Sagada, Mountain Province is a 6-hour back-breaking, butt-numbing and nausea inducing trip from Baguio City. Been meaning to travel to this town for more than ten years (my best bud Christian has been inviting me to travel with him to this place even before I got married). What can I do, I have a young daughter who I fear might not be able to endure the roughness of the trip. At least now, I think she’s old enough to do the trip that’s why we proceeded with this journey.
All throughout the long drive, I often asked myself why would a group of people would establish a community (that grew to a town) in the middle of a mountain? And why would city dwellers would endure such a trip to this remote town? In our four day stay in Sagada, I understand the answers and I came to appreciate and became prouder of the resilient Igorots more (and Filipinos, for that matter. I’ll be writing about this in future articles).
First stop, the Tourist Center in Sagada Municipal Hall (beside the post office). All tourist are required to register in the Tourist Center before they embark on a tour of Sagada.
First stop, the coffins of Lumiang Cave. The coffins are shorter than the normal lowland coffins because the dead were placed inside the coffins in a fetal position (they were tied up first in a sangadel (or the death chair) where relatives and friends would pay their last respects). The Kankaneys of Sagada believes that when people were born, they descended from the realms of Kabunyan, and when they die, they go back to Kabunyan. That’s why the dead are placed in a fetal position just like when they were born into this world .
Near the Lumiang Caves, we discovered by accident a small cave under a bridge. The cave is very adjacent to the roadside and from there, one can see the coffins that are placed inside. Our guide told us that those are the coffins of the mothers who died during childbirth. They believe that these mothers are unclean because they were not able to fully give birth, and thus are not worthy to be buried in Lumiang Cave.
I asked my guide if the people living in Sagada are still buried in this manner. He replied that since the residents of Sagada embraced Christianity, this practiced has almost ceased. People in Sagada are now buried in a cemetery and not in caves or in hanging coffins. The last person “buried” here was in 1986.
This is a good topic for a debate, the coming of Christianity has introduced innumerable things to the people of Sagada that has changed their way of living. Now these things have also threatened the heritage and culture of the people of Sagada (I am tempted to use the term Kankaneys but I am not sure if all “Sagadans” are from this tribe), among them is the manner of being buried in caves and hanging coffins. There is a movement across the globe on preserving the culture of indigenous tribes. Now, can Christianity be considered as one of the culprits in diminishing the way of life of indigenous people?
Insensitivity to local customs. The coffin below was unfortunately vandalized by a tourist. The culprit bore a whole and and tried to remove the skull from the coffin.
The hanging coffins near Echo Valley. Not everybody in Sagada are considered worthy to be “buried” in this manner. Among other things, somebody must be married and must have grand children to earn the right of this manner of burial. Our guide explained that their relatives are buried in this way to prevent wild animals from destroying the coffins and ravaging the corpse. Also in this way, the coffins endure the harshness of the years and weather as they are exposed to the wind and sunlight which protects the wood from the effects of moisture. The last “burial” was done way back in 1992.
The Echo Valley. The huge limestone at the right side of the picture is where the hanging coffins can be found. One has to go way down this side of the hill to be able to see the hanging coffins. Beck and RP with our guide Manong Greg.
On our way down to the hanging coffins, we came upon this huge wall of rock. Our guide says that rock climbing enthusiasts would scale this rocks.
April 15, 2009 at 3:45 pm |
I wish it was as cool here as in the mountains.
We are working out in our little gym, and it seems we are inside a sauna doing Muay.
Well my best friend was visiting and as we took a look of your blog – on the third picture, the blue coffin on the right side that is marked “Sumbad” is actually a relative of his! That’s his surname. We were very much surprised!
There is a custom also among Pagan Kankanaeys, that is upon the death of a patriarch, they would placed the body in a sitting position on a chair, and just let the liquid from the decomposing body drop onto a cup and all the relatives would drink it albeit mixed with strong alcohol – even young ones participate in it. This means that the essence or part of their loved one would live in them signifying a more stronger bond with their ancestors.
But this is not widely practiced anymore. Since more of the youth got educated and embraced Christianity and are shunning the practice. Unless with die-hard pagans, they still practice it.
In Sagada they speak a different kind of Kankanaey than the Kankanaey we speak in Itogon. Their is a similarity but there are some words that they speak differently.
I honestly think that Christianity (Protestantism in this case) has changed their way of life for the Sagadans by bringing in western education (with the coming of the Thomasites) and with regards to health and hygiene. Though it has influenced their customs, I believe not all of of their customs has been “wiped out”. Actually their are festivals and customs that are still very much alive. Of course paganism is frowned on by Christianity. But one great thing about democracy is, people have a choice. Though the government health office frowns on the custom I mentioned earlier about drinking the decomposing liquid of a dead loved one.
CAR is trying to actually revive such customs among the numerous Igorot tribes not mainly for the sake of knowing one’s roots, but for the generation of much needed income from tourists who would like to see a colorful festival and witness different customs among the tribes.
