Vernacular Architecture

- The architecture that is endemic to the place.

- The structures are designed according to the evolving design approaches shaped by
technology, environmental condition, culture and tradition, economic ability of the
people, and history of the place.
- It is people who designed their structures themselves based on the techniques and
approaches handed down from one generation to another
The Cordillera Houses
The Cordillera houses were classified into two strains as presented in the study of HenryScott.
1. Northern strain -Isneg and Lower Kalinga
2. southern strain- Ifugao, Bontoc, Ibaloi and the Kankanai.
In the said grouping the following Issues are raised
1. What are the characteristics of these ethnic houses based on these groupings?
2. What are the dominant influences that shaped these structures?
This paper focuses on the study of the Isneg house as a prototype of the southern strain and
the Ifugao, Bontoc houses for the Northern strain.
Scope and limitation
1. overview of the three ethnic groups of the Cordilleras: the Ifugao, the Bontoc, and the
Isneg.
2. covers ecological profile and its environmental influences affecting the architecture of
the area
3. the comparison of the houses of the ethnic groups based on the given parameters.
The materials used for the discussion are based on secondary and tertiary data. The said
presentation can still be subjected to further in depth study, if resources allow.

Isneg

➢ Lives along the foot of the mountain; Apayao River and considered as boat men.

➢ The boat is called barana’y or bank’l.

➢ House or the binuron is influenced by boat design. Affected by the Apayao River. The roof
suggested inverted hull, and floor joist resemble the profile of the boat.
➢ The dimension of Isneg house is 8.00 meters long and 4.00meters wide and 5.50 meters high
from the ground to the roof. Biggest house due to social structure – allow married children to
live with them before they can provide for themselves.

➢ Bamboo and wood for building material ➢ Six inner posts for the main section of the house
and ➢ Post-total of 15 posts raised 1.20 m from the ground.

➢ Walls-slanted on the sides are about 1.50 m. High from the floor eaves.

➢ Roof gable from the main section of the house is about 6.50 m long

➢ Tarakip-house annex as wide as the house and extending 1.50 m. With floor higher than the
main house and roof lower sloping downwards from the base of the gable.

➢ Post, girder, joists, walls- made of wood. Roof made of thatch or bamboo.

➢ Fifteen posts: sinit of eight inner post to support the floor o Two additional for the annex. o
Six posts or the adixi carry the roof o One the atobtobo, support the ridge roll. o Six inner sinit
posts, three on each side supports the girders running lengthwise.

➢ Laths are mortized on the 11 floor joists running across the girder.

➢ Mats made form reed can be rolled and washed.

➢ The floor frame accommodate platform and allow wall board to removed.

➢ Ladder at one end of the side wall considered the front. The interior of the house is bigger
because of the slanting wall.

➢ No ceiling.

➢ Floor made of reeds. The main section is the xassaran is surrounded on the three sides
slightly raised platform known as tamuyon.

➢ At the other end of the floor is the raised floor of the annex.
ISNEG COMMUNITY PLANNING

➢ Orientation-no standard orientation

➢ Granaries-located near the house or outside the clearing. Small temporary huts are
constructed near their worksite since Isneg were swidden farmers.

➢ Community-houses are scattered few kilometres apart; three to twelve houses built along
water ways. A village may consist of one cluster of several small cluster of houses. Farm they
have is also scattered.

➢ Houses were built in a clearing in circular or elliptical layout surrounded by fence.

➢ At the edge of the clearing are coffee, cacao, and coconut trees and beyond are grasses,
bushes, and ferns

IFUGAO

➢ Situated in the northern part of the Philippines in higher part of the Cordillera mountains in
the Mountain Province

➢ They are the Ipugo or earth people

➢ According to oral traditions, the Ipugo were decendants of sky god Kabunian.

➢ Their first ancestors were ‘Wigan and Bugan who left Kabunian and settled in Pugaw- a rich
fertile area now the Ifugao Presence of Ifugao on the mountains
1. Beyers’s theory that these people came from Indochina 2000 years ago and they knew
about wetland terraced farming and settled along mountain side. The looked for a
similar habitat to continue wetland terraced farming in the Philippines.
2. Keesing theory that they live in the lowland in the Magat area and were forced to
migrate up the mountain to escape Spaniards making the terraces about 400 years old.
Religious practices

➢ Polytheistic- worship of divinities

➢ Ancestral worship: take good care of remnants and bones of ancestors which they pray for

