| Show r - 8 THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE SUNDAY MORHIHCF TCTLT 193T 19 1 ty t arnages louttanes r I How the Untutored Igorotes of the Philippines Have Escaped the Divorce1' Problem Through Official Recognition of IV rk cl rl WO - 0 ¥rti j— it'll — Jfc — 4it mJr - JmjL rni' COMPANIONATE MARRIAGE MARKET Companionate Unions and What 4 Happens to a Fickle Swain CtAMVBl X KANE former Governor of Bontoo Province Philippine Itlandt and a itudent of the Jgorot tribet conMbutei the following article dealing with the marriage cuitomt of the people among whom he terved at an official of (ha United Statee Government In Bontoe which it not 100 milct from Manila the capital of the Philippine! ha found that trial or companionate marriage t are not only general hut accepted and ap proved by the council of eldert and hy parenti The only men who have never entered upon trial marriage are idioti or tht deaf or dumb Be alto tellt of the double ceremonlet which are employed when a permanent marriage followt a tuccettful companionate union O YM B r SAMUEL E KANE format Gmrntr at Bonlo Province when TODAY - 'divorce I v are growing and thriving amazing- mil- ly on the troublei of the marmated and when trial riagei and companionate Two Aged Province Ago- - The Hi and Happily Wedded Members of the Tueacan Tribe Bonioc ho Began With a Companionate Marriage Year Head-AxWhich the Huaband Carriea Waa (Jaed by Him in Romance Dayi to Rid Himself of Rivals The Necklace Worn by the Wife Was the Gift of the Husband Sixty-fiv- e e trial marrlagea It li the accepted eocial order with never a voice rawed against or among the people most interested Only the idiots and the deaf and dumb are exempt from it These people are simple folk whose lives are keyed to the primitive They have no restrictive ordinances to govern them no rules of conduct to wy v Taken by Former This Photograph Governor of Bontor Samuel E Kane Show One of the Community Trystlng Places Where Bontoe Girls Entertain Their Suitors and Give and Receive Pledges of Loyalty d marriages are being seriously m pogsibl® solutloni of tho divorce problem it my be worth while to learn how the untutored savage has successfully handled the situation Under the protection of the Star and Stripes and with the spirit toof their bless ancestors joyously invoked them and keep them ever loyal and in harmony each to tile other youths and maidens of northern Luzon largest island in the Philippine group enter the matrimonial state always with trial It is the established cusmarriages tom of the country endorsed by the venerable body known as the council of elders who by community planning long ago caused to be established m the various towns and villages public places where with the encouragement of the parents the young people may meet and enter the period of romance and courtship There is happiness in every homo when the young daughter returning from a tryst confides to her anxious decided to accept parents that she has Formal anher suitor as a mate nouncement of engagements being out of the question news of the coming companionate plan is car-no- d marriage byfriends and something comto the engagement shower as parable to the ft is known In the United States follows with a dsy of jollification in which the young people are naturally the central figures While there are no authentic records to prove it trial marriages among the Filipinos of the mountain districts of Bontoe and neighboring provinces have continued as the accepted method of developed romance even from the time eon-gidere- which they must'eonform In order to avoid the pointing finger of a critic of morals Yet in the wisdom of the council of elders it is recognized that the wooing of a maiden is a business of importance and consequently provision is made to facilitate this step in romance For example in the Bontoe area comprising twenty-nin- e pueblos (a pueblo is a community or town) there are public structures called olags which are used exclusively as reception rooms where marriageable girls may receive their sweethearts They are open to all young people of the marriage age Everybody in the pueblo fathers and mothers alike knows the part played by the olags in the social scheme Every day groups of girls enter the olags and await the coming of the brave youths upon whom they have set their eyes Instead of formal invivtations such as have come with civilization these young girls daughters of an ancient and backward race find a way to purloin a pipe a basket hat a blanket or some article of personal adornment belonging to the young pien and word is sent te them that the missing article will be restored only in the olag Among the grandsires and the fathers this is considered a most effect tive way to bring the young men to the tryst They all remember having had similar experiences in their younger days From the time that a girl is eligible for matrimony until she has passed the trial stage and becomes a settled and permanently established wife there is The Council of Oder Makes the Rules Governing Marriage the Tribes For Generations the (ustom Has Been for Trial Unions Simple Among These Heavy ' Union Fine Are Not Always Binding Are Imposed on the Men Do Not Enter Upon serious (I Terrace in the Igorol C ou nIry When a Man ' I- Following Trial Marriage Balks at He Permanent Union Haa to Give a Rice Field to the Mother of Ilia Child aa e Fine Payment I t V 0- -- always hopeful family cem for there is a comNeither munity concern for her bachelors nor old maids’ are wanted in the upper Philippines Young men and young: women should marry and there should be children to interest them in home life That is the governing policy When a young couple has come to art understanding in the community trysting place according to the cus toms the -- youth breaks the news to both her parents md his own If either of the parents objects the marriage is is d called off and a fine of one The adimposed on the girf’i parents vent of a son opens the way to a permanent marriage with property settlements and the building of a dwelling for the newly weds by the bride’s J father There la no written code of morals to guide these people but among the young women there is a tribal code which every girl accepts and which keeps her true to her companion With the birth of a child the news is Ar- cgmed forthwith to the parents rangementa are then made for the two ceremonies required for a permanent Should the young companmarriage ion decide that he does not wish to go through with the rite the elders are summoned jn council to hear what he This is usually a matter of has to say form The elders strongly disapprove of balking at the door of permanent marriage Heavy are imfines of rice-fiel- I H d y of the discovery of the Archipelago by Magellan in the year 1521 Theothen dore Roosevelt President signed the act civil governestablishing ment for the island on 1 1902 but this July brought no change in the marriage customs of the people in the distant lying provinces Bontoehundred le4 than two of Manila miles north still remains the land of i i y I accepted Permanqpt marriage ceremonies are occasions fot feasting and dancing the invocation of the spirits and the offering of blood sacrifices The First rite is performed on the day the newly weds commence housekeeping Children Are Considered Wards of the Community and as Such Are Reared and Watched Over UnlU They Reach the Marriageable Age Here la a Photograph Taken by Governor Kane of a Croup of School Girl Wearing Their School Clothe Igorol Mtwspipar foatura Sarvte 4 r ( Mi f - ‘VO&Z-f- & I vf ) Op pr -- J-: i‘ X v f rice-fiel- are -' J ' i o her posed on the recalcitrant swain and the property goes to the babe with its mother as administrator A companionate bride 4hus deserted does not lose her standing in the community and has little trouble finding aome other man to enter into permanent marriage with her The child is accepted by the new husband The Bontocs have no word to denote the All unwanted offspring C)V 'h t and ds One of the Many Rico tJ£ Who Permanent Marriage under their own roof The bride’s parents prepare a feast of rice pork and carabao and the relatives and friends are ? -- ) i h&J Type of Dwelling of a Chieftain of lit Bontoe Tribe This Is an Example of the Better Class of Architecture bidden to the party Also summoned to take part are the spirits of the departed relatives and a member of the mountain priesthood mixes blood with ' rice-win- e and sprinkles it to the four winds while he addresses the spirits' as follows: “Now 'you Patala you ' Kabitag (the priest calls each spirit by name) have been invited to the feast of this couple You have received your share e of the and the blood of the rice-win- sacrifice ' Go away now and do not them any ill Watch over them and their children and let no evil come near them” The most venerable member of the council of elders performs the second ceremony He places a hen's a small quantity of raw rice and egg dish a e of in a bowl and summons the bride and groom their parents and kinsfolk to form a circle around him Then with a loud voice he intones thi - pvtition to the Jgorot god Lumawig: “Thou Lumawig! Now these chil- -' dr i n desire to Unite in They wi ih to be blessed withmarriage many children When they possess pigs may they grow large When they cultivate their rice fields may the stalks have large fruit-heaMay their children also gyow ’ and many When their beans may they spreadtheyoverplant the ground May they dwell in harmony" ( Always when a permanent marriage ceremony is on in a town it ia a holiday for everybody not connected with the family All may enjoy themselves but no one is permitted to enter or leave town for fear it 1b believed that the spirits of Patala Kabitag and ’ Lumawig might be peeved and not ve ear to the petitions This is vital gifor among the Igorotes divorce is unknown ( 1 ) rice-win- -- M -- t 1131 V I |
