as well as the first use of a
newly constructed field. While conforming, in general, to that already
described, a part of the procedure is somewhat different. On the day
before the ceremony, the men go to the mountains and gather _lono_
stalks, one for each house and two for the town gate. The two reeds are
placed crosswise of the entrance to the village and serve as a sign
of taboo, and thereafter no one may enter until they are officially
removed. To do so would necessitate the repetition of the ceremony,
and the offender would be obliged to provide all the things necessary
for it. Likewise, no one may wear a hat or prepare food during the
period of taboo.

The next day is known as _Bignas_, and at dawn all the men arm
themselves with bamboo poles. With these they beat about under the
houses and throughout the town, in order to drive away any evil
spirits who may be lurking about. Having effectively rid the town,
they force the invisible beings ahead of them to the river, where they
deposit the poles. They return to the village singing and shouting,
and are met at the gate by the women, who hold ladders, one on each
side of the entrance, so that they meet at the top and thus form a
path by which the men may enter without breaking the interdict. At
the guardian stones, they pause long enough to sacrifice a pig and a
rooster, and offer blood and rice to the spirits, and then they proceed
to the center of the village, where they dance _tadek_ and _da-eng_
until dusk. At nightfall a pig is killed, its flesh is divided among
the people, and a _lono_ stalk, after being dipped in the blood,
is given to a member of each family. This is carried home, and is
placed on the outside wall as a sign that the ceremony has been held.

If the sun is shining the following morning, the _lakay_ will go
outside the town to gather wood. Upon his return the people are again
free to fish and hunt, but work is forbidden until evening. Should
the sun fail to appear, all remain quietly in the village until the
_lakay_ can remove the taboo by his wood gathering.

In Manabo the ceremony is a mixture of the two types just described,
and is always held at the time of planting and when droughts
occur. [217]

The procedure at harvest time varies considerably in different
districts, but the usual custom is for a woman, from each family, to
go to the fields and cut alone until she has harvested one hundred
bundles. During this time she may use no