Culture and Literature of Tanulong, SAGADA

Part 2: PRACTICES DONE ON OCCASIONS

Apart from the routinely practices, there are also practices they do on special occasions.

A. DAWAK

Marriage is what is always expected from a person who comes of age. Staying single for life is not much accepted, if at all. Upon union of the couple, this practice of dawak starts to be talked about. The sooner the better. This starts the union of the parents of both of the couple. In fact, some families regard this as one of the most important things to be done when starting a family for future children's security. Rumor has it that some marriage proposals got rejected just because the supposed to be son or daughter in-law's parents didn't have this dawak. So having not done this might cause some future rejection for the children. Aside from that, dawak is believed to bring good luck to the new couple blessing them with good life in general as well as the gift of having children.

The main event of the dawak lasts for three days. Like any other wedding, it is preceded by a huge preparation to host big number of guests. Hosting of guests, though, continues until the third day. It is one of the biggest functions to host which causes a fortune. Carabaos or water buffaloes are put down along with cattles, pigs and chickens. But with the cash gifts from the guests, whatever was expended is usually covered.

In this important occasion, all the distant relatives are expected to come regardless of where they may be living, far or near. The village dwellers maybe seen as small population but their relatives are everywhere. Those who have migrated to another places, upon hearing, come to celebrate with their relatives. This is the perfect time when relatives get acquainted with one another. This is the primary reason why distant relatives know one another well regardless of how far away they live from each other. This is the time when clans reunite and strengthen their bond.

B. TETEY or death

This transitioning from the physical life doesn't go without the culture's set of practice.

In the case of an elderly being sick, they may prescribe senga for her or him. In some instances, the senga performed might heal the sick which is the better. But if the sick dies anyway, the senga is then counted as the first senga, they call it sengan di mensakit or generally classified as bakid. That will have given the advantage because having done that before death will save the family from tremendous numbers of senga later on.

There are two sets of practice followed depending on whether bakid was taken before the death or no. If the sick died without the bakid, the family will have to agree to a longer list of rituals. This is seen if the death is sudden and unexpected. There will be an additional three times tungo with three pigs plus one each time, that would sum up to twelve pigs more. However, the family is spared from this outrageous amount of loss had they been alert enough to perform the bakid just before the death.

So assuming that the sick died not long after the bakid, things will be quite lighter. The three times tungo is eliminated. But even if the sick was given bakid if the death happened many months after it, the validity of the senga expires, it will not be counted.

The whole village community is gathered at the residence of the dead supposedly to accompany and cheer the family from the moment the sick closed his eyes. In occasions when a member of the family has still not arrived, the dead body just laid on his bed fully covered with blanket. But if there is no one to wait , the elders will then proceed to the rituals needed. The set of rituals start with the pametbetan. This is usually a matured hen or a rooster. It is then time to place the dead body inside the coffin, clothing it with the proper attire for the dead. When that is done, people can start saying their eulogies. Eulogies are normally said through chanting or singing although sometimes people just speak it in normal way. Cash aides are also given. During that day of adog, one pig is butchered in the morning and another three chickens follow in the mid day. The children and grandchildren of the dead will bring their so called supon. The adog can only last a day, not longer than that, from the moment the dead body is placed in the coffin. Then that following afternoon, just before the burial one matured sow is butchered and called as pamunbunan. When that is done, the men would then prepare the dead, fixing the cover of the coffin and properly tie it with an indigenous organic rope called owey. When it is ready, the men would lift the coffin and take it to the burial site. During the olden days, all of the dead are brought to the small caves in any mountain near the village. But as the time had passed, they can choose to bury it.