remony is to complete the rupture between the living and the dead.

To the writer, the facts of Tinguian life and beliefs suggest a
somewhat different explanation. We have seen how strong individuals
may be affected by magical practices. The close connection between an
individual, his garments, or even his name, must be considered to apply
with quite as much force to the helpless infant and the afterbirth. So
strong is this bond, that even unintentional acts may injure the
babe. Evil spirits are always near; and, unless great precautions are
taken, they will injure adults if they can get them at a disadvantage,
particularly when they are asleep. The child is not able to protect
itself from these beings; therefore the adults perform such acts, as
they think will secure the good will and help of friendly spirits,
while they bribe or buy up those who might otherwise be hostile;
and lastly they make use of such magical objects and ceremonies,
as will compel the evil spirits to leave the infant alone. As the
child grows in size and strength, he is less in need of protection;
and at an early age he is treated like the other younger members of
the community. Naming follows almost immediately after birth, while
puberty and initiation ceremonies are entirely lacking. Apparently
then, a child is considered as being fully alive at birth, and at no
time does he undergo any rites or ceremonies which make him more a
part of the community than he was on the first day he saw the light.

When death occurs, the spirit remains near to the corpse until after
the funeral, and even then is close by until the ten days of taboo are
over. He still finds need of nourishment, and hence food is placed
near to his mat. As at birth, he is not in a position to protect
his body from the designs of evil spirits, and if his relatives
fail to give the corpse proper care, it is certain to be mutilated;
likewise certain acts of the living towards the corpse can affect the
position of the spirit in Maglawa. Hence it is of supreme importance
that the former owner guards against any possible neglect or injury
to the body, and it seems plausible that the presence of the spirit
near its old haunts may be for the purpose of seeing that its body
is carefully attended to. The folktales tell of several instances,
in which the spirits took vengeance on relatives who neglected their
bodies, or violated the period of taboo. [115]

When the danger period is past, the