One province that CAR is trying to develop with regards to festivals and customs is in Kalinga to try and bring tourists to that tribal-war ravaged province and to generate income. As more of the young professionals are migrating to other provinces because of the peace and order situation there that would generate to bloody family feuds and initiate tribal wars.
It used to be among the Kalingas, that to be a man, the young man has to bring in a number of heads to show his prowess. The more heads, the more manly he is. Then because carrying heads would be quite heavy, the council deemed that ears would be lighter. But then it was uncertain if the young man had killed his human prey if he just showed ears. So the council finalized it that instead of ears, the jaw would be enough to show that the young man’s human prey had been killed.
It is not practiced nowadays. But it was from the mid 80’s to the early 90’s.
But….even nowadays, if a person has bloodied a Kalinga and the blood dropped to the ground, that means there is big trouble brewing. The closest relatives will demand payment of how many pigs, cattle, water buffalo, etc. the aggressor should pay. If the aggressor isn’t able to produce what they are asking, then the whole clan will exact revenge on the aggressor or a close relative and no matter where the aggressor lives or hides, no matter how long unless the payment is delivered.
Now if an aggressor kills a Kalinga, then that aggressor must die and if they cannot find the agressor, then they will certainly kill a close relative of the aggressor. Unless, payment is offered to stop the bloodshed.
Such mentality has generated bloody tribal wars for a hundred years. That’s why most young professionals migrate.
April 20, 2009 at 5:57 pm |
You really know your history, Ray. I’m impressed.
If I remember correctly, one of the reasons why the CAR was made in respect of the cultural background of the people of the Cordillera.
The concept of avenging aggressions or wrong doings is also practiced by some of our brothers in Mindanao, particularly, the Maranaos. They have a social system called Maratabat, which is actually a code of conduct among Maranaos. If one breaches, Maratabat, then vengeful killing might be done. Though there’s a common misconception that Maratabat is the term for the vengeful killing. To be precise, the breaching of Maratabat is the causes of vengeful killing. The Maranaos also have a term called “Rido” or blood feud, but these feud can also be peacefully settled via discussion among elders.
I agree that CAR should revive traditional customs of the Igorots but the main purpose should be knowing someone’s roots and not for tourism. I also believe that in schools, the customs and tradition of the Igorots and other tribes folks in different parts of the country should be included in the curriculum. I was astonished when I found out that my daughter doesn’t know anything about the culture of the Igorots primarily because it is not taught in their school.
As for Christianity, it has indeed improved the lives of our brothers in the Cordilleras specially in health and hygiene. But they should should not forget their roots and instead should be proud of it.
April 22, 2009 at 12:21 am |
Each Filipino with regards to their ethnic background should be proud of it.
City dwellers and lowlanders used to jab nasty jokes about us Igorots, about how unhygienic we were, ignorant, and all about such stuff, so during the mid to late ’90s, and even sometimes now, we still feel prejudice but not all places naman. If a person is messy with his/her personal belongings, the lowlanders would use the word “Igorot” to describe the messy or unhygienic lifestyle that particular person has. It is insulting to insinuate that all Igorots are illiterate and unhygienic or backward.
In the US and Canada, they have Igorot organizations like the BIMAAK and also among the colleges here in La Union that promote the Igorots’ individual ethnicity and culture. It is a good thing to no one’s roots and be proud of it. Yes, you are very right on that.
It’s interesting the cultures down in the South and in Mindanao. I guess it’s because of the mixed Indon and Malay culture interaction through hundreds of years before the Spanish came.
If I am not mistaken, us Igorots were around the 3rd or 4th Malay wave that migrated…
April 24, 2009 at 5:24 pm |
Well I have a different prejudice about Igorots. I stereotype Igorots as physically powerful and fearless warriors. Most of the gifted RP athletes I know are from the Cordilleras.
There’s a National Geographic (or is it Discovery Channel? Here I go again) documentary that reported about a new theory that its the other way around. Studying the genes of the Pinoys (including some compatriots who live in Cordilleras), they say that we closely share the genes of people who came from a province in China. And they theorize that the migration pattern is, people from southern China migrated to the Philippines, then these people in turn migrated to Malaysia and Indonesia. I know somebody who can explain this in a much better way than me, unfortunately, he’s based in Singapore. He’s also one of the big names in quiz bees.
April 24, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Interesting! When my cousins
When I was a kid, along with my Igorot cousins, we would watch the old and 80’s Jackie Chan films then we would jab jokes that the extras look like our uncles. Hehehehe!
We use to wonder why the Chinese extras on Jackie Chan’s films looked very similar to our relatives and persons we knew in Benguet.
Eventually, they came to nickname me “Samo Hung”. Hehehe!
I think I said it before is some blog. Our Apong was the illegitimate son of the Chinese Pua clan… eventually he changed his surname to “Pacio” – my mother’s maiden surname.
