Just like in death and marriage, the Igorots also have symbolic practices when a child is born, and there are many things that are considered before and after the birth of a child. This post will discuss what happens when a child is born and what the child goes through up to his or her adolescence.

During pregnancy, the couple has to follow some restrictions. The husband is not allowed to chop down trees and build stone walls. It can result in the child’s death after birth, or the mother will feel very sick after birth. The couple should also not approach the domiciles of the nginin, spirits that can cause miscarriage or sickly children if anyone goes near them.

When the wife gives birth (omanak), her mother and her other female relatives assist her. The child is still symbolically tied to the mother until the cord drops off and cut. The relatives of the couple come over and give various gifts to them, then they eat together. Their eating together symbolizes the unity of both families. The husband takes care of his wife and also announces the birth to his friends in the dap-ay, the meeting place or tribunal of the town.

If a woman dies on childbirth, the whole village will not work for two days (te-e). The woman is given a short funeral, not like usual funerals, as her death is considered “unnatural”. (See my previous post on rituals for the dead). She is tied on a sangadil, dirges are sung, and a pig is sacrificed, although nobody will eat it. At the beginning of the second day, the cadaver is buried, not in the burial caves, but in earth outside the village. The sacrificed pig is also buried with her to prevent “infection”.

The newborn infant is called an engnga. After four days, the naming ceremony, called gobbaw, is performed. A chicken is killed and a prayer is recited. The parents or grandparents give the name of the child, usually from the name of a well-known ancestor. This is how the name of an ancestor is immortalized, by passing it down through the generations. This practice is starting to fade in modern times, although some families still practice it. Some Christian Igorots still have a name given from this practice (like me, for instance). They call it their “pagan name”, to differentiate it from their “Christian name”.

After the gobbaw, the child is now called an onga. In the past, children didn’t wearing any clothing until they reach adolescence. When a child is introduced to the dap-ay, the child is wrapped in a blanket and carried by the father. It is believed that the blanket is a symbol of security. There is no formal training done to a small child. Children learn their tasks by being with their parents in the fields or helping their older siblings. Boys learn how to carry wood, work in the rice fields, and how to hunt. Girls learn to work in the camote fields.

When children reach the age of seven or eight, they begin to be “ashamed” of sleeping in their parents’ house. It was also taboo for children after this age to sleep in the same room as their parents. At this age, children now wear their wanes (G-string) or gateng (skirt) and begin to visit and sleep in the dormitories of the dap-ay, for boys, or ebgan, for girls.

The dap-ay, aside from the meeting place, also consists of the boys’ dormitory. There, boys learn about the laws, cultures, and traditions are taught by the older men. Boys were grouped into two groups according to their age. The younger ones (mama-o) have more duties to perform than the older ones (mangmong), and the older ones receive more privileges. One of the tasks of the younger boys is to gather reeds (pa-o) for the bonfire in the dap-ay. Another task is to scratch the feet of the older boys whenever their told to. They are also responsible for keeping the bonfire up at night, and take turns to stay up. It is taboo for them to wear blankets at night, to prevent being unready for midnight attacks. There are many more tasks that the younger boys do, mainly assisting the older men in their work. In their free time, the boys play many kinds of games (which will be discussed in a later post).

Meanwhile, in the ebgan, girls are trained in courtship and preparing for marriage. (Girls already learn their household duties with their mothers, aunts, and other female relatives when they were younger.) Not much is taught about laws and rituals, although they still participate in many cultural practices. The older girls teach the younger girls how to massage the back. Unlike the boys in the dap-ay, the girls do not carry wood and do not keep the fire up at night. Instead, they used blankets to keep warm and torches for light.

The ebgan was a usual place for boys to look for their love interest. Some boys directly approach their girl of his choice, while some who are shy needed a go-between to convince a girl to love the bashful boy. If none of the girls are engaged to any boy, the door is usually locked so that no boy could get in. The boys would then sit patiently near the door and beg to be allowed to come in.

Igorots are already taught how to be responsible early in their childhood, and they live outside of their parents’ houses at a young age. While we cannot let children leave their parents’ houses in our current time (because the world is becoming unsafe), they still have to be taught how to be responsible and hardworking. Of course, aside from teaching them basic life skills, we have to teach them the diverse culture they are born in.

