Ifugaos
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The Ifugao people are the
ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...
inhabiting
Ifugao province Ifugao, officially the Province of Ifugao (; ), is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Lagawe and it borders Benguet to the west, Mountain Province to the north, Isabela t ...
in the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. They live in the municipalities of
Lagawe Lagawe , officially the Municipality of Lagawe (), is a municipality and capital of the province of Ifugao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 18,876 people. Geography Lagawe is situated from the country's capi ...
(capital of Ifugao), Aguinaldo,
Alfonso Lista Alfonso Lista, formerly known as Potia, officially the Municipality of Lista is a municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,061 people. History Potia was created as the municip ...
, Asipulo,
Banaue Banaue (or alternatively spelled as Banawe) , officially the Municipality of Banaue ( Ilocano: ''Ili ti Banaue'', Tagalog: ''Bayan ng Banaue''), is a municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has ...
, Hingyon,
Hungduan Hungduan, officially the Municipality of Hungduan is a municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 8,866 people, making it the least populated municipality in the province. Through ' ...
, Kiangan, Lamut, Mayoyao, and Tinoc. The province is one of the smallest provinces in the Philippines with an area of only , or about 0.8% of the total Philippine land area. In 1995, the population of the Ifugaos was 131,635. Although most of them are still in Ifugao province, some have moved to
Baguio Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...
, where they work as woodcarvers, and to other parts of the Cordillera Region.


Demonym

The term ''Ifugao'' comes from ''ipugo'', which means "earth people", "mortals" or "humans", as distinguished from spirits and deities. It also means "from the hill", as ''pugo'' means hill. The term ''Igorot'' or ''Ygolote'' was the term used by the Spanish for mountain people. The Ifugaos, however, prefer the name ''Ifugao''.


History

Henry Otley Beyer Henry Otley Beyer (July 13, 1883 – December 31, 1966) was an American anthropologist, who spent most of his adult life in the Philippines teaching Philippine indigenous culture. A.V.H. Hartendorp called Beyer the "Dean of Philippine ethnolog ...
thought the Ifugaos came from southern China 2,000 years ago and migrated to
Lingayen Gulf Lingayen Gulf is a large gulf on northwestern Luzon in the Philippines, stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central (Luzon), Cordillera Central. The Agno ...
and the west coast of northern Luzon, after which they migrated to the Agno and Kayapa river valleys and into the Ifugao valleys. A theory by Felix Keesing, based on old Spanish sources, proposed that the ancestors of the Ifugao came from the Magat area after the arrival of the Spanish in Magat, so the rice terraces are only a few hundred years old. The Ifugao popular epic ''The Hudhud of Dinulawan and Bugan of Gonhadan'' supports this interpretation. A more recent theory by Manuel Dulawan assumes that the Ifugaos came from the western
Mountain Province Mountain Province (; ; ; ; ; ) is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc while Bauko is the largest municipality. Mountain Province was formerly referred to as Mountain ...
, due to striking similarities with Kankanaey language, architecture, clothing manufacturing and design and the many names and places from this region that feature in Ifugao myths and songs. According to studies, the Ifugao resisted the Spanish conquest several times. The groups that migrated to the Cordilleran highlands were believed to be those that resisted the Spanish colonial control, which became prevalent in the lowlands. According to Acabado, the rugged nature of the highlands around the Ifugao region did not outrightly hinder the Spanish conquest. Other regions that had similar rugged environment as found in Ifugao were subjected to colonial rule. Archeological research shows Ifugao practices of successful resistance by strengthening their political and economic resources. The Spanish conquest and a population increase was the cause of shifting to wet-rice agriculture. According to Queeny G. Lapeña and Stephen B. Acabado, in order to successfully resist against a colonizing power, a constructive military organization within a complete polity is required. The Spanish took conquest of the Magat Valley, which drove the Ifugao to strategically resettle in the interior of the Cordillera Mountains between 1600 CE and 1700 CE. Wet-rice agriculture was adopted soon after, and extensive rice terraces were built. This was a subsistence shift for the Ifugao because they cultivated
taro Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...
before the start of the wet rice cultivation. The author emphasizes that the Ifugao people kept their culture and identity alive by spending large amounts of time in rice fields, since they treated them as ritual areas to "reinforce community solidarity." Stephen Acabado states that since the village was increasing in population, the shift to wet rice cultivation, increase of exotic goods procurement, and finally increase in the distribution of ritual animals indicates "political elaboration as a response to Spanish conquest."


