The Striped Blanket

Three Itneg men once went to the mountains to hunt deer. They took their blankets with
them, for they expected to be gone several days, and the nights in the mountains were cold.
Two of the blankets had blue-and-white designs, like those commonly worn by the Itneg.
The third blanket was covered with red and yellow stripes like the back of a little wild pig.

At night the men rolled up in their blankets and lay down under a tree to sleep. But while
the one in the striped blanket was still awake, two spirits came near and saw him.

“Oh,” he heard one spirit say to the other, “here we have something to eat, for here is a little
wild pig.” Then the man quickly took the blanket off one of his sleeping companions and
put his own in its place. Very soon the spirits came and ate the man under the striped
blanket.
Since that time the Itneg never sleep under that kind of a blanket if they are where the
spirits can get them.

Q1. Who are the main characters in the story?

Q2. Where did the story take place?
Q3. Why did the three men go to the mountains?
Q4. Why did they take their blankets? [Hint: Find 2 pieces of information.]
Q5. What did the men do before they went to sleep?
Q6. What color was the blanket with stripes?
Q7. Why did the man swap blankets with his sleeping companion?
Q8. What happened to the man under the striped blanket and why?
Q9. How do you think the person with the striped blanket felt?
Q10. What would you do if you were the person with the striped blanket? Give reasons for
your answer. (Write your answer in a full sentence/s.)

If I were the person with the striped blanket, I would …