Especially if you went to Loo “Lo-o”, they really have Chinese facial features there and in Ifugao, some of the persons and one of my senior wards in Muay, have Japanese facial features. Maybe he has Japanese blood from the WW2 occupation. Who knows?
I use to debate with my Filipino History Teacher and argue about the Malay ancestry back then, that if the lowlanders and highlanders were Malay, then why that the features of the Igorots are very much different with the Ilocanos on the theory of Malay immigration? It was an interesting debate though my teacher did not give a satisfactory answer.
Maybe National Geographic is right….
April 24, 2009 at 5:57 pm |
And I thought I’m the only one who loves watching National Geographic! hehe. This post is very informative, especially the details shared by your friend Ray. In my short stay in Sagada, I have learned to love (read: obssess with) their culture, heritage, and the place itself. I love everything about Sagada that I am seriously thinking of moving/retiring there.
And I am coming back in 2 weeks!
April 30, 2009 at 6:55 pm |
At least its good to know that we’re not a dying breed! He he he.
Thanks…you’ll be impressed by the depth of knowledge my friend Ray has.
Going back there in two weeks? Hmmm. I presume its after the BJJ Tournament? Are you competing? Good luck and enjoy your trip to Sagada. Please take more beautiful pictures of Sagada and post it in your blog.
May 16, 2009 at 3:14 am |
I know this is very off topic but since I posted about discrimination and prejudice because of being Igorot, yes we Igorots have felt insulted from a popular Pinoy local comedy artist in the likes of Ms. Candy Pangilinan. I just want to have my say about Candy Pangilinan’s comment: “Hindi ako Igorot. Tao ako!”. The prejudice is still there. No wonder why Ms. Candy is declared persona non grata in Baguio City.
I would have let her comment pass as all the other comments that have been hurled to me during my younger and college years but she truly rubbed it in when she justified herself on her “apology” on ABS-CBN’s SNN, that she was tired and that stress was getting to her, that it was part of her joke and routine that night, blah-blah-blah. That got me angry. If she should apologize sincerely, she should acknowledge her mistake and not bring up some lame reason why she said her comment about us Igorots in the first place. She is a learned, educated woman and believe me no matter the stress or situation a person is in, and even me for that matter, I am aware of what I will say and if ever something slips from my mouth, it won’t be insulting as Ms. Candy Pangilinan would say about an ethnic group. That was very irresponsible of her.
Even Ilocanos, were enraged and also sympathized with us Igorots on Candy’s comment. They knew it was not a joke and it was very insulting indeed. The local CAR and La Union radio stations had a field day with her about her insulting comment. I won’t be surprised if the whole Region I and CAR would find Candy Pangilinan’s name sour and foul.
May 22, 2009 at 2:14 pm |
Hey Ray, thanks for the post. I only learned about this incident when you made this comment. My mind was out of this world (and deeply into the rat race called corporate world) these past few weeks. Like you said, stress and being tired are not good excuses for any insults (come to think of it, when can you justify an insult?). Perhaps Ms. Pangilinan’s joke can be traced to the brand of humor that Filipinos buy, that is slapstick and immature. Filipinos prefer jokes that ridicules, nay, disgrace people. Perhaps Ms. Pangilinan think that her audience would find it funny cracking a joke about the Igorots. Making jokes about a group of people is very foul and should be criticized. But looking at a larger picture, it is depressing to see that we Filipinos, generally speaking, would make fun of the peculiarity of ethnic groups, disabled people and people who looks as if Pablo Picasso painted them. I think until the general Filipino public become more mature in their taste of humor, irresponsible comic acts such as Candy Pangilinan will always be around.
I often wonder why Pinoys don’t prefer humor that would make you think first before it makes you laugh (the kind of humor that you often read in Reader’s Digest Magazine and I often hear with some Western peeps that I do business with). At the office, I like to say that, “He who laughs last, thinks the slowest”.
May 27, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Right on! When will Pinoys mature in their humor? As evident on Pinoy TV, jokes and humors are based on race, creed, color of a person and laughed about. Even commercials I must say “degrades” fat persons. By labeling them as laughable and socially tortured by our society. I mean fat, thin, “ugly”, pandak, midgets, etc or whatever Pinoys try to joke about these physical aspects are immature and insensitive. These people are human beings. I have lots of friends – be they midgets, fat, thin – you name it. Pinoys should not judge. I think these poor folks whom Pinoys shun and make a joke about it, should sue them in court for Human Rights! It’s time Pinoys mature with regards to their jokes based on a person’s physicality.
April 30, 2009 at 7:30 pm |
Very true. People from the Cordilleras generally have facial resemblance to East Asians, particularly the Chinese. That theory was already written on a book, its just too bad that I didn’t get the title nor the name of the author. I hope National Geographic or Discovery Channel would air that documentary again.