For someone (agent maN-) to sponsor a place spirit forest ritual.
There are three major reasons why this ritual is performed: 1) The soul of a person is captured and held for ransom. This will cause sickness and eventual death if the soul is not released. 2) People, animals or belongings have become lost, tengtengaw. A place spirit confuses the person or animal (such as a dog) so that he, she or it cannot find the way out of a forested area; or the person or animal may be put into a trance-like sleep. Belongings are spirited away and hidden by place spirits, such as work implements. 3) A place spirit has persuaded the soul of a person to remain in the abode of the spirit, usually in a forested area, and has married that person. The ritual is complicated and extensive, but generally involves the following: Gongs are used, carried by three players, to call the place spirits when they reach the area where the ritual is to be performed. A pole is erected horizontally onto which is hung, for display to the place spirits, items such as a blanket, badya'ung; a skirt, badya'ung, binnālit; a dress belt, ginuttu; pendant, būung. A utility spear, gayang, is displayed nearby. The spirits of these items are offered to the place spirits to gain their cooperation. Rice beer is poured into a bowl and the gongs are beat to alert the place spirits. Liblibāyan and bagāwah spirits are called, as are spirits of dead ancestors who were especially gifted in the amlag ritual, and these are appealed to for help. Place spirits, pinādeng 3, are then called by name with the hope that the spirit causing the problem or, if not, an informer spirit will possess the body of a participating ritualist, mumbā'i. If an informer spirit comes, the name of the spirit causing the problem is elicited. Once the spirit causing the problem comes, he or she is negotiated with. Sacrificial animals and other items of appeasement are offered until an agreement with the spirit is reached. A chicken is immediately killed and offered the place spirit. After the spirit leaves, the chicken, along with 3 or 4 eggs, are cooked. Nearby place spirits are invited to eat their share and then the people eat. As they return home they beat their gongs, alternately stopping to appeal to the soul of the sick person to return with them. At the house, the place spirit and/or his or her parents or other relatives are called. Appropriate sacrifices are made with an appeal to relatives of the place spirit causing the problem to desist from further troublemaking. Usually at least one large pig is sacrificed and eaten.