In consequence of modern rationalism there is a tendency on the part of a considerable number of the Tinguian to consider these tales purely as stories and the characters as fictitious, but the mass of the people hold them to be true and speak of the actors as “the people who lived in the first times.” For the present we shall take their point of view and shall try to reconstruct the life in “the first times” as it appears in the tales.
The principal actors live in Kadalayapan and Kaodanan,[6] towns which our chief story teller—when trying to explain the desire of Kanag to go down and get fruit—assures us were somewhere in the air, Page 8above the earth ([p. 141]).[7] At other times these places are referred to as Sudīpan—the term by which spirits are supposed to call the present earth—while the actors are referred to as Īpogau—the spirit name for Tinguian. Whatever its location it was a place much like the present home of this people. The sky, the chief abode of spirits and celestial bodies, was above the land, and the heroes of the tales are pictured as ascending to visit the upper realms. The trees, plants, and animals were for the most part those known to-day. The ocean appears to have been well known, while mention is made of some places in Luzon, such as Dagopan and San Fernando in Pangasinan with which the people of to-day are not at all familiar ([p. 89], [168]).
We learn that each village is situated near to a river or waterway by the banks of which shallow wells are dug, and there we find the women gathering under the shade of the trees, dipping up water to be carried to their homes, washing and combing their hair, and taking their baths ([p. 48]). They seldom go singly, for enemies are apt to be near, and unless several are in the company it will be impossible to spread the alarm and secure help in case of attack ([p. 43]).
Leading up from the spring to the village are bamboo poles on which the heads of enemies are displayed ([p. 43]). In cases where the warriors have been especially successful these trophies may surround the whole settlement ([p. 76]). About the town is a defensive wall, generally of bamboo, but in some cases made up entirely of gigantic snakes ([p. 43]). Within this inclosure are many houses. The bamboo floors are raised high above the ground, while the thatching is of grass. Ladders lead up to little porches, from which doors open into the dwellings. At least part of the houses have a cooking room in addition to that used by the family, while structures containing a ninth room are several times mentioned (pp. [43], [52], [85]).
In one corner of the living room is a box containing blankets, above which are pillows and mats used by members of the household and guests; an iron caldron lies on the floor, while numerous Chinese jars stand about. A hearth, made up of a bed of ashes in which stones are sunk, is used for cooking. Above it is a bamboo food hanger, while near by stand jars of water and various cooking pots. Food baskets, coconut shell cups, and dishes, and a quantity of Chinese plates appear when the meal is served, while the use of glass is not unknown. Cups of gold, wonderful jars, and plates appear at times, but seem to be so rare as to excite comment (pp. [33], [98], [102], [105]). Page 9
Scattered through the village are numerous small buildings known as balaua ([p. 43]), which are erected for the spirits during the greatest of the ceremonies, and still inside the enclosure are the rice drying plots and granaries, the latter raised high above the ground so as to protect their contents from moisture (p. [150]).
About the town pigs and chickens roam at will, while half-starved hunting dogs prowl about below the kitchens and fight for morsels which drop from above ([p. 99]). Carabao are kept and used as food ([p. 101]), but in the cycle proper no mention is made of using them as work animals.[8] Game, especially deer and wild chickens, and fish are added to the domestic supply of food ([p. 80]), but the staple appears to be mountain rice. Beans, coconuts, oranges, sugar cane, betel-nuts, and tobacco are also cultivated (pp. [33], [107], [121], [138]).
Clothing is scanty but nevertheless receives much attention. The poorest of the men wear clouts of banana leaf, and the women, when in danger of capture, don skirts of bark; but on most occasions we find the man wearing a colored cotton clout, above which is a bright belt of the same material, while for ceremonies he may add a short coat or jacket. A headband, sometimes of gold, keeps his long hair in place, and for very special events he may adorn each hair with a golden bead (pp. [74], [76], [81]).
The cotton skirts of the women reach from the waist to the knees; the arms are covered with strands above strands of beads, while strings of agate beads surround the neck or help to hold the hair in place. To the real hair is often added a switch which appears to be valued highly ([p. 89]). Ornaments of gold adorn the ears, and finger rings of the same metal are several times mentioned (pp. [39], [43], [124]).
The tales afford us a glimpse of the daily life. In the early morning the chilly mountain air drives the people from their mats to the yard, where they squat about the fires ([p. 132]). As it becomes light, part of the women begin pounding out the rice from its straw and husks ([p. 144]), while others depart for the springs to secure water ([p. 101]). In planting time husband and wife trudge together to the fields, where the man plants the seeds or cuttings, and his wife assists by pouring on water ([p. 107]). In midday, unless it is the busy season, the village activities are practically suspended, and we see the balaua filled with men, asleep or lounging, while children may be playing about with tops or disk-like lipi seeds ([p. 139]). As it becomes cooler, the town again takes on life; in the houses the women weave blankets or prepare food, the older women Page 10feed the chickens and pigs ([p. 93]), while the workers from the fields, or hunters with their dogs and game, add to the general din and excitement ([p. 80]). When night comes on, if it be in the dry season, bonfires spring up in different parts of the village, and about them the girls and women gather to spin. Here also come the men and boys, to lounge and talk ([p. 117]). A considerable portion of the man's time is taken up in preparation for or actual participation in warfare ([p. 74]). We have already seen that the constant danger of enemies makes it advisable for the women to go in parties, even to the village spring. One tale informs us of a girl who is left alone to guard the rice field and is promptly killed by the alzado;[9] another states that “all the tattooed Igorot are enemies” (pp. [43], [155], [161]).