Note 64 — Ritualistic and Explanatory Myths

The myths 32–40, which are known to the people as dīams, are now inseparable parts of the various ceremonies. Thus, when a pig is to be offered in the Sayang ceremony, the medium sits down beside it and strokes it with oiled fingers while she “talks to the spirits”. The translation of her “talk” shows that this is in no sense a prayer but is rather an account of how the greatest of the spirits taught the Tinguian people to perform this ceremony correctly. Likewise, when she offers food in the Dawak64 ceremony, she relates how the spirit Kabonīyan taught the Tinguian to do this in the same manner that he performs it. In the Pala-an65 dīam she relates, in story form, the cause of the sickness, but in this case ends with a direct invocation to the spirits in Dadáya to “make them well again if you please”. The balance of the dīams, 35–40, are in story form, and seem intended more as an explanation to the people as to the causes of their troubles than to be directed toward the spirits. However, the medium seldom has an audience, and rarely ever a single listener, as she recites the dīams she has learned verbatim from her instructors when preparing for the duties of her office.