Ibaloi people

The Ibaloi (also spelled Ibaloy; Ibaloi:

ivadoy, /ivaˈdoj/) are an indigenous ethnic
group found in Benguet province of the
northern Philippines.[2] Ibaloi is derived
from i-, a prefix signifying "pertaining to"
and badoy or house, together then
meaning "people who live in houses". The
Ibaloi are one of the indigenous peoples
collectively known as Igorot (igudut, "hill-
dwellers"), who live in the cordillera central
of Luzon.[3]
 Ibaloi

Ivadoy

A woman in traditional Ibaloi clothing

Total population

209,338[1] (2020 census)

Regions with significant populations

Philippines (Cordillera Administrative

Region)

Languages
 Ibaloi, Ilocano, Tagalog

Religion

Christianity, indigenous folk religion

Related ethnic groups

Igorot peoples

1896 illustration of Ibaloi tattoo

patterns (burik), which are records of
war exploits and status
Distribution
The Ibaloi inhabit the southeastern part of
Benguet Province. The area is rich in
mineral resources like copper, gold, pyrite,
and limestone. Plants and animals are
also abundant in the forests and mountain
areas, and there is an extensive water
system that includes the Bued River, Agno
River, and Amburayan River. Mount Pulag,
the third highest mountain of the
Philippines, is found in their territory and is
a culturally important area as well,
considered the place where spirits join
their ancestors.[2]
The Ibaloi are distributed in the mountain
valleys and settlements. Their ancestors
are likely to have originated from the
Lingayen and Ilocos coasts, who then
migrated into the Southern Cordillera
range before settling. Ancestral land
claims by Ibaloi communities include parts
of Baguio.[4]

Language
The native language of the Ibaloi people is
Ibaloi, also known as Inibaloi or Nabaloi.[2]
It has three dialects: Bokod, Daklan and
Kabayan.[5] The Ibaloi often also speak
Ilocano and Tagalog as a second
language.
Culture
Ibaloi society is composed of the rich
(baknang) and three poor classes, the
cowhands (pastol), farmhands (silbi), and
non-Ibaloi slaves (bagaen).[2]

The Ibaloi have a rich material culture,

most notably their mummification
process, which makes use of saltwater to
prevent organ decomposition.[6] Pounded
guava and patani leaves are applied to the
corpse to prevent maggot or worm
infestation while the body dries, the
process taking anywhere from two months
to even a year until the body is hardened.[2]
The Ibaloi build their houses (balai or
baeng) near their farms. These are usually
built on five foot posts (tokod) and contain
only one room with no windows. Pine trees
are usually used to build the houses,
especially for wealthy families, while bark
bamboo for floors and walls, and cogon
grass for roofs (atup), are used by the
poor. For cooking, they use pots are made
of copper (kambung), and food
compartments (shuyu) and utensils made
of wood. Baskets and coconut shells are
also used as containers. A wooden box
filled with soil serves as the cooking place
(Shapolan), and three stones as the stove
(shakilan). Traditional weapons of the
Ibalois are the spear (kayang), shield
(kalasai), bow and arrow (bekang and
pana), and war club (papa), though they
are rarely used in present times. The Ibaloi
also employ cutting tools like knives, farm
tools, and complete pounding implements
for rice: mortars (dohsung), which are
round or rectangular for different
purposes, and pestles (al-o or bayu)of
various sizes, carved from sturdy tree
trunks and pine branches. Their rice
winnower (dega-o or kiyag) are made of
bamboo or rattan.[2]

Music is also important among the Ibaloi,

with the Jew's harp (kodeng), nose flute
(kulesheng), native guitar (kalsheng or
Kambitong), bamboo striking instruments,
drums (solibao), gongs (kalsa), and many
others. They are considered sacred, and
must always be played for a reason, such
as a cañao feast.[2]

Men wear a g-string (kuval), and the

wealthy include a dark blue blanket
(kulabaw or alashang) while the rest use a
white one (kolebao dja oles). Women wear
a blouse (kambal) and a skirt (aten or
divet). Gold-plated teeth covers (shikang),
copper leglets (batding), copper bracelets
(karing), and ear pendants (tabing) reflect
the benefits of mining for gold and copper.
Lode or placer mining is followed by ore
crushing using a large flat stone (gai-dan)
and a small one (alidan). The gold in the
resultant fine sand is then separated
(sabak) in a water trough (dayasan). The
gold is then melted into cakes.[2]

Older Ibaloi people may have tattooed

arms as a sign of prestige.[2]

Because of fertile soils and climate of

Benguet, the Ibaloi are predominantly
farmers. There are two varieties of rice.
These are the kintoman and talon. The
kintoman is the red variety of rice that is
long grained, tastier and comes in various
forms; the balatin-naw which is soft and
sticky when cooked, the shaya-ut which is
also soft, and the putaw which is slightly
rough on the palate when eaten. This
variety of rice is also used to make the
native rice wine called tafey. The second
variety of rice, the talon, on the other hand,
is the white lowland type that is planted
during the rainy season. Ibalois also plant
root crops like camote, gabi, cassava and
potatoes. Vegetation includes cabbage,
celery and pechay. There are also several
kinds of wild mushrooms in addition to
fruits like avocados, bananas and
mangoes grown in many areas. Meat
consumed includes pigs, cows, goats and
chickens as well as wild deer (olsa), wild
pigs (alimanok) and big lizard (tilay).
Lastly, the Ibaloi consume fish from the
few rivers in their area.[2] log

Religion
Many Ibalois are now Christians of various
denominations, though many of them still
practice traditional Ibaloi faith.

The Ibaloi believe in two kinds of spirits

(anitos). The nature spirits are associated
with calamities, while the ancestral ones
(ka-apuan) make their presence known in
dreams or by making a family member
sick.[2]
See also
Ibaloi language
Igorot people

log

References
1. "Ethnicity in the Philippines (2020 Census
of Population and Housing)" (https://psa.g
ov.ph/content/ethnicity-philippines-2020-c
ensus-population-and-housing) .
Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved
July 4, 2023.
2. Sumeg-ang, Arsenio (2005). "2 The
Ibaloys". Ethnography of the Major
 Ethnolinguistic Groups in the Cordillera.
Quezon City: New Day Publishers. pp. 28–
51. ISBN 9789711011093.
3. National Commission for Culture and Arts
(n.d.). "The Ibaloi Tribe" (https://web.archi
ve.org/web/20180318054137/http://kasib
u.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Ib
aloi-Tribe.pdf) (PDF). Archived from the
original (http://kasibu.gov.ph/wp-content/
uploads/2017/09/Ibaloi-Tribe.pdf) (PDF)
on 2018-03-18. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
4. Olea, Ronalyn V. (2007-03-25). "Ibalois,
Victims of Historical Injustice Laws failed
to recognize ancestral land rights" (http
s://www.bulatlat.com/2007/03/25/ibalois-
victims-of-historical-injustice-laws-failed-t
 o-recognize-ancestral-land-rights/) .
Bulatlat. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
5. "Glottolog" (https://glottolog.org/resourc
e/languoid/id/ibal1244) . Retrieved
9 November 2021.
. Carascal, Mark B.; Fontanilla, Ian Kendrich
C.; De Ungria, Maria Corazon A. (2021).
"The Ibaloi Fire Mummies: The Art and
Science of Mummification in the
Philippines" (https://doi.org/10.1537%2Fa
se.210422) . Anthropological Science.
129 (2): 197–202.
doi:10.1537/ase.210422 (https://doi.org/1
0.1537%2Fase.210422) .

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