Subgroups

The Ifugao are divided into subgroups based on the differences in dialects, traditions, and design/color of costumes. The main subgroups are Ayangan, Kalanguya, and Tuwali.


Language

The
Ifugao language Ifugao or Batad is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken in the northern valleys of Ifugao, Philippines. It is a member of the Northern Luzon subfamily and is closely related to the Bontoc and Kankanaey languages. It is a dialect continuum, and i ...
consists of four dialects. Due to being isolated by the terrain, Ifugaos usually speak in Ilocano, Tagalog, and English as their alternative to their mother tongue.


Agriculture

Ifugao farming is characterized by wet rice terraces, supplemented with
slash-and-burn Slash-and-burn agriculture is a form of shifting cultivation that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a Field (agriculture), field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody p ...
farming of camote. They are famous for their
Banaue Rice Terraces The Banaue Rice Terraces () are terraces that were carved into the mountains of Banaue, Ifugao, in the Philippines, by the ancestors of the Igorot people. The terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are l ...
, which became one of the main tourist attractions in the country. The Ifugaos host a number of similarities with the
Bontocs The Bontoc (or Bontok) ethnolinguistic group can be found in the central and eastern portions of Mountain Province, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Although some Bontocs of Natonin and Paracelis identify themselves as Balangaos, Gadd ...
in terms of agriculture, but the Ifugao tend to have more scattered settlements, and recognize their affiliation mostly towards direct kin in households closer to their fields. The Spanish first described the Ifugao rice terraces in 1801. Though as William Scott notes, "These impressive stone-walled fields, irrigated for both rice and
taro Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...
, had been known from the time of the first expeditions in to Kiangan in the 1750s..." Ifugao culture revolves around rice, which is considered a prestige crop. There is an elaborate and complex array of rice culture feasts inextricably linked with taboos and intricate agricultural rites, from rice cultivation to rice consumption. Harvest season calls for grandiose thanksgiving feasts, while the concluding harvest rites ''tungo'' or ''tungul'' (the day of rest) entail a strict taboo of any agricultural work. Partaking of the rice wine (''bayah''), rice cakes, and ''moma'' (mixture of several herbs, powdered snail shell and betel nut/arecoline which is used as a chewing gum to the Ifugaos) is an indelible practice during the festivities and ritual activities. Agricultural terracing and farming are the principal means of livelihood. Their social status is measured by the number of rice field granaries, family heirlooms, gold earrings, and carabaos (water buffaloes). Prestige is also conferred through time and tradition. A prayer is said by an elderly woman when harvest begins, directed towards Cabunian, the goddess of rice. Then, a protective prayer is said before the rice is placed in the granary. The Ifugao solar calendar included a 365-day year, broken down into 13 months of 28 days each, plus one extra day.


Social organization

Ifugao society is divided into three social classes: the ''kadangyan'' or the aristocrats, the ''tagu'' or the middle class, and the ''nawotwot'' or the lower class. The class immediately below the wealthiest are called the ''inmuy-ya-uy''. The ''kadangyans'' sponsor the prestige rituals called ''hagabi'' and ''uyauy'' and this separates them from the ''tagus'' who cannot sponsor feasts but are economically well off. The ''nawotwots'' are those who have limited land properties and are usually hired by the upper classes to do work in the fields and other services. The more affluent Ifugao, known as ''kadangyan'' or ''baknang'', were usually generous by nature, lending rice to poor neighbors in time of food shortage(s) and/or hardship(s), in return for labor. Acting as village or spiritual leaders, creditors or commercial managers, these rich families exhibited their wealth by providing for many feasts, or
cañao Cañao or Kanyaw is a festival or a ceremony of the Igorot people#Cordillera ethnic groups, indigenous mountain people of Luzon, Northern Luzon in the Philippines. It is a socio-religious ritual where chickens, pigs and/or carabaos are butchered as ...
s. Shifting to wet rice cultivation is one factor that intensified the social ranking that was already present among the Ifugao society. Those who adopted wet rice cultivation were able to consolidate political resources. "In Ifugao, the adoption of wet-rice agriculture is at the forefront in discussions regarding social ranking vis-à-vis prestige economy." The Ifugao social status is based on their rice lands and ability to sponsor feasts. One reason being is that an individual needs to be skilled in mobilizing rice terraces, and because rice terraces require labor-intensive work.


