burning pine-sticks, they call to the dead within, "You must light
your pipes with these." As soon as the slabs are raised, the oldest
female relative of the deceased goes into the grave, gathers up
the bones of the last person interred, ties them into a bundle,
and reburies them in one corner. There is at present no such type
of burial chamber, as is described by _La Gironiere_, [101] nor is
there a memory or tradition of such an arrangement. As his visit took
place less than a century ago, it is unlikely that all trace of it
would have been lost. The heavy rainfall in this district would make
the construction and maintenance of such a chamber almost impossible,
while the dread of leaving the corpses thus exposed to hostile spirits
and the raids of enemies in search of heads would also argue against
such a practice. His description of the mummifying or drying of the
corpse by means of fires built around it [102] is likewise denied by
the old men of Manabo, who insist that they never had such a custom. It
certainly does not exist to-day. In a culture, in which the influence
of custom is as strong as it is here, it would seem that the care of
the corpse, which is intimately related to the condition of the spirit
in its final abode, would be one of the last things to change, while
the proceedings following a death are to-day so uniform throughout
the Tinguian belt, that they argue for a considerable antiquity.

When the grave is ready, the fact is announced in the dwelling, and is
the signal for renewed lamentation. The wife and near relatives throw
themselves on the corpse, caressing it and crying wildly. Whatever
there may have been of duty or respect in the wailing of the first two
days, this parting burst of sorrow is genuine. Tears stand in the eyes
of many, while others cease their wailing and sob convulsively. After
a time an old woman brings in some _oldot_ seeds, each strung on a
thread, and fastens one on the wrist of each person, as a protection
against the evil spirit Akop, who, having been defeated in his designs
against the widow, may seek to vent his anger on others.

When this has been done, a medium seats herself in front of the
body; and, covering her face with her hands, begins to chant and
wail, bidding the spirit to enter her body. Suddenly she falls back
in a faint, while suppressed excitement is manifested by all the
onlookers. After a moment or two, fire and water are placed at her
head and feet,