from the sky Balitok, Balitok who was kind.
The wooden dishes being carried in and out will be seen in your yard,
Will become fat your pigs, will increase in number your chickens.
Your children born will be eighteen. That is why you will mourn the death of the one celebrating the ceremony.
Came down Aponan, bringing hogs
So that there would be dancing at the house where the mandit was celebrated.
So that they would know when they did it next,
He called together the people that they might see everything.
Came down from the sky Maodi, gold-shining.
Growing fat are your pigs, increasing in number are your chickens.
Admit you will mourn the death of the giver of this ritual.
If you live, do it again in the future
That we may increase.
Came down Angtan; his blankets were those of a rich man.
The greatest of all the rich men brought down your hogs,
Singing the bayog.
After singing the bayog, the people danced and drank tapuy until noon, when twelve hogs which were to be killed were tied and put in a row in front of the house. Just before the first hog was killed the mambunong prayed the prayer which is called batbat in Kibungan. It is as follows:
Lūmawig un Kabigat, si Pati, si Soyaan, si Amdoyan, si Wigan, si Bintauan, si Bangan, si Bogan, si Obongan, si Obung, si Laongan, si Singan, si Maodi, si Kolan, si Moan, si Angtan, si Gatan, si Angban, si Mantalau, si Balitok; minyaan midakayos, yan tagoundakami. Idauwatmoi masangbo, tamo matagokami pangiyaan di ibamin dakami; tamo dakayo ay kabūnian waday pangiyaan min dakayo; tamo anakmi waday matago ya waday pangiyaan min dakayo.
Mopakĕnmi adadoĕnyo, tauaday piditĕnmi. Mo manokmi abu, matago tauwaday panbiagmi. Mo mansamakmi, abu, mataguay; batong mataguay, din togi mataguay; ta waday panbiagmi. Mo mansamakmi, abu, si pina, ya kapi adadoi bagasna, ta waday ilaukami, ta waday iami sigalimi.
Lumawig and Kabigat, Pati, Soyaan, Amdoyan, Wigan, Bintauan, Bangan, Bogan, Obongan, Obung, Laongan, Singan, Maodi, Kolan, Moan, Angtan, Gatan, Angban, Mantalau, Balitok; we are giving this to you that we may live long. Work for us to become rich so that while we live there will be the giving of meat to us by our companions; so that you the gods will have things given to you; so that our children will have life; so that there will be gifts for you.
What we feed increase, so that there will be celebrations of ceremonies again. Cause our chickens also to live to be for keeping us alive. Make what we plant also to live; beans to live; camotes to live; to be for keeping us alive. Make what we plant, also, pineapples and coffee, to have much fruit, so that we may have it to sell, that we may have something with which to buy blankets.
The hogs were then killed, and after the meat was cooked the same prayer was repeated. After the people had eaten, they began to dance and sing again and continued to do so throughout the night; but only a small number of those who were present during the day remained. The majority went home, taking with them part of the meat which had been left.
The second and third days were similar to the first; but fewer people attended, and fewer hogs were killed.
The mambunong stated that, if after a person has celebrated the mandit, a stone should become detached from the hillside and roll down near his house, or if there should be a slide near, it would be necessary for him to kill another hog, and have the mambunong pray the following prayer:
Sīka ay napolug ay bato nay ay okaamka, ut bomaknangak ut adakna bitbitbitug. Mataguak abū ta maobananak.
You, the falling stone, I am giving you this so that you will make me rich and will not make me poor. Cause me to live also until my hair is white.
While this ceremony corresponds in general to the Nabaloi pachit, the song and prayer are entirely different. In the pachit the prayer is addressed principally to the souls of dead relatives, while in the mandit the hero deities are addressed. The prayer and song resemble more closely those for the Nabaloi bindayan than those for the pachit. It is not improbable that when the bindayan or its equivalent became obsolete among the Kibungan Kankanay, a part of it was incorporated in other rituals.
The corresponding Lepanto Kankanay ceremony is variously designated as the bayas, bagnas, and daaus. The corresponding Ifugao ceremony is called bumayah.