Kankanay Ceremonies / (American Archaeology and Ethnology)

by C. R. Moss

They said to their father, “You surely ate the meat.” Their father said, “I did not eat it, it was taken away while I was sleeping.” The sons said, “You do not speak well; you certainly ate it.”

Boliwan cut open his (own) abdomen with a bolo, and died. Then the two brothers saw that there was no meat in his stomach. Then they said, “Although we said that you ate the meat, you should not have cut open your abdomen and then you would not have died.”

Then they lay down and watched to see who had eaten the meat. They saw a snake above where they were standing, and said to it, “Probably you ate the meat.” The Snake answered, “Yes, I ate it.” The two brothers said, “We shall certainly kill you.” The Snake answered, “Do not kill me; I will teach you how to cure wounds, and you can make your father alive again.” The Snake said, “Give me your spears, bolos, sticks, and sharp stones.” They gave them. The Snake put the spears, bolos, sticks, and rocks near the wound and prayed. Boliwan became alive again.

The brothers said to the snake, “We think you are a god (anito).” The Snake answered, “Yes, I am a god.” The brothers said, “We will tell the children of the people, so that if there is something like this they may cure it, and may call our names when celebrating the sibisib.”

The story related in Buguias is substantially the same as the one related by the Kabayan Nabaloi in the same ceremony.

The sibisib is celebrated in the town of Bacun in Amburayan, and in Ampusungan of Lepanto, but I do not know whether it is made in other Lepanto towns.

Gaysing

The larger number of the Benguet Kankanay are betrothed while children by their parents. The betrothal ceremony is called gaysing. As a rule this cañao is celebrated when the children are very young; frequently while they are infants; and occasionally before one of them is born.

One of the primary objects of the gaysing is to cement friendship between the parents, and it is frequently held after they have quarreled and pressure has been brought to bear to cause them to become friendly again.