Kitab Article V Sections 3 and 4 Planting and Harvesting

Article V. Land and Livelihood

Section 3. Process of Planting Rice
(1) Before planting, look at the stars first as a sign (kufu kulu, kutel, bituen telo, dakel bituen), also the moon.
(2) When planting, pray to Tupu Moungangen to have a plentiful harvest later on.
(3) Tupu Muungangen—blesses the seeds to be planted, no other than our God
(4) Before planting, put stones and pieces of charcoal in the seeds of rice and corn so that pests will not find and eat them.
(5) Uhok—The first to plant should be the youngest daughter and son so that the plant will not grow apart.
(6) Payo—Rice is put into holes in the soil.
(7) Some of the seeds should be left for the persons who helped in the planting. The owner himself should give them the seeds.
(8) Laday (full moon)—So that the harvest will be abundant, planting time is determined from the position of the moon.

Section 4. Harvest Process
(1) Letus/Sumbak—The remaining seeds are mixed with the new harvest and other people may not partake of the food and a chicken has to be butchered.
(2) Before the harvest, there should be an offering to nature. Butcher a chicken, take a little from each part, and then take them to the forest, in gratitude for an abundant harvest.
(3) Before the harvest, burn a duka to produce smoke.
(4) Start the harvest. Call the hired hands.
(5) Before harvesting the crop, build a straw man holding some food to ward off evil spirits that cannot be seen by the naked eye.
(6) After the harvest, store the crop first. Do not thresh it yet. Wait for three months to pass. After three months, thresh the crop, sprinkle some ashes from the hearth so that the next harvest will be plenty.
(7) After threshing, put the grains in a lihub that is made of tree bark. Burn a duka to smoke the container so that the container will be filled up.
(8) Kinentoy—Without removing the skin of the corn, put the corn inside the bamboo and then hang one by one. Do it in the cleared plot of land. Leave the corn to dry, and use the seeds for the next cropping.

(This post is a part of a series on Kitab, the customary law of the Dulangan Manobos. See my introductory post for the list of posts containing all the sections of the law. You may also see the original Filipino version on Scribd.)