References:

• Eggan, F., & Scott, W. H. (1963). Ritual Life of the Igorots of Sagada: From Birth to Adolescence. Ethnology, 2(1), 40. doi:10.2307/3772967 
• Wallace, J. (2018). Northern Kankanay Dictionary. Retrieved June 3, 2019 from https://northernkankanay.webonary.org

Just like death (as discussed in my previous post), marriage is another important milestone in life that has its own rituals. The rituals of marriage in the Cordilleras vary from one tribe to another. The Ifugaos have their own rituals, the Kalingas have their own as well, and so do the Tinggians and Ibalois. This post is a very rough summary of the marriage rituals of the Igorots and many rituals will go unmentioned as this post will become superbly lengthy if all the details were to be explained.

Engagement

After courtship, the couple does an exchange of work called dok-ong. The boy carries logs to his girlfriend’s house, while the girl works in the camote or rice fields of her boyfriend’s parents. At this point, the couple are now called sin-asawa, and their parents are called sinkaising (kaising means “co-parents-in-law”).

If a person wants to marry in another place, far from his or her village, he or she is called domawin. Usually, the residents of the boy’s village wants the girl to go to his village to marry. When a boy brings his girlfriend to his village, the girls in his village meet her and “bully” her somewhat. The girl defends herself to be accepted in the village.

Pasya

After the engagement, the couple proceeds to the pasya, a preliminary marriage ritual which is the start of the actual marriage. The relatives of the couple give gifts to the kaising and both families bind with each other by exchanging food and work. A “dowry” is agreed upon by the kaising.

After the pasya, the couple is watched closely for any unusual event like if the girl’s necklace breaks, if soup is spilled, or others. If such events happen, the marriage is temporarily put down (badeng). The marriage can be continued later, or the couple can separate permanently. The couple, with their parents, then prepares and fixes (eset) the house they will stay in. When the house is ready, they will make a sacrifice.

Babayas

When wedding season (dodono) comes, the whole community will now engage in the babayas, or the wedding feast. The elders in the dap-ay (a sort of community council) set the date for the babayas and perform the essential rituals. The kaising invite as much distant relatives as they can remember. Whoever attends the babayas should observe good behavior at all times to prevent any misfortune to the couple.

Preparation

The first ritual of the babayas is the segep, or “entering” ceremony. The couple and some of their relatives enter the house and say prayers. If any unusual incident occurs, the couple have to move into another house, or the babayas will be postponed.

The next ritual is the pakde, which is done under a sacred tree. A pig is taken there to be sacrificed and its gallbladder and liver is examined for omens. If the omens seem unfortunate, the pakde is repeated until the omens become good.

After the pakde is the betbet, where the carabaos and cows for the wedding feast will be butchered for all the guests of the babayas to eat. The bebe (pine saplings), pine logs, and dalatey (a special fireplace) will be given to each couple.

Marriage Proper

After all preparations have been done, the major rituals begin. The first of these is called the palayog. Lots of relatives will come over, bringing many gifts like rice, meat, rice wine, and others for the couple. The manokgong (master of ceremonies) is chosen by the parents of each couple. The one who will be chosen must have had his own children already proper married in the past to qualify. He will supervise all the rituals and say the prayers for the event. The couple will sit on special chairs near the door and receive their relatives’ gifts. Throughout the palayog, the couple must fast and practice abstinence to each other.

During the palayog, people will dance, sing, play instruments, and feast outside the house. The bebe is planted near the doorway, the dalatey is set up, and a chicken is sacrificed at the dalatey. The manokgong then says prayers. A series of rites (tatag and siwag) are done by the men, and the women do the dayyao.

After the dayyao, many singing and dancing rituals are done, such as the takik, pinanyowan, and the tallibeng, which all have different styles and formats as to how they are done. The couple formally receives the “dowry”, and they are recognized as a separate household (bomayas or bommey) from their parents.

On the following day is the poyo or inga. The manokgong says a series of prayers for the alim ritual, and a rooster a sacrificed. At the night of the poyo, the boys and girls assemble at the couples’ houses and tell boltiya (riddles) to each other, then the bebe are taken down.

