Ibaloi:

The Ibaloi (also spelled Ibaloy; Ibaloi: ivadoy, /ivaˈdoj/) are an indigenous ethnic group found
in Benguet province of the northern Philippines. 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.

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.
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.
Language:
The native language of the Ibaloi people is Ibaloi, also known as Inibaloi or Nabaