Kutkot Death Ritual

Overview

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).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Philippines

*Mangyan tribe is in dark blue on the central western side of the map

Who are the Mangyan people?

The Mangyan tribe can be found on Mindoro, an island on the central western side of the Philippines. The tribe consists of hundreds of settlements with each individual settlement consisting of 5-12 homes. These settlements are usually located on mountain slopes close to streams, rivers, and healthy agricultural land. Each Mangyan settlement is identified by the eldest member of the families, and each individual home consists of only a single family. Their main source of food on the mountainside comes from corn and rice which is commonly inter-cropped with sugar cane and beans. Later into the season, the settlements will usually grow sweet potatoes, yam, and taro root (Anon, 2018).

The main distinction of the Mangyan tribe, specifically the Hanunoo people, is their use of Indic-based script which they use to write traditional songs and poems. The Hanunoo carve these verses into wood pieces which they use to sing/chant with accompanied by guitars, fiddles, and flutes (Anon, 2018).

Daily life of the Mangyan people and a tour of their settlement

Traditional song of the Manyan people sung by the father of the person who created this video

What is Kutkot?

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).

What is a secondary burial?

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.

Why is Kutkot practiced?

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.

Learn More!

  • This is another wiki page about the Famadihana who also follow a secondary burial ritual.

Works Cited

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