On the third day is the gangaw, where nobody is allowed to work. Men can meet together to discuss local matters, settling disputes, and setting up the dates of future ceremonies. A sob-oy ritual is also performed if the wedding is performed when mushrooms or edible insects are in abundance.

After the gangaw is a work day (boknag). On the first boknag, the papa ritual is performed, wherein a rooster is a sacrificed in front of the house. Friends and relatives visit the couples in their homes, give gifts and eat. After the papa is the second segep ceremony. A string of beads (gameng) will be given to the groom. Later, the apoy, or “fire” ritual, is done on the rice fields.

The pes-ay is done on the next day by the old men. They take a pig and some rice wine for sacrifice in a certain area (pepes-ayan) for the fields of the entire town to grow fruitful wheat. In the sidwil, or end of the pes-ay, a pakde ritual is done. Many restrictions are still in effect until this point to prevent the couple from going into bad omens. After the apoy rituals, the boka is done. The spirits who were invited in the babayas, and the boys and girls doing errands for the event, can now return to their homes. The sidwil is also a boknag, so harvest in the rice fields may begin.

Second Series of Rituals

This second series of rituals are more concerned about the health and welfare of the couple. Most of the guests have already gone home, so these rituals primarily involve the couple and their immediate relatives.

After the sidwil or boka, the pidpidwa, the second series of rituals, is done. The bebe are set up again, but the dalatey is not. The father of the boy or the girl says a prayer for the pidpidwa. After the prayer, a pig is sacrificed and a series of prayers are said for the pig. Then the bebe are taken down again and the poyo prayer is said.

On the next day, the oldest man says the sabosab prayer. On the day after that, another papa ritual takes place. The day after the papa is another work day and an otop ritual is performed. The marriage proper ends here.

After the Babayas

There are still some rituals concerned with marriage after the babayas. After one or a few months, the bakid ceremony commences with a third series of rituals. After a week the pagey ritual is done, where harvest of rice is done and a prayer is said for the rice. After the pagey ritual, the couple can help others harvest rice. This marks the end of the marriage rituals.

In the case that the babayas is not done properly, a tegma is held, essentially a repeat of the wedding ceremony. More animals are sacrificed during a tegma and more rites are done. There are also “anniversary” rituals done after certain periods of time.

This is how complex Igorot culture can get. As I said earlier, this post is a really summarized explanation of the marriage rituals of the Igorots. Igorots take these rituals very seriously, and it is very hard for a couple to separate. This shows that Igorots are really faithful when it comes to relationships. With the coming of modern times, these practices are slowly disappearing. We have to continue sharing our unique culture.

References:

• Eggan, F., & Scott, W. H. (1965). Ritual Life of the Igorots of Sagada: Courtship and Marriage. Ethnology, 4(1), 77. doi:10.2307/3773001 
• Wallace, J. (2018). Northern Kankanay Dictionary. Retrieved May 11, 2019 from
  https://northernkankanay.webonary.org

With life comes death. All of us can agree that losing a loved one is very sorrowful and Igorots agree. When somebody dies, we usually hold a funeral, sing dirges, and pray to help the dead rest in peace. After a few days, the usual practice today is that the dead will be buried in a cemetery, cremated, or whatever their will says. But how did we, Igorots, handle funerals and how did we bury the dead?

During the ancient times, Igorots consider a lot of things when somebody passes away. Many different rituals are practiced, and there are many beliefs as to what happens to the dead during their wake and in the afterlife. The rituals and beliefs also vary from place to place. It also varies according to and how the person died. Due to the complexity and diversity of these practices, this post will only cover a summary of the rituals in the Mountain Province and Ifugao, as this post will become lengthy if all cultures and all detail will be included.

If a person dies from an accident, a murder, violence, or by suicide, a dog will be sacrificed to revenge those who did wrong to them. If a newborn baby dies, the burial follows immediately at day or at the next day when dead at night. If someone dies of old age, rituals will be performed.

The wake starts with the cadaver strapped on a chair, called a sangadil, to dry and ready the body for burial. Dirges, called bayao, will be sung while the vigil (adog) is done. Pigs (danglis) will be butchered as a sacrifice for the dead person’s spirit, and also serves as nutrition and strength to those who will participate in the vigil. It is expected that all relatives of the dead person will attend the funeral and contribute to the bereaved family. On the day before the burial, rites and a prayer (legleg) will be done to protect the family from further accidents.

