Culture

Way of Life

Agriculture

The livelihood of the Ifugao tribe mostly focuses on agriculture. A product they usually produce is rice which is grown in the famous Banaue Rice Terraces. However, they cannot use animals, they use spades to upturn the soil by soaking the paddy.

The image shows a husband and wife performing the tradition of Mumbayu, manually pounding rice grains in order to remove their husks.

Kinship

A key element in Ifugao traditional life is, where they give importance to family as well as its roles, seeing the success of one as the success of all. Diving deeper into Ifugao kinship, they are careful and/or wary of who to marry in their family as well as the father having the say of what his family is to do. However, it has been less evident as the Ifugao practice Christian methods and way of life.

Social Classes

The social classes in the Ifugao tribe are divided based on wealth. Some signs of wealth are Heirloom objects, Sacrificial Animals, Valuable Household Items, and Money.

A ranking social structure based on kinship was present in the early Ifugao civilization. The tagu were inferior kadangyan relatives, the nawotwot were impoverished laborers for the kadangyan, and the kadangyan were the elite landowners of rice fields. The size of their rice fields, the possessions they had, the feasts they held, the clothing and jewelry they wore, and their positions in the community were all indicators of the Ifugao's social standing.

Religion/Beliefs

Division of Worlds in the Ifugao Universe

In Ifugao belief, five worlds or regions make up the Ifugao universe: Kabunian, known as the skyworld; Puga, known as earthworld; Dalum, known as the underworld; the downstream region, known as Lagod; and the upstream region, known as Dayya. A river called dagah-na flows beneath the underworld. Although there are countless of gods and spirits in every part of the universe, there is no supreme deity.

Rituals (Baki)

Rituals done in the region, expresses the Ifugao's religious beliefs and are led by the mombaki. In the act of rituals being performed, offering is always compromised in these rites, consistsing of betel nut, chicken claw, feathers, rice wine, pigs, dogs, and chickens. In minor rites, only the dried skin and inner layer of the pig's jowls are offered.

Important rites mostly involve the stages in the Ifugao Life cycle such as planting and harvesting of rice, sickness, weaving, hunting, acquiring status, marriage, death and burial. Apart for hunting, headhunting, and aiyag, which are carried out in the forest, almost all rites take place below the house or granary. Each of these rituals is performed in honor of a unique god or ancestor.

They are mostly related to daily tasks such as rice production, performing the rice ritual as another important Ifugao rite in connection to their daily subsistence.

The takdang involves the entire community, in marking the end for the rice yearly harvest. The ritual sweeping of the house, hikgut, will commence when the rice stored in the attic is used for the first time. The apui is carried out once all of this rice that was stored has been devoured. New bundles of rice are then removed from the rice granary after it has been taken out.

The Bul'ul is a wooden statue carved by the Ifugao People that they believe will guard their rice crops and is the central figure of their rice rituals. With ceremonies being held upon the Bul'ul's arrival at the owner's house. In its origin, the wood to be used to build the Bul’ul is chosen by the Deities and is soaked in pig blood before being placed to guard the rice crops.

Wedding

During wedding rituals, the mombaki examines the bile of the sacrificial animals to read the gods' wishes. It is furhter examined for its color and position in relation the animal's liver and intestine. When the bile is indicated to have a bad omen, the ceremony is repeated until a favorable signal is finally made.

Illnesses

The agba ritual identifies the deity responsible for a person's illness. It is believed among the Ifugaos that the cause of the Illness came from ancestral and nature spirits residing in trees, stones and rivers. The agba can take two different forms: the spreading of the stick, during which the name of the appropriate deity or class of deities is recited, and it is thought that the stick lengthens; and the buyun, which involves balancing an egg, bean, or other oval-shaped object on a knife blade.

Woven textiles are also associated with religious beliefs and rituals

Weaving is traced to a certin deity, Punholda'yan. It was said that the first ablan or weaving loom, according to legend, was bought from Punholda'yan by the cultural heroes Bugan and Balitok, also known as Bugan and Wigan. Because there is a deity named after each phase in the weaving process, it may be stated that the Ifugao have deified their craft. During the weaving ritual, deities are invoked by their names.

The tradition of hunting plays a major part in the people's subsistence. Rituals in preceding a hunt called pahang di amaiyu, that involves the sacrificial of a chicken and spending the ceremonial days in idleness until the omens are found favorable. Ifugao rules are strictly followed when the hunting begins. As carried out in the forest, the forest ritual is performed at the site of the kill.

Death and burial rites include the sending off of the deceased's soul, the procession to the grave, the walling of the body in the cemetery, and ceremonies to send the deceased's soul on its way to afterlife. The majority of these actions are accompanied by prayers to the gods and mythology being spoken.

Traditional Houses

In the region, villages consist of 12 - 30 houses that are usually built near the rice terraces, with the kadangyan settled their's in the central terraces and the bangaan at the base of rice terraces. The houses are arranged according to the shape of the terraces, these are traditional stilt homes with pyramid-shaped thatched roofs. The home itself is used for sleeping and to store rice in the attic, the area underneath the house serves as a living space. While not in use, the ladder is raised off the ground to prevent rats from accessing the rice.

Traditional Attire

The clothing worn by the Ifugao displays their artistic tradition. Tattooing on men is known as "batok," and it is most frequently done on the chest, shoulders, and arms. Tattoos on the face, buttocks, and legs are less typical. Younger males tend to only get tattoos on their chest and neck. Likewise for women who also get tattoos, with designs similar to those of the men, along with earrings and pendants that they wear like what men wear. Both men and women wore the giniling, a bracelet constructed of thick copper wire that has been coiled 20–40 times like a spring, gradually widening.

Traditional clothing of Ifugao men are called "Wanno" or G-string. There are six various styles of wanno that can be worn, depending on the situation or the man's social standing.

Ifugao women traditionally wore a skirt called the tapis, a wraparound skirt with colorful stripes. There are five different types of tapis that are made in different unique methods and designs.

In each woven textile that the Ifugao make there are also symbols which has their own meaning and when combined based on their patterns, they tell their own story. These symbols have been passed down from one generation to another.

Traditional Songs and Chants

Ifugao men and women, young and old sing, with different types of vocal music. During rituals and other social events, there are trained chanters, and the audience is welcome to offer criticism. Chanting or singing can be performed by a single person, as when lulling a child to sleep, or more often by a group with a lead chanter or singer. Individual singers typically perform songs they have learned from different tribes or lands.

The songs can be classified as ritual songs and non-ritual songs. Religious occasions often feature the singing of ritual songs. While some songs call for answers, others are spontaneous. A ritual song is called alim. Moreover, non-ritual songs take forms such as the liwliwa, the salidummay, and the hudhud, that are generally intended for entertainment.

Folk Dance

Folk dances from the Ifugao region are performed during rituals. This occurs also on religious activities and special occasions. The dancers performs steps that follows a slow shuffle, gradual turns and twists with their left hands, and a quick up-and-down movement with their right hands. They dance with their knees bent, left foot in front, and hands stretched out with their fingers connected together.

Back

Group 1 - USCP from 12 - St. Peter

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse