| Catalog Description |
Name: Piling. Mediums outfit with which she summons the spirits. Consists of a bamboo basket, 100 fathoms of thread, and a string of seashells. and a plate. Before the candidate may become a medium she must have mastered the details of all the ceremonies, numbering more than twenty. When this has been satisfactorily accomplished she secured her outfit- a basket, one hundred fathoms of thread, and certain seashells. A small pig is then killed. The blood is mixed with rice and is offered to the spirits. The liver of the animal is carefully studied, and if any spots or blemishes appear on it the spirits are unfriendly to the candidate and she may not perform the duties of a medium until such a time as a favorable sign is secured. The spirits are summoned by striking the shells against a dish or plate. Tinguian. Northwestern Luzon, Philippine Islands. | Notes: See description under "Mediums and Spirits"; also Phil. Jour. Science 1908 pp. 204 "The Tinggian" |