In Ifugao, the burial takes place at least three days after death because it is believed that the soul may come back to the body within the first two days. But when the third day comes and no sign of life shows, the person is formally declared dead. In Sagada and neighboring areas, the person is formally declared dead (natey) when the time has come to take the body off the sangadil, usually after eight days, but it also depends on the family.

When the cadaver is taken off the sangadil, it is put in a fetal position, with the knees reaching the chin, and passed around to the relatives. It is said that if some of the bodily fluid drips on you, you will have luck. (Gross, I know, but that’s their practice.) After this, the day of the burial (leben) will proceed.

The coffin (koong) on where the dead will lie should be made of a hollowed pine tree log and the tree must not have been struck by lightning. The dead will be laid in the coffin in the said fetal position, and covered by blankets (uwes, tinetey). It is believed that a person should enter and exit the world at the same position.

In Sagada and neighboring areas, the coffin is placed in a high place, preferably in a burial cave. This is so it will be easier for the spirits of the dead to reach the sky. Also, People before did not want to be buried in the soil, because they believed that the water in the soil can seep through the coffin and speed up the decomposition of their body. In Ifugao, they bury the body underground, near the house of the bereaved family.

The day after the burial (koyag), the bereaved family will not work in the fields. Rather, they will take care of everyday things like cleaning the house, laundering clothes, and others. In Ifugao, the cadaver’s bones are exhumed after a year. They are cleaned, put in cloth and kept under the house, or, if the family is rich, it is put in a mausoleum or stone tomb. Sagada celebrates the Panag-apoy, done every year on November 1, where people burn pine needles to commemorate the dead. It is the equivalent of the All Saints’ Day.

As we can see, there is a great deal of complexity about the funeral and burial rites of the Igorots. This is why these practices are starting to fade, and people are turning towards more practical, cheaper Christian practices. I couldn’t possibly discuss everything with this post alone. There are many more things that I didn’t discuss in this post, although I want to share just a part of the culture of the Igorots, and to spark interest into learning about this, before we all forget and face the death of a beautiful culture.

References:

• Decena, F. (2015, October 31). Mountain Province | Sagada Cemetery and Significance of Death in Igorot Life. Retrieved May 4, 2019 from
  https://www.ironwulf.net/2015/10/31/mountain-province-sagada-cemetery-and-significance-of-death-in-igorot-life/
• Deere, K. (2014, January 15). The hanging coffins of Sagada, Philippines. Retrieved May 3, 2019 from
  https://www.roughguides.com/article/hanging-coffins/amp/
• Echolls, T. (2017, September 29). Burial Rituals & Beliefs in Ifugao. Retrieved May 3, 2019 from
  https://classroom.synonym.com/burial-rituals-beliefs-in-ifugao-12086122.html
• Hohulin, R., Hohulin, L. (2015). Tuwali Ifugao Dictionary. Retrieved May 4, 2019 from https://tuwali-ifugao.webonary.org/
• IgorotAge. (2017, September 29). Igorot Traditional Funeral Practices And Burial Customs. Retrieved May 3, 2019 from
  https://www.igorotage.com/blog/p/V9GAZ/igorot-traditional-funeral-burial
• Wallace, J. (2018). Northern Kankanay Dictionary. Retrieved May 4, 2019 from
  https://northernkankanay.webonary.org/

In my previous post, I have mentioned that one taboo act of the inayan concept is illegal logging, or violating the batangan system. You might have wondered what that is, so in this post, I’m going to explain what the batangan system is.

The word batangan means “pine tree forest”, which came from the word batang, or “pine tree”. The batangan system is where people manage the supply of trees in the village, how many trees to chop down, how many to protect, and how many to plant. If a piece of forest have a water source under them, the trees there must not be chopped down. There are also designated hunting spots and hunters should not hunt more than what they need to conserve the animals there.

The batangan system doesn’t only cover forests. The crops to be planted on farmland has to be considered, so the topsoil layer will remain healthy. The farmland of a village has to be enough to sustain the village’s needs but not too much that it could trigger landslides. The carrying capacity of pasture land, which is used as grazing land, is also considered so that animals will not overgraze it. Burial grounds should only be used only for coffins or graves and could not be converted to other land uses. Sacred grounds should be protected so as not to disturb the spirits (anito) that are believed to live there. All of these are covered under the batangan system.

The point of the batangan system is to make sure that all of the land of the village is used for its own purpose, sustainably and efficiently. It has been around since the ancient times. In the past, the elders of a village are in charge of keeping the batangan system in effect, and make sure that no land is misused or abused. If there is land that needs to be converted, like forests that have to be chopped down to give way for infrastructure, then the elders have to meet together and agree to a decision.

The Igorots are not the only ones who take care of the environment in this way. Other Cordilleran tribes have their customs and systems on how to manage the environment. The Ifugao people have their muyong system, used in constructing their world-famous terraces. The Kalinga people have their imong system. The tribes in Abra and Apayao have their lapat system.  This goes to show that Cordillerans are truly caring for their environment. It is to no surprise that we, Cordillerans, get annoyed or even furious when trees are illegally logged or when trash is littered everywhere.

Until now, the batangan system is followed. Barangay and municipal officials join with the community elders into passing and implementing laws and ordinances that protect the environment, in accordance to the batangan system. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is now reviewing the Sustainable Traditional Indigenous Forest Resources Management Systems and Practices (STIFRMSP) Program of Mountain Province, which is largely based on the batangan system. 

The batangan system promotes volunteerism and cooperativism in the community. Everyone is involved in protecting and properly managing the environment. If only the batangan system, including the other systems of the Cordillerans that I have mentioned, would be recognized by the whole nation, we would be able to solve so much problems concerning our environment. Who knows? Maybe the world will soon recognize the batangan system, an age-old system that may be the saving grace of solving climate change. 

References:

• HENT. (2017, August 20). ‘Batangan,’ Besao’s traditional forest management system. Retrieved April 26, 2019 from http://www.baguioheraldexpressonline.com/batangan-besao-traditional-forest-management-system/
• Lacsamana, H. (2010). The Cordillerans’ ancient way of managing forests could be our saving grace from climate change. Retrieved April 27, 2019 from http://www.baguiomidlandcourier.com.ph/anniv12_article.asp?mode=anniv12/supplements/lacsamana.txt
• Opiña, R. (2017, November 12). Batangan system of Mountain Province under DENR review. Retrieved April 27, 2019 from http://baguiomidlandcourier.com.ph/environment.asp?mode=archives/2017/november/11-12-2017/env4-Batangan-system-of-Mt-Province.txt

You might have heard Igorots saying “Ay inayan!” with disappointment, annoyance, or worry on their faces. It looks like somebody has done something wrong.

We, Igorots, love peace. We don’t like having arguments, and we want to stay away from disorder as much as possible. For a long time, the Igorots had tribal wars with each other and with other tribes, most notably the Ilocanos. This was why keeping the inayan concept alive was very important: to maintain peace and order in the community.

The pagan Igorots in the past had a Supreme Being they call Kabunian or Lumawig. They believe that in whatever they do, they will be responsible to their God. Their fear and reverence to the Almighty inspired them to love doing good to others and maintaining a peaceful life. This is where the inayan concept came about. Even when most of the Igorots became Christianized, the inayan concept stayed with them and it was passed onto the next generations up to this day.

Inayan, ngaag in Bontoc, or paniyew in other areas, is essentially a sense of being careful and avoiding doing anything untoward to others and to the environment. This includes a number of taboo acts (lawa) that should be avoided at all times, such as theft, adultery, murder, disobeying parents, illegal logging (violating the batangan system), being selfish in doing good (mangbokod di gawis), and others. The inayan concept aligns with the commandments said in the Bible, which made it easy for Igorots to accept the doctrines of Christianity.

If a person violates these rules, then they will suffer from bain (shame or dishonor). Some crimes, like adultery, can have graver consequences, like sakem, where a child dies because of the adultery of the child’s parents. People can sometimes become anxious of what they did wrong, even if it is not a grave sin, or if they did it unintentionally. In these situations, people use the expression kasiyana to comfort the anxious person, saying that Kabunian will be merciful to them and forgive them.

