ABSTRACT
The world of the Ifugao of Northern Luzon, the Philippines, contains a multitude of various spirits who influence the life of human beings in a most vital way. This chapter demonstrates that Ifugao animism contains an inherent ontological dynamic. It argues that one can gain a better understanding of how Ifugao animism operates by approaching it as a form of onto-praxis. This onto-praxis is related to the need for apportioning sociality between humans and non-humans. The chapter argues that the continuity of sociality between humans and non-humans rather operates as a potential that can be actualized in certain situations. It also conveys that spirits are both a source of danger and a source of life, and then, shows that this characteristic has bearing on the quality of human-spirit relations. Finally, the chapter suggests that much of the activities related to the spirits are concerned with the careful balancing that the perilous potency of spirit actualizations demands.
