Kapataw

The community of fishermen assemble on the beach, and in their midst is a shaman, an elderly man who is acknowledged by the community as the true possessor of the proper knowledge of the ritual prayers as well as the ancient ceremonial steps and procedures believed acceptable to the gods.

The ritual proper begins when the sacrificial pig is stabbed in the neck and a small amount of blood is drawn for the libation of the sea. This is done by bringing the pig, well tied up to prevent its escape, close to the part of the shore where the water meets the stones or sand.

(The belief is that if the pig is killed far from the water and blood of the sacrificial animal falls to the ground on the part of the beach, the sea would rise and become turbulent until its waves reach the place where the blood spilled. And the turbulence would not stop until the blood has been cleansed.)

Once the blood is drawn and placed in a coconut shell dipper, the shaman holds it along with a piece of makanyas (copper) and pours the blood and drops the copper into the sea at the same time pronouncing softly the ritual prayers which invoke the god’s favor to give the fishermen abundant catch during the season and to keep safe for sailing so that there would be no sea accidents. This done, the pig, which by now has already died, is singed to remove the hair.

(The shaman refers to the copper as vuhawan nu anitu (gold of the anitu or sea spirits) an aqua colored bead called mutin is also offered along with the copper and blood.)

The shaman leaves the singeing and eventual roasting of the whole pig is left to the assisting fishermen. When the roasting is over, the entire sacrificial animal is carried to a higher ground where it is laid down and then carefully opened. When the internal organs have been removed, they are laid on large leaves to keep them from getting dirtied. Then the shaman inspects the liver and the lungs and to read the signs or omens in them.

• If the whitish spots of the lungs are scattered thinly over the entire lungs, the arayu (dorado) would come early and stay all summer. But they would be plenty and the fishermen ought to expect a lean catch.
• If the spots are many and all over, the arayu would come early and stay all summer. And they would be plenty and the fishermen ought to expect plenty of catch.
• If the spots are many up to the middle of the lungs only, the arayu would be early in coming and plenty, but the fishing season would be brief.
• If the bile embedded in the liver is symmetrically balanced, there would be calm seas and sailing would be smooth and without danger to life.
• If the bile is tilted to one side, and very wet, it is an omen presaging rough seas and the possibility of fishermen capsizing during the season.

References: Hornedo, FH., Taming the Wind, UST Publishing House 2000, pp 110 – 111