guide, chatty for
an Indian, gave me quickly every information necessary. He told me
that the Tinguians have no veneration for the stars; they neither
adore the sun, nor moon, nor the constellations; they believe in
the existence of a soul, and pretend that after death it quits the
body, and remains in the family. As to the god that they adore, it
varies and changes form according to chance and circumstances. And
here is the reason: When a Tinguian chief has found in the country
a rock, or a trunk of a tree, of a strange shape--I mean to say,
representing tolerably well either a dog, cow, or buffalo--he informs
the inhabitants of the village of his discovery, and the rock, or
trunk of a tree, is immediately considered as a divinity--that is to
say, as something superior to man. Then all the Indians repair to the
appointed spot, carrying with them provisions and live hogs. When
they have reached their destination they raise a straw roof above
the new idol, to cover it, and make a sacrifice by roasting hogs;
then, at the sound of instruments, they eat, drink, and dance until
they have no provisions left. When all is eaten and drank, they set
fire to the thatched roof, and the idol is forgotten until the chief,
having discovered another one, commands a new ceremony.

With regard to the morals of the Tinguians, my guide informed me that
the Tinguian has generally one legitimate wife, and many mistresses;
but the legitimate wife alone inhabits the conjugal house, and the
mistresses have each of them a separate cabin. The marriage is a
contract between the two families of the married couple. The day
of the ceremony, the man and wife bring their dowry in goods and
chattels; the marriage portion is composed of china vases, glass,
coral beads, and sometimes a little gold powder. It is of no profit to
the married couple, for they distribute it to their relations. This
custom, my guide observed to me, has been established to prevent a
divorce, which could only take place in entirely restituting all
the objects that were contributed at the marriage by the party
asking for divorce--a rather skilful expedient for savages, and
worthy of being the invention of civilised people. The relatives
thus become much interested in preventing the separation, as they
would be obliged to restitute the presents received; and, if one of
the couple persisted in requesting it, they would prevent him or her
by making away with one of the objects furni