The inayan concept is a major part of Igorot culture. If this concept will not be passed on to the next generations, a huge part of Igorot culture will be forgotten. We should not believe that these practices are obsolete, for they are still applicable to this day (like using inayan to tell children not to use their phones during meal times).

Many Igorots feel grateful and fortunate for being taught the inayan concept, including myself. A lot of us believe that this concept will solve a lot of the current problems of the world like wars, corruption, and climate change. If all of us could just love and care for each other and accept our differences just like what inayan teaches us, I believe that these problems will not have a place on this world.

References:

• Lagmay, H. (2012, December 12). The “Inayan” concept among Igorots. Retrieved April 12, 2019 from
  http://livewithprettyheart.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-inayan-concept-among-igorots.html
• Leyaley, R. V. (2016). Inayan: The tenet for peace among Igorots. International Journal of Advanced Research in Management and Social Sciences, 5(2), 239-256. Retrieved from www.garph.co.uk/IJARMSS/Feb2016/19.pdf
• Wallace, J. (2018). Northern Kankanay Dictionary. Retrieved April 12, 2019 from
  https://northernkankanay.webonary.org/

Many Filipinos dare foreigners to eat balut or try the tinikling dance so they can truly feel the Filipino culture. We, Igorots, also want others to experience our culture by letting them join in our dances, and also, if we have etag, we dare them to eat some.

Etag is an indigenous dish wherein a big piece of pork, is salted for around a week and preserved by smoking or sun-drying for weeks or even months. In the past, Igorots used to hunt for wild pigs and deer and use their meat for making etag. Etag from deer is very rarely eaten these days, and pork etag from farmed pigs is more commonly eaten.

They hang the pork over a stove (tapaan). The pork has to be close enough for the smoke to cure the pork but not too close that it gets roasted. The pork is then further preserved by sun-drying. They hang the pork like clothes in a clothesline or placed on a dry surface. After sun-drying for half an hour, the pork is kept in a closed container so flies, maggots, and other insects would not infest it. It is said that the longer the pork is preserved, the tastier it becomes. Igorots know that the meat is aged when they see a color like that of what they call saeng, or the dark reddish-brown part of a pine tree.

If you dare tasting it, you will first face its foul odor, just like how you would face the odor of a durian. But once you pass the smell, the flavor will be very rewarding. The etag tastes smoky, salty, and rich. If necessary, the etag will be soaked in water to reduce its saltiness. It is served with rice or cooked with stir-fried native vegetables. It is also often served with pinikpikan, another Igorot dish, wherein a chicken is beaten to death with a stick.

Etag is usually eaten during feastivals and celebrations, in wedding, funerals, and birthdays. In Sagada, the Etag Festival is celebrated every year in February to showcase their culture and further strengthen the bond of the community. In Besao, a neighboring village of Sagada, villagers give adang, or contributions to a family building a new house, which is composed of etag, rice, vegetables, and dried nuts for their nutrition.

If you ever visit the highlands, try eating etag and buying some as your pasalubong back home. Some people sell etag outside of the Cordilleras, but if you want the real deal, you’ll have to climb up the mountainous roads. We will be very happy to serve you some and you can take as much as you want.

References

• Polistico, E. (2016, September 4). Etag. Retrieved April 6, 2019 from
  https://pinoyfoodillustrated.blogspot.com/2016/09/etag.html
• Wallace, J. (2018). Northern Kankanay Dictionary. Retrieved April 6, 2019 from
  https://northernkankanay.webonary.org

Gawis ay kultura ya pammati. Adi tako iwaksi, tay siya nan nang-olnos isnan ili. (Good is the culture and beliefs. We should not leave them behind, for they keep the community peaceful and united.)

Theme of the Sagada Etag Festival 2019

Welcome to my blog!

This blog will feature the fascinating and diverse cultures of the Cordilleras, fabled during the ancient times, largely untouched by the colonizers, and preserved until this day.

“Laydena ay menbasa“, in the Kankanay language, means “He loves to read”. I love reading and sharing what I read, and in this blog, I will share things about the culture of the Igorots, from food the practices and other trivia you might not have known before.

Stay tuned for more updates!