➢ god- anito
BELIEF IN CELESTIAL HEAVEN
1. the heavens which itself has four "superimposed heavens." (Heaven in the Sky or Kabunian)
2. Beneath it is Pugao, the known land. (Heaven on Earth)
3. Below is the underworld
4. and there is also the world upstream / forest and
5. the world downstream. Each area has a large number of spirits, each of which has a name
and belongs to one of 35 categories. Among them are ones associated with hero ancestors,
diseases, omens, messengers, celestial bodies.
Bulul – guardian of the rice crop of the Ifugao
SOCIO-CULTURAL CHARACTERSTICS
• No system of writing but culture and customary laws are transferred generationally handed
by oral traditions- rituals, chants, songs, dances, dramas, and folktales
• Customary laws include the protection of nature: building and maintaining the rice terraces
including forest, land and water management, any activity on agriculture
• Included in the protection of the forest is the control of logging used for the construction of
the houses: season to harvest the tree; what species of trees for construction and for wood
carving for their gods; how to make the forest healthy; the owners of muyong or the forest
woodlot are responsible for the health of the forest
• The muyong is privately owned but communally used. Land owners share the product.
• Rice Paddies: taken care of land owners Rice paddies
SOCIAL GROUPING
1. kadangayan- affluent, aristocrats with many possessions: rice land, water buffalo, slaves.
Lead the people about moral, laws and help community by lending money. Among them are
the chosen leader. Hagabi- bench placed outside their house as symbol of wealth/ affluence
Display of animal skull- sponsor of festivals (offer sacrife – chicken, pig, buddalo – showing
prestige that they were able to provide for festivities; head-hunting displayed human bones to
signify authority)
2. Natumuk –owns very little of land and other material things. Depend on kadangayan for
financial matters
3. nawatwar- poorest of the poor; do not have lands; serve as tenants of the rich
RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

➢ Religious ceremonies on Agriculture, hunting, good omen

➢ Performed by many priests at least 15 of them

➢ Verses of mythology were read

➢ Priest, mumbaki, chants the myth up to five hours

➢ Ritual dances and dramas ➢ Food given comes from kadangayan.

➢ Celebrate ritual with food sacrifices: dozens of chicken, pig, buffalo

➢ The rich sponsor the food sacrifices, get the skull and hung them at their houses as sign of
prestige in the community.
IFUGAO SETTLEMENT
➢ Bable
o Ifugao settlement district consisting of 8 to 12 houses occupied by more or less 30 people
o built wherever there is flat area on the terraces, near spring for fresh water or grove (group of
trees for protection from rain) for climate shield
o Houses in clusters of lined along the terrace
o Villages are classified based on location on the terrace, end or upper or upper part of the
mountain:
▪ Central -where the rich live
▪ Middle, Border or Lower – poor people live
o Property / territory boundaries are planted with betel nuts and other fruit trees o Circulation-
foot paths along stone terrace wall; construct foor path parallel to the terrace

➢ Muyong / Woodlot-traditional Forest management- privately owned forest lots but

communally used the people. The owners are responsible for the healthy condition of the
forest.

➢ Rice Paddies (Payoh): extended through sustainably burning the forest

➢ Hamlet (boble): within the rice paddies with flatter area with trees

➢ Water-management - very important for terraced farming water from the streams of the
forest are managed and monitored by assigned member of the community.

➢ Labor management - agricultural activities are scheduled per terraced plot to properly
distribute the farmers who will bot be planting and harvesting while might cause shortage of
labor.

➢ Tudung / Women’s basket: “Basket-like house” and “stretched-leg-like ladder”. The basket-
like description is from the tudung or the raincape used by women which when inverted is
used. as carrying basket.

➢ The house is compared to a woman figure: the ladder is the stretched leg, and the house is
the belly. Womb-the house has no windows only front and back door.

➢ Dark due to the soots coming from the fireplace – heater of the room

➢ Suggests womb-dark warm and enfolding, small interior

➢ Occupants-husband and wife and the smallest child

➢ Other children live in dormitories

➢ House interior-womb

➢ The house was included in the epic where Bugan and Wigan procreated and give birth to the
Ifugao people in the bale/fale PARTS OF THE IFUGAO HOUSE

➢ Roof atup -steep pyramidal roof covered with cogon grass protection for sun and rain
o Cogon: live on high altitude; vernacular to the place
o Bamboo and nipa: growd near banks of rivers and sea; low ground

➢ Wall gaub -wood planks laid at an angle fitted on groove on the floor beams, joists

➢ Walls with skeletons determines the number of animals consumed in festivities - show
prestige of the owner in hosting festivities

➢ Walls are slanted

➢ Stair-teteh removable ladder

➢ Halipan-rat guard

➢ 4 posts tukud made of wood or tree trunk or wood in mortise and tenon connection

➢ 2 girders kuling that one and tenon girder ties the 2 posts

➢ Silong- weaving and other activities take place; house on stilts; activities other than
agriculture

➢ Mundilig-outer end of the floor joist to support the floorboards

➢ Kuling 2 girders

➢ Halipan

➢ Tukud – 4 posts

➢ Stone floor for the silong

➢ Nundatu-space for the husband

➢ Na-ulya -space for the wife (smaller due to punchapalan)

➢ Punchapalan -Fire place with shelf for fireplace and drying food

➢ Patyie –shelf (to maintain pyramidal shape of the roof)

➢ Pyramidal roof for cold climate

➢ Palan- attic used for storing rice (barter, living, festivities)

➢ Bunghol rafter

➢ Wanan -purlins

➢ Taknang-king post where the square box supporting the pyramidal roof rests

➢ Ambubulan- square frame attached to king post to support the rafter of the roof

➢ Liub-girt

➢ Hagabi-made of wood

➢ Symbol of affluence

➢ Rites performed after the chair is finished

➢ Mortise and tenon joinery used in the construction of the Ifugao house. the house can be
dismantled and be constructed in other sites. No nails used.

➢ Cogon grass is changed every 15 years.

➢ Small houses: for children and family only; children and elderly live in their dormitories

➢ Womb: for procreation

➢ Cut short logs to ease of transportation