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During the second day men had succeeded in catching in the mountains one of the half-wild carabaos property of the deceased and this was killed. Its head was placed in the house tied up by the horns above and facing Som-kad', so the faces of the dead seemed looking at each other, while on the third day the flesh, bones, intestines, and hide were cooked for the crowd.
On March 19, 1903, wise, rich Som-kad', of ato Luwakan, and the oldest man of Bontoc, heard an anito saying, "Come, Som-kad'; it is much better in the mountains; come." The sick old man laboriously walked from the pabafunan to the house of his oldest son, where he had for nearly twenty years taken his food, and there among his children and friends he died on the night of March 21.
He kills a chicken or pig, and then petitions Lumawig as follows: "Lo-mos-kod'-kay to-ki'." This means, "May there be so many camotes that the ground will crack and burst open." Okiad Som-kad' of ato Sigichan performs the o-ki-ad' ceremony once each year during the time of planting the black beans, or ba-la'-tong, also in the period of Ba-li'-ling. Kopus
This ceremony usually occurs once or twice each year in January, February, or March. He also serves once each year in the fa-kil' ceremony for rain. Cham-lang'-an, of ato Filig, has the title "Po-chang'," and he has one annual ceremony for large palay. A fifth intercessor is Som-kad', of ato Sipaat; his title is "Su'-wat."
As in the case of Som-kad', all old, rich men are buried in a plat of ground close to the last fringe of dwellings on the west of the pueblo, but all other persons except those who lose their heads are buried close to their dwellings in the camote sementeras.
Custom lays idle all field tools of an ato on the burial day of an adult of that ato; but the day Som-kad' was buried the field work of the entire pueblo stood still because of common respect for this man, so old and wise, so rich and influential, and probably 200 people were about the house all the day.
The odor from the body was heavy and most sickening to an American, and yet there was no trace of the unusual on the various faces. New arrivals came to take their last look at Som-kad', now a black, bloated, inhuman-looking thing, and they turned away apparently unaffected by the sight.
He performs two ceremonies annually one, the su'-wat, for palay fruitage, and the other a fa-kil' for rains. Ong-i-yud', of ato Fatayyan, is known by the title of "Ke'-eng." He has two ceremonies annually, one ke'-eng and the other tot-o-lod'; both are to drive the birds and rats from the fruiting palay. Som-kad', of ato Sigichan, with the title "O-ki-ad'," has charge of three ceremonies annually.
Just before he died a chicken was killed, and the old people gathered at the house, cooked the chicken, and ate, inviting the ancestral anitos and the departing spirit of Som-kad' to the feast. Shortly after this the spirit of the live man passed from the body searching the mountain spirit land for kin and friend.
When there are only two children the eldest receives the largest or best sementera, but he must also take the smallest or poorest one. It is said that division of the property of the deceased occurs during the days of the funeral ceremonies. This was done on the third day of the ceremonies at the funeral of old Som-kad', mentioned in the section on "Death and Burial?"
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