In the Pinuyumayan culture, end-of-year festivals involve a series of December rituals starting from Mangayangayaw (or Basibas) for boys coming of age, Mangayaw (or Amiyan) featuring hunting, then all the way to the new year celebration. The festivals underline the significance of connecting, border-crossing and purification. Mangayangayaw (“monkey-shooting”) is held for members of takuban who age from thirteen to eighteen years old. Every December, people refurbish the roof of the takuban, hold purification ritual at the house of ancestral spirits and security ritual (known as semalikid) at the border of the tribe’s territory. Afterward, people would set up a stage for Mangayangayaw. The boys who are about to attend Mangayangayaw should use the leaf of hardy banana to sweep their household as a purifying act (known as alabakabakay) at the ceremony’s eve. At the ceremony, their courage and determination shall be tested by shooting monkeys. At the hunting ritual, adults ranking higher than miyabetan (senior rank of the junior hall) enter the mountainous territory for ceremonial hunting and related rituals. With seniors chanting a hunting hymn known as pairairaw, young adults should stand guard over the hunting camp. At the end of the hunting ritual, which takes up a number of days, the hunting party returns by passing the tribe’s arch of triumph known as laluwanan and men will be crowned with garlands by women awaiting them. The senior members are to announce the end of mourning period for those who have been put on mourning. Subsequently, the end-of-year celebration will last numerous days with singing, dancing and evening puazangi.
