The National tribune., 1904-01-21

tree. All tue DeiOuSiu&S Oh the OeCcaSeO,
except such bare necessaries as may be
needed by his immediate relatives, are
left at the head Of his grave. The mourn
ers return to his house, and when evening
comes build FIRE in front Of it, waiting
in silence until the wood is all consumed,
and watching the dying embers. They say
that they sometimes see their dead friend,
sometimes only his footprints, in the ashes
of the fire. Five days later all again re-
up in the middle Of the floor, with rattans
attached to its top, the whole affair some
what resembling q May-pole. Each per-
son sits down, grasping the end of one of
the rattans, and all begin to chant the
"bactal," strange and very lengthy song,
which recOunts the remarkable adventures
Of mythical person named DumaracOl.
The bactal is handed down from genera
ton to generation, and must have origi-
mated at time when the ancestors Of the
Calamianes Tagbanuas We're far more
civilized than are the present representa-
tives Of the tribe; for in it reference is
made to articles which those of this gen.
Grafton do not possess, and would not I'M
derstand the use Of. The singing of the
bactal is kept up on three successive
nights, from dusk until daybreak. The
singers stop occasionally to eat, and some
times dance in order to keep themselves
awake. The performance is repeated after
the rice harvest, and even n third time,
if the relatives can afford to pay for the
food necessary to keep the participants
in good spirits. A house where death
has occurred is always abandoned"
PROTECTION FROM THE DEAD.
The ancient Visayans buried their dead
in well-constructed wood collins made in
two pieces. The lower and larger part
was dug out Of a solid log, the opening
just large enough to admit the body by
packing it in closely, so as not to invite
the death Of another member of the family
to fill out the space. The lid was similarly
made, but shallow. These collins were
locked, and i'll the case of ancestors and
heroes We're placed on cliffs and in cav
ems along the sea-coast, to be w0rshiped
by passing sailors. Various implements,
arms, apparel, and sometimes jewels OF
the deceased, We're placed with the coffin.
Sometimes guard was placed over 1T for
a time; but, it is asserted, this guard was
not for the purpose of protecting the
corpse and its furnishings, but to protect
living sailors who might be tempted there
lest the dead person should snatch their
lives away. Mas, an old writer quoted by
Jagor, says: 'sThey sometimes embalmed
their dead with aromatic substances and
placed those who were Of note in chests
carved out of branch Of tree, and fur
was placed, IN accord with the wish Of the
DECEASED, expressed before his death,
either in the uppermost room Of the
house, where articles Of. value were Sc
creted, or under the dweiling-house in a
kind of grave, which was not COW
cred, but enclosed with railing; or in a
distant field, or on an elevated place, or
rock on the bank OF river, where he
might be Eenerated by the pious. A watch
was set over it for a certain time, lest
boats should cross over, and the dead
person should drag the living after him."
According TO another authority, Gaspar,
..The dead were rolled up in clothes, and
placed in clumsy chests, carved out of a
block of wood, and buried under their
houses, together with their jewels, gold
rings, and some plates OF gold over the
mouth and eyes, and furnished with pro-
visions, cups and dishes"
Ancestral worship seems to have gained
n f0Oth0ld early among the Visayans; for
it was the ambition of the aged when
about to die to choose as their places Of in
terment, some conspicuous spot in noun
tain top, or projecting headland Of the
sea, that they might be venerated by mari
ners who passed. Numerous cliffs and
sea-caves along the shores of the Visayan
Islands. are still pointed out where such
interments were made. Jagor, who visited
the islands in 1850 and 1860, describes one
method employed in breaking up this prac-
tice. He says: about 80 years ago
jealous young ecclesiastic, to whom these
heather practices were an abomination,
determined to extirpate them by the roots
With, several boa equipped with
crosses, banners, pictures Of saints, and
all the approved machinery for driving
out the devil he. undertook the expedition
against the hanted rocks, which were
climbed amidst the sound of music,
prayers, and the report Of fireworks. A
whole pailful of holy water first having
been thrown into the cave for the pur-
pose Of confounding the evil spirits, the in
trepid priest rushed in with elevated cross,
aud was followed by his faithful COM