Kutkot Death Ritual

The Kutkot ritual is an old tradition followed by the Hanunoo Mangyan tribe of the Philippines that allows them to bring their dead back to life. The term "Kutkot" itself means to "unearth" referring to their tradition of a secondary burial, where they dig up the dead and then rebury them. This ritual, one that is slowly becoming less prevalent on the Midora island, comes from the original Hanunoo beliefs and has been followed through the generations for centuries and is still practiced to this day (Postma, 1974).

Kutkot is a ritual that has been performed by the Hanunoo Mangyan tribe for several generations. Kutkot translates to "dig up" or "unearth" from Tagalog, and the ritual performed is indicative of the translation. This ritual consists of excavating the remains of a deceased family member one year after their death. All remaining flesh on the skeleton is removed so that the skeleton can be cleaned. The skeleton is then assembled, enclosed with cloth, and shaped back into the form of a human body. The process of shaping and clothing the remains is known within the tribe as "sinakot." The remains are brought back to the village, where the body is welcomed with dance, music, and a feast with the living descendants of the family. One year later, the remains will be moved once again to a sinakot cave, where the remains of other deceased tribal members lie (Cabrera, 2010).

Secondary burials are known as the reburial of humans or the burial of humans after extended periods of time. When it comes to different cultures using secondary burial methods, the practice itself can be modified depending on each culture's beliefs or continuously changing with time. Under the label of secondary burial, practices like burial in the home (ex. under floor boards), reuse of previous burial sites (ex. bury them once, remove them, and bury them in the same place again), and keeping relics of the body (ex. keeping body parts) all fall under this same label (Moses, 1999). Opposed to primary burials, secondary burials are almost always used for religious or ceremonial reasons. In Mangyan culture specifically, the dead is buried immediately after passing away and is left until the body completely decomposes. After a few months or years depending on the will of the individual who died, the family will unearth the body, clean them, and wrap them in ceremonial cloth.

The origins of the Kutkot ritual are not well-known or fully understood by people outside of the Mangyan tribe. Kutkot is described by one source as "an obligation that tribal members must perform, in keeping with clan practice or honoring a dead relative's request" (Cabrera, 2010). However, this provides little insight on the purpose of the ritual. In order to fully understand the intended purpose behind this ritual, one must consider the beliefs of the Hanunoo Mangyan tribe. Animism was the primary religious influence on most Philippine tribes, including the Mangyan tribe, during the time where the Kutkot ritual was first performed. Animism is the belief that all things in nature have a unique spiritual essence, and that the gods are found within nature, such as the oceans, trees, mountains, and rivers (Macaranas, 2021). Many Mangyan people have traditionally believed that the spirit of their deceased family members can still be found within their respective remains. So, Kutkot is believed by some to be a ritual to separate one's soul from one's remains, and allow passage to heaven.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/02/01/10/filipino-tribe-brings-back-dead-clothing-ritual

• News article related to the Kutkot ritual

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/160314-pictures-death-ritual-funeral-burial-ceremony-people-culture

• Article about death and burial rituals in various cultures around the world

Anon. 2018. “Peoples of the Philippines: Mangyan.” National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved November 5, 2021 (https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/glimpses-peoples-of-the-philippines/mangyan/).

Cabrera, Michaela. 2010. “Tribe Brings Back Dead with ‘Clothing’ Ritual.” Reuters. Retrieved November 5, 2021 (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-tribe-idUSTRE6105D420100201).

Macaranas, Juan Rafael G.. 2021. "Understanding Folk Religiosity in the Philippines." Religions 12: 800. (https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12100800).

Moses, Sharon K.. 1999. "A controlled comparative analysis of secondary burial practices : sacred space symbology and the dead". Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 7993. (https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/7993).

Postma, A. (1974). DEVELOPMENT AMONG THE MANGYANS OF MINDORO: A Privileged Experience. Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, 2(1/2), 21–37. http://www.jstor.org/stable/29791117