The Subanen Procedure for a Wedding and Blood Anointing*
By Orlando Guilingan
This text describes Subanen marriage from finalizing of the engagement, setting of the date, and bridewealth consultations to the actual wedding ceremony. The anointing of the couple with blood involves imitative magic, including the use of symbolic items such as a rattan leaf and the tail feathers of a chicken and incantations, reciting the desired results.
1 How it begins is like this, to the extent of my knowledge of it.*
2 First come what are called the guliman ‘preliminary arrangements.’ 3 In the preliminary arrangements, the fathers of the boy and girl discuss the engagement first, or others discuss it for them.
4 Then when that is done, the boy’s father looks for another person to be his messenger. 5 This person is called the ‘engagement symbol,’ to the girl’s parents; however the ring is first wrapped in a turban. 7 Then the messenger leaves on his errand.
8 When he reaches the girl’s house, he doesn’t go in yet; first he coughs, the sign that a visitor has arrived.*
9 When he goes up the ladder and reaches the entrance, then the owner of the house invites him in, saying, ‘come on in.’
10 Then the man answers, ‘Baa,* all right.’
11 Then he is invited to smoke, or if he chews betelnut, he is offered chew.
12 Then while they are visiting,* he unwraps the ring from the turban and sets it in the lid of the betelnut chew-container.* 13 Then he says, ‘Now if you are agreeable, I would like to join myself with whatever your plans may be.* 14 Provided that this, my purpose with you, is agreeable* to you.
15 After that, the girl’s mother and father discuss whether or not to accept the ring.
16 When they finish their discussion, a relative of the girl says, ‘At this time I can’t yet answer what you are saying. 17 I must ask my daughter first.*18 But let’s set a date for you to return here.’
19 Then when that is done, if the girl is agreeable, that is indeed what happens: (the proposal) is accepted. 20 Then when a certain number of nights have gone by, the messenger returns again, to ask whether (the proposal) has been accepted or not.
21 When that is done, a relative of the girls says, ‘Now about your purpose, it is acceptable. 22 But this is what I’m asking of you: money, pigs, chicken, rice and rice wine, provided you also agree to it.’
23 Then when he agrees to it, it is finished, and they settle the month, in what month and on what day their wedding will be.*
24 Then when their agreed-on day comes, the groom and his party are summoned to the wedding.* 25 Then they set out, with the groom’s representative in front and the groom in the middle of the group.
26 Then as they approach the bride’s house, someone from the house goes out to meet them. 27 They must give money before going up the ladder, which is called ‘opening of the stairs.’*
28 Then they kill the pigs and chickens, but they separate the chicken to be used for blood anointing from what the couple will feed each other.*
29 Then a mat is spread out on the floor where they will feed each other. 30 Some people put up a gandug structure o bamboo split into many branches which are then bent outward and hung with candy, cookies, and cigarettes, and (boiled) eggs are stuck onto the ends of the branches.
31 Then those being married get dressed. 32 What they put on is very new clothes. 33 The groom wears Subanen clothes, a pinlu’upan shirt* and binila trousers,* and he puts on a mandal turban.* 34 And the girl does the same. 35 She wears a Subanen blouse, a plaid tubular skirt, and a palikat turban.*
36 After that, the girl and boy are led to where they will feed each other.* 37 There are two people who chaperone them, a boy leading the groom and a girl leading the bride. 38 The one leading the groom wears a weapon at his side, a sword.
39 When they reach the place where they will feed each other, another person washes their hands* for them. 40 Then before they eat, a member of the bride’s family sings the tampugaw* song, and a member of the groom’s family answers it with the sambugaway* song.
41 And then they eat, each feeding the other. 42 The boy feeds the girl, and the girl also feeds the boy.
43 While they are drinking, the chicken is caught that will be used to anoint them with blood, and someone goes and gets some leaves of the selimbangun* weed, and also leaves of the salumaya’* and tubu’tubu’ plants, a rattan leaf, and finally, the tailfeathers of a chicken; one bunch of tailfeathers is pulled out.
45 Then someone brings a dish, a bowl, for the chicken blood to be collected in. 46 Then the chicken is killed, and the herbs and feathers are mixed with the blood.
47 When the bride and groom are anointed, their hands are placed together with palms up, and the one anointing* them says, ‘This is the sign that the two of you are now married. 48 It is also a sign that you have now been washed by the chicken blood to absolve you from breaking the pelii* taboo, so that the effect of the salumaya’* and other herbs will be that you will live gently here on the surface of the earth.
49 ‘The effect of using the selumbangun herb is that your life together will be without difficulties.*
50 ‘The effect of using the tubu’tubu’ flower is that you will be able to make a living.*
51 ‘The effect of using the rattan leaf is that you will live peaceably, agreeably together on the face of the earth.*
52 ‘The effect of these chicken feathers is that you two will always be like a rooster flapping his wings, so great will be your happiness.*
53 ‘The effect of this dry blood is that you two will be long-lived here on the face of this earth.’*
54 Then the words paluspalus ‘depart’ are pronounced, while the couple’s foreheads and the soles of their feet are anointed, so that the effects of any unlucky palm lines will be removed, and any of these evils will no longer affect them; they will be transferred to the chicken blood and fall into the place of the dead.*
55 And with that, it is finished.