Culture

Ifugao culture values kinship, family ties, religious and cultural beliefs. Ifugao are unique among all ethnic groups in the mountain province for their narrative literature such as the ''hudhud'', an epic dealing with hero ancestors sung in a poetic manner. Also unique to the Ifugao is their woodcarving art, most notably the carved granary guardians ''bulul'' and the prestige bench of the upper class, the ''hagabi''. Their textiles are renowned for their sheer beauty, colorful blankets and clothing woven on looms. The Ifugao are known for their rich oral literary traditions of ''hudhud'' and the ''alim''. In 2001, the ''Hudhud Chants'' of the Ifugao was chosen as one of the 11
Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage—such traditions, rituals, dance, and knowledge—and ...
. It was then formally inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008. The Ifugaos' highest prestige feasts are the ''hagabi'', sponsored by the elite (''kadangyan''); and the ''uyauy'', a marriage feast sponsored by those immediately below the wealthiest (''inmuy-ya-uy''). Ifugao heirloom
beads A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under 1 ...
are prestigious goods that were limited to the Ifugao community of wealth; moreover, such beads were solely utilized for ritualistic occasions such as: funerals, weddings, and rice harvest festivals and signified respect. Rice granaries (''alang'') are protected by a wooden guardian called a ''
bulul Bulul, also known as bu-lul or tinagtaggu, is a carved wooden figure used to guard the rice crop by the Ifugao (and their sub-tribe Kalanguya) people of northern Luzon. The sculptures are highly stylized representations of ancestors and are ...
''. The ''bulul'' sculptures are highly stylized representations of the ancestors of the Ifugao and are thought to gain power and wealth from the presence of the ancestral spirit. The Ifugao are particularly noted for their skill in carving bulul. Furthermore, Ifugao culture is known for their legal system, based on the elders of the village, ''amama-a''. Their words had the effect of law, without appeal. The jury, ''agom'', consisted of those articulate, ''mansapit'', elders. If the jury could not decide a case, trial by ordeal was invoked. The logic being that the gods and goddesses, ''Kabunian'', would not allow the innocent to suffer. Criminal cases are tried by ordeal. They include duels (''uggub/alao''), wrestling (''bultong''), hot bolo ordeal and boiling water ordeal (''da-u''). Bultong is the name for the Ifugao sport of traditional
wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...
. It is often played during town and provincial fiestas. Bultong falls under the international classification of "
belt wrestling Belt wrestling is a form of wrestling that is one of the oldest historically recorded sports. It involves two belted contestants aiming to take each other over by grappling with a belt. There are hundreds of national belt wrestling styles, but co ...
".


Customs

From a person's birth to his death, the Ifugaos follow a lot of traditions. ''Pahang'' and ''palat di oban'' are performed to a mother to ensure safe delivery. After delivery, no visitors are allowed to enter the house until ''among'' is performed when the baby is given a name. ''Kolot'' and ''balihong'' are then performed to ensure the health and good characteristics of the boy or the girl, respectively. As they grow older, they sleep in exclusive dormitories because it is considered indecent for siblings of different genders to sleep in the same house. The men are the ones who hunt, recite myths, and work in the fields. Women also work in the fields, aside from managing the homes and reciting ballads. Lastly, the Ifugaos do not mourn for the elderly who died, nor for the baby or the mother who died in a conception. This is to prevent the same event from happening again in the family. Also, the Ifugaos believe in life after death so those who are murdered are given a ritual called ''opa'' to force their souls into the place where his ancestors dwell. The Ifugao may believe that an illegitimate child might have more than one physical father, and so nominate more than one genitor.


Headhunting

File:Ifugao headhunter.jpg, An Ifugao warrior with some of his trophies, circa 1912 File:Headhunting Skulls (47958925068).jpg, Headhunting skulls collected as trophies during blood feuds, displayed at the Hiwang Native House Inn near Banaue, Ifugao The Ifugao, like the other peoples of the Cordillera Central, are known for their past as headhunters. The two main reasons for the Ifugao's headhunting were
honor killing An honor killing (American English), ''honour killing'' (Commonwealth English), or ''shame killing'' is a type of murder in which a person, usually a woman or girl, is killed by or at the behest of male members of their family or their male ...
s and prestige. After a murder or other serious crime, the victim's family organized a punitive expedition. The perpetrator or someone close to him was tracked down, murdered, and beheaded, in order to uphold the honor of the family. Such a punitive expedition usually also provoked a counteraction and such
feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...
s could thus continue for generations. In addition to such acts of revenge, attacks were also organized in which a successful outcome increased the prestige of the mostly young participating men. Such attacks, often on a distant village, killed indiscriminately. In some areas, such as the area around Kiangan, women and children were spared and sold into slavery, but other headhunters did not spare them either. Besides the above reason, there were other reasons for an Ifugao to headhunt, such as the death of a wife during childbirth, whereupon a husband felt compelled to take the head of a stranger so that the soul of the deceased might find rest in the afterlife. Moreover, it was believed that if such an action were not carried out, the close relative would also become ill and die. Headhunting, like all important events in the life of the Ifugao, was surrounded by all kinds of customs and rituals. Beforehand, animals were sacrificed to the gods. Also, on the way to the target, they looked out for any bad omens, such as a crossing snake. Such an omen could be a reason to postpone the headhunting expedition. After a successful outcome, there was partying and dancing for five nights around the captured heads, the head of the victim usually going to the leader of the expedition. A fighter's success was reflected in the number of earrings he wore. Each earring represented a severed head. Afterward, the heads were buried in the ground around the expedition leader's house, after which they were dug up and cleaned again after a few months. The skulls eventually ended up hanging in prominent places in his house, such as by the door or the fire. All kinds of rituals were also performed on the side of the victim. The victim's family performed a war dance (''himong'') and vowed revenge. Later, the victim was buried in a sitting position with a spear in his hand, as a sign that revenge was about to be taken. Finally, a ritual was performed that determined who should lead the revenge against the killers. The family of the deceased sat in a circle around a mortally injured chicken and the man where the chicken would eventually fall dead became the expedition leader. The practice of headhunting has long been a thing of the past. The last incidents occurred in the early 20th century.


Cuisine

File:Mumbaki ritual2.jpg, A jar and bowls of ''baya'' or ''bubud'' (
tapuy ''Tapuy'', also spelled ''tapuey'' or ''tapey'', is a rice wine produced in the Philippines. It is a traditional beverage and originated from Banaue and Mountain Province, where it is used for important occasions like weddings, rice harvesting ...
) in a harvest ritual by an Ifugao '' mumbaki'' (shaman) File:Ifugao rice spoon II.JPG, An Ifugao rice spoon in the
Honolulu Museum of Art The Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts) is an art museum in Honolulu, Hawaii, Hawaii. The museum is the largest of its kind in the state, and was founded in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke. It has one of the largest single co ...
The basic meal of the Ifugao is composed of a staple starch, more commonly rice as it is their staple food, served with dishes like vegetables, fish or snails, flavorings, and sometimes, cooked animal meat like chicken and pig. During low levels of rice, the Ifugao consume grain or root crops like sweet potatoes. Fresh berries and other plant products and plants are served as snacks. Rice wine (called ''baya'' or ''bubud'') is a must in most rituals and special occasions with homemade yeast and glutinous rice as the basic ingredients. Wooden rice spoons with sacred carved images of ''
bulul Bulul, also known as bu-lul or tinagtaggu, is a carved wooden figure used to guard the rice crop by the Ifugao (and their sub-tribe Kalanguya) people of northern Luzon. The sculptures are highly stylized representations of ancestors and are ...
'' representing deities or ancestral spirits (''
anito ''Anito'', also spelled ''anitu'', refers to ancestor spirits, nature spirits, and deities in the Indigenous Philippine folk religions from the precolonial age to the present, although the term itself may have other meanings and associ ...
'') are traditional among the Ifugao people. Despite the animistic carvings, they are everyday utensils used for eating rice or soups or serving rice wine. Today, they are commonly sold as souvenirs to tourists.


Tattooing

File:University of California publications in American archaeology and ethnology (1903) (14579674160).jpg, A tattooed Ifugao man (1903) Among Ifugao men,
tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes ...
s were strongly linked to the widespread practice of
head-hunting Headhunting is the practice of human hunting, hunting a human and human trophy collecting, collecting the decapitation, severed human head, head after killing the victim. More portable body parts (such as ear, rhinotomy, nose, or scalping, scal ...
raids. In head-hunting societies, like the Ifugao, tattoos were records of how many heads the warriors had taken in battle, and were part of the
initiation rite Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformatio ...
s into adulthood. The number, design, and location of tattoos, therefore, were indicative of a warrior's status and prowess. They were also regarded as magical wards against various dangers like evil spirits and illnesses. Common Ifugao motifs include the (dog), usually placed on the chest; (human figures); and or (centipedes).


Courtship

File:Ifugao (Philippines) Bridal pair LCCN2014690054.jpg, An Ifugao bridal pair (c. 1910). Note the ''kango'' or ''yang ngo'' on the man. Betrothals are common among the Ifugao, especially among the wealthy class; and they perform several customs in marriage like ''bubun'' (providing a pig to the woman's family). The Ifugao practice a courtship called ''ca-i-sing'' (this practice is known as the ''ebgan'' to the Kalinga tribes and as ''pangis'' to the Tingguian tribes), wherein males and females are separated into "houses". The house for the males is called the ''Ato'', while the house for females is known as the ''olog'' or ''agamang''. The males visit the females in the ''olog'' – the "betrothal house" – to sing romantic songs. The females reply to these songs also through singing. The ongoing courtship ritual is overseen by a married elder or a childless widow who keeps the parents of the participating males and females well informed of the progress of the courtship process. and : ''The Betrothal House (Ifugao, Mountain Province)'', ''Courtship Through Poetry and Song (Ilocos province)'', ''The Eve of the Wedding (Province of Batangas)'', ''The Formal Proposal (Province of Cebu)'', ''Bride Service (Province of Leyte)'', ''The Wedding (Tausug)'', livinginthephilippines.com The Ifugao people had well-established values regarding marriage and sexuality. An example of these is their custom of equating the size of a woman's breast and the wideness of her hips with the price of the
dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...
. During the marriage ceremony (''uya-uy''), the man usually wears a headress known as the ''kango'' (literally "
hornbill Hornbills are birds found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia of the family Bucerotidae. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a horny casque on the upper ...
"; also ''yang ngo''). The ''kango'' is a symbol of wealth and is made from the skull and beak of a
rufous hornbill The rufous hornbill (''Buceros hydrocorax''), also known as the Philippine hornbill and locally as kalaw (pronounced KAH-lau), is a large species of hornbill endemic to the Philippines (the largest hornbill in the country). They are referred by l ...
flanked by two sweeping horns resembling the horns of a
carabao Carabaos () are a genetically distinct population of swamp-type water buffaloes ('' Bubalus bubalis kerabau'') from the Philippines.FAO 2013''Philippine Carabao/Philippines''In: Domestic Animal Diversity Information System. Food and Agriculture ...
. It is anchored with
rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan (from Malay language, Malay: ''rotan''), is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the clos ...
fiber and is decorated with feathers and beads. It is also wrapped with a newly-woven
loincloth A loincloth is a one-piece garment, either wrapped around itself or kept in place by a belt. It covers the genitals and sometimes the buttocks. Loincloths which are held up by belts or strings are specifically known as breechcloth or breechclo ...
whose ends hang down to the waist. The ''kango'' is also worn by wealthy men on other special occasions, including their funeral.


Clothing

Men wear a loincloth (''wanoh'') while women wear a wraparound skirt (''ampuyo'', also known as '' tapis''). On special occasions, men wear a betel bag (''pinuhha'') and their bolo (''gimbattan''). File:PHIL2770a.jpg, Ifugao people in their traditional clothing File:Ifugao Fabrics.png, Fabric weaved from Ifugao File:Ifugao Women (40878921493).jpg, Ifugao women in
Banaue Banaue (or alternatively spelled as Banawe) , officially the Municipality of Banaue ( Ilocano: ''Ili ti Banaue'', Tagalog: ''Bayan ng Banaue''), is a municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has ...
wearing ''alampay'' File:Native dress, Banaue Museum.jpg, Native Ifugao dress File:PHIL3474a.jpg, Ifugao youth in their traditional clothing


Music

File:Bungkaka.JPG, A ''pewpep'', also known as bungkaka Musical instruments include
gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...
s (''gangha''), a wooden instrument that is struck with another piece of wood (''bangibang''), a thin brass instrument that is plucked (''bikkung''), stringed instruments ( ''ayyuding'' and ''babbong''), nose flutes (''ingngiing'') and mouth flutes (''kupliing'' or ''ippiip''). The ''pewpew'' is a
percussion instrument A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
made out of
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
.


Housing

File:Traditional Ifugao House.jpg, A traditional Ifugao house, called ''bale'', with the Batad rice terraces in the background Ifugao houses (''Bale'') are built on four wooden posts 3 meters from the ground, and consist of one room, a front door (''panto'') and back door (''awidan''), with a detachable ladder (''tete'') to the front door. Temporary huts (''abong'') give shelter to workers in the field or forest. William Scott describes the details associated with the Ifugao house, "Square in floor plan, it is elevated to about shoulder height by four posts (''tukud''), around which are fitted cynlindrical wooden rat-guards (''halipan''), carrying two transverse
girder A girder () is a Beam (structure), beam used in construction. It is the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams. Girders often have an I-beam cross section composed of two load-bearing ''flanges'' separated by a sta ...
s (''kuling'') which support three floor
joist A joist is a horizontal structural member used in Framing (construction), framing to span an open space, often between Beam (structure), beams that subsequently transfer loads to vertical members. When incorporated into a floor framing system, joi ...
s into which the
floorboard Wood flooring is any product manufactured from timber that is designed for use as flooring, either structural or aesthetic. Wood is a common choice as a flooring material and can come in various styles, colors, cuts, and species. Bamboo flooring ...
s (''dotal'') are fitted and
wallboard Drywall (also called plasterboard, dry lining, wallboard, sheet rock, gib board, gypsum board, buster board, turtles board, slap board, custard board, gypsum panel and gyprock) is a panel made of calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum), with or witho ...
s (''goab'' and ''pamadingan'') and studs (''bagad'') are mortised. The four studs, placed at the corner of the house, are mortised at their upper end into four tie-beans or purlins (''wanan'') which form a square to carry much of the weight of the roof as well as the central
crossbeam A beam is a structural element that primarily resists loads applied laterally across the beam's axis (an element designed to carry a load pushing parallel to its axis would be a strut or column). Its mode of deflection is primarily by bending, ...
(''pumpitolan'') on which stand two queenposts (''taknang''). These queenposts terminate in a small square (''ambubulan'') which supports the upper ends of the rafters (''bughol''), the roof being a true pyramid in form with four triangular sides and thus rising to an apex without any ridgepole. The wallboards are
rabbet A rabbet (American English) or rebate (British English) is a recess or groove cut into the edge of a piece of machinable material, usually wood. When viewed in cross-section, a rabbet is two-sided and open to the edge or end of the surface in ...
ed into a transverse beam (''huklub'') at waist or chest height, at which point a shelf (''patie'') is fitted between them and the roof, whose
eaves The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...
descend as low as the level of the floor. Above the
tie beam A tie, strap, tie rod, eyebar, guy-wire, suspension cables, or wire ropes, are examples of linear structural components designed to resist tension. It is the opposite of a strut or column A column or pillar in architecture and structura ...
s a reed floor or platform is often fitted to make an attic-like storage space (''palan'') for unthreshed rice. Wooden panels close doorways on two opposite sides of the house, and entrance is gained by means of a ladder which is removed at night. This type of house is called ''bale'' (or ''fale''), but the same basic building with a few modifications - the wallboards extend up to the roof, there is only one door, and the whole thing is smaller - serves as a rat-proof granary (''alang'')."


Religion

File:Ifugao sculpture Louvre 70-1999-4-1.jpg, 15th century Ifugao ''bulul'' with a ''pamahan'' (ceremonial bowl) in the
Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
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. File:Ifugao_people_rice_gods14.jpg,
Bulul Bulul, also known as bu-lul or tinagtaggu, is a carved wooden figure used to guard the rice crop by the Ifugao (and their sub-tribe Kalanguya) people of northern Luzon. The sculptures are highly stylized representations of ancestors and are ...
Ifugao rice gods or deities in a museum
Although a majority of the Ifugao already converted to
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
from their original animistic religion, from their mythology, they believed that they descended from Wigan and Bugan, who are the children of Bakkayawan and Bugan of the Skyworld (''Kabunyan''). Ifugaos believe in 6 worlds, Skyworld (''Kabunyan''), Earthworld (''Pugaw''), Underworld (''Dalom''), the Eastern World (''Lagud''), the Western World (''Daya''), and the Spiritual World (''Kadungayan''). ''Talikud'' carries the Earthworld on his shoulders and cause earthquakes. The ifugaos include nature and ancestor worship, and participate in rituals (''baki'') presided over by a ''mumbaki''. Priests (''munagao'' and ''mumbini'') guide the people in rites for good fortune.


Ifugao gods

*Kabunian: supreme deity and chief among the high ranking deities above the skyworld; also referred to as Mah-nongan, chief god generally referred to as the honorary dead and creator of all things; in specific communities, both the names Mah-nongan and Kabunian (also Afunijon) are understood as the name of one chief deity, while in others, they are used to refer to many deities *Afunijon: also a general term referred to the deities of heaven, which is also called Afunijon *Mah-nongan: also a general term for deities who are given animal sacrifices *Ampual: the god of the fourth skyworld who bestowed animals and plants on the people; controls the transplanting of rice *Bumingi: in charge of worms, one of the eleven beings importuned to stamp out rice pests *Liddum: the only deity who inhabits the realm called Kabunian; communicates directly with humans on earth; chief mediator between the people and other gods *Lumadab: has the power to dry up the rice leaves, one of the eleven beings importuned to stamp out rice pests *Mamiyo: the stretcher of skeins, one of the twenty-three deities presiding over the art of weaving *Monlolot: the winder of thread on the spindle, one of the twenty-three deities presiding over the art of weaving *Puwok: controls the dread typhoons *Yogyog: a causer of earthquakes; dwells in the underworld *Alyog: a causer of earthquakes; dwells in the underworld *Kolyog: the god of earthquakes *Makalun: spirits that serve the function as messengers of the gods *Namtogan: the paraplegic god of good fortune whose presence made rice harvests and community livestock bountiful; when the humans he was staying with at Ahin began neglecting the bulul, he left, causing a curse of misfortunes; the people persuaded him to return, where he responded by teaching the people how to create bululs and how to do the rituals for the statues, effectively lifting the curse *Bulol: household divinities that are the souls of departed ancestors; usually depicted as carved wooden statues stored in the rice granary; the ancestral images guard the crops, make the rice harvest plentiful, and protects the rice from pests and thieves and from being too quickly consumed *Nabulul: spouse of Bugan; a god who possesses or lives in Bulul figures; guards the rice and make the rice harvest plentiful *Bugan: spouse of Nabulul; a goddess who possesses or lives in Bulul figures; guards the rice and make the rice harvest plentiful *Gatui: divinities associated with practical jokes, but have a malevolent side that feast on souls and cause miscarriages *Tagbayan: divinities associated with death that feast on human souls that are guarded by two headed monsters called kikilan *Imbayan: also called Lingayan; divinities who guide souls after they die **Himpugtan: an Imbayan divinity who can terminate those that displease him *Munduntug: divinities from the mountains who cause hunters to be lost *Banig: spirits of the hillsides and caves; among the Mayayao, the Banig take in the form of an animal who does not harm anyone, despite the people being afraid of their manifestation *Mun-apoh: deified ancestral spirits who are guardians and sources of blessings provided by the living; they are respected, however, their blessings could also be turned into a curse *Mahipnat: great spirits of sacred places *Bibao: spirits of ordinary places *Halupi: divinities of remembrance *Fili: divinities of property *Dadungut: divinities who dwell in graveyards and tombs *Makiubaya: divinities who watch over the gates of the village *Spirits of sickness **Libligayu **Hibalot *Binudbud: spirits that are invoked during feasts to quell the passions of men *Kolkolibag: spirits who cause difficult labor *Indu: spirits that make omens *Hidit: divinities who give punishments to those that break taboos **Puok: a kind of Hidit who use winds to destroy the dwellings of miners that break taboos *Hipag: spirits of war that give soldiers courage on the field of war but are ferocious and cannibalistic *Llokesin: the god of rats who figures in the myth of the first orange tree *Bumabakal: the rejected corpse divinity of the skyworld; his dead body resides on top of Mount Dukutan, where his bodily fluids cause boilsBarton, R. F. (December 1955). A Collection of Igorot Legends. Sagada Social Studies. *Kabigat: the god who sent a deluge which flooded the Earth; married to the goddess Bugan *Bugan: a goddess married to Kabigat; her children are a son named Wigan and a daughter also named Bugan *Bugan: daughter of Bugan and Kabigat; stranded on Earth after the great deluge, and became one of the two ancestors of mankind *Wigan: son of Bugan and Kabigat; stranded on Earth after the great deluge, and became one of the two ancestors of mankind *Wigan: the god of good harvest *Dumagid: a god who lived among the people of Benguet; married a mortal woman named Dugai and had a son named Ovug *Ovug: son of Dumagid and Dugai; was cut in half by his father, where one of his halves was reanimated in the skyworld, and the other on Earth; the voice of the skyworld's Ovug is the source of lightning and sharp thunder, while the voice of the Earth's Ovug is the source of low thunder *Bangan: the god who accompanied Dumagid in claiming Ovug from the Earth *Aninitud chalom: deity of the underworld, whose anger is manifested in a sudden shaking of the earth *Aninitud angachar: deity of the sky world; causes lightning and thunder when unsatisfied with offerings *Mapatar: the Sun deity of the sky in charge of daylight *Bulan: the Moon deity of the night in charge of nighttime *Mi'lalabi: the star and constellation deities *Pinacheng: a group or class of deities usually living in caves, stones, creeks, rocks, and in every place; mislead and hide people *Fulor: a wood carved into an image of a dead person seated on a death chair; an antique which a spirit in it, who bring sickness, death, and unsuccessful crops when sacrifices are not offered *Inamah: a wooden plate and a home of spirits; destroying or selling it will put the family in danger


Other figures

*Dugai: the mortal mother of the split god Ovug; wife of the god Dumagid *Humidhid: the headman of a village in the upstream region of Daya who carved the first bulul statues from the haunted or supernatural tree named Bongbong *Unnamed Shaman: prayed to the deities, Nabulul and Bugan, to possess or live in the bulul statues carved by Humidhid *Wife of Namtogan: a mortal woman who the god Namtogan married when he stayed at the village of Ahin


See also

*
Igorot people The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera in northern Luzon, Philippines, often referred to by the exonym Igorot people, or more recently, as the Cordilleran peoples, are an ethnic group composed of nine main ethnolinguistic groups whose domains ...


References


External links

* {{Ethnic groups in the Philippines
Ifugao Ifugao, officially the Province of Ifugao (; ), is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Lagawe and it borders Benguet to the west, Mountain Province to the north, Isabela t ...
Ifugao Cordillera Administrative Region Ethnic groups in the Philippines