Philippine Normal University

National Center for Teacher Education

The Indigenous People’s Education Hub
North Luzon Campus
Alicia, Isabela

DE GUZMAN JASON MARK P. III-BSSE

Narrative in Yogad’s Ritual of the Boat (“Ritwal ng Banca”)

Yogad as Malayo-Polynesian, belonging to the Austronesian language family. Locally, it
is categorized under the Ibanagic group of the Northern Cordilleran languages found in the
Cagayan Valley, which also includes Gaddang, Itawit, Villaviciosa Agta, Ibanag, Atta, and Isnag
(Simons et al., 2017).

The Yogads are one of the smallest minority groups in Isabela, but the Yogad tribe in
Echague, Isabela is quite different. They wore old costumes in the Spanish style with vivid blue
and red colors. They have tiny mirrors on the front and back that are strategically attached.
They've got swords and they seem to be ready to fight. They did not come to the mountains from
deep below, nor did they dwell by the sea. Many decades ago, they sailed all the way from
Mindanao, but today, as an indigenous group, they face extinction.

They originally came from Mindanao, according to one of the Yogads, which is evident
by their colorful garments similar to the Tawi-tawi and Sulu Sama people. The Yogads have
physical characteristics similar to Indonesians, brown-colored skin with deep set eyes, because of
being natural hunters, males are typically stocky and well-built. They are also warriors the
Spaniards had difficulty conquering before, so they made them society's elites. They have a
proud attitude and are still insisting on being "right"

Methods

The study focuses on collecting information and organizing it to Ritwal ng Banca

practice. Hence, the researcher will use the qualitative research design.

The respondents of the study are the Yogads of Echague, Isabela that already experienced
the ritual regardless if they are the one of the performers or one of the audiences.
 The researcher drafts an unstructured interview guide to elicit the information needed in
this study. The interviewees were identified and an appointment was set with each of them, with
a mention of the objectives of the researcher for the preparation of each interviewee.

The interview will be recorded, with the knowledge and permission of the interviewee.
Follow up questions will be raised to clarify information laid by each interviewee. Photos will
also be taken to document the proper ceremony of Ritwal sa Banca

The study will be using ethnographic research method in order to have an authentic and
primary data that will be useful in the field of ethnography. In this field, it will be easier to focus
on one lens which is to explore cultural phenomena where the researcher observes society from
the point of view of the subject of the study.

The gathered pieces of information will be organized to answer the specific problems to
be addressed in this study.

Results and Discussions

By tradition, the Yogads are animistic, only recently that some of them have converted to
Christianity. Up to now, they still follow some of the traditions. One of their healing traditions,
called the Ritwal ng Banca, was still being demonstrated by Nanay Melba Mangadap Flores, a
Yogad Healer (Ritual of the Boat). It is synonymous with the voyage by boat of the Yogads to
where they now live. It takes two days for the banca ritual. According to her, the first day is
when a miniature boat is made by Nanay Melba that they name “dakit”. She said no one is
authorized to build a boat other than a healer. They can copy it, but while making the boat, the
Oracion (prayer) is important. Nanay Melba told me someone was tried to copy the boat, but
they ended up being mad afterwards. The “dakit” is colorful to make it attractive to the roaming
spirits.

There have also been offerings set out that she calls “Panyaman”. It comprises a mixture
of yellow rice products topped with an egg, nganga (betel nut), tobacco and suman (sticky rice).
While singing a spiritual song, the healer will do a dance with the ships, passing it on to the one
with the ailment. The healer will slip into a state of trance during the ritual. A spirit is thought to
have entered the body of the healer to diagnose the ill, heal and capture the spirit that causes the
illness. The spirit will then be stuck in the boat. The next day, along with the spirit causing the
illness that would ultimately cure the person with the ailment, the “dakit” would be sent off to
the river.

Conclusion

The Yogads have a rich intangible heritage as manifested in their rituals. Even though
influenced by Christianity and by the Spaniards, the Yogad Tribe still tries to preserve this type
of tradition by means of showcasing the importance of these traditional rituals to the history of
Yogads in Echague, Isabela. By means of preservation of these traditions of the Yogad tribe we
can say that Yogads have a very colorful history with a strong belief to animistic entities by
means of traditional healing and rituals being presented in this research. These practices may be
weird and improper but the underlying sense points to the Yogads trying to protect their love
ones from the unseen and the unknown which are incomprehensible to them. Not only should
there be a strong effort to conserve these precious legacies, but to make them a living force that
will cultivate the importance of being in harmony with nature and God.

Recommendations

The following recommendations are formulated in able to enhance the capabilities of this
research.

 This research must undergo deeper discovery and explore the other aspects of “Ritwal ng
Banca” for deeper understanding of the culture of Yogads.
 The researchers must immerse themselves in the actual “Ritwal ng Banca” and document
the said phenomena in able to identify the other importance and other traditions in doing
this said tradition.
 The researchers must also conduct interviews on other parts of the region where Yogads
reside in able to compare what is the difference and similarities in the said area.
 Elicit more of the details of the ritual.

References:
http://www.copag.msu.ac.th/conference4/files/PDF/19.3.Hilda%20A.%20Manzolim%20868-
882.pdf
https://www.seameo.org/_ld2008/doucments/Presentation_document/MicrosoftPowerPointYOG
AD_AND_GADDANG_RITUALSI.pdf
http://papers.iafor.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/librasia2016/LibrAsia2016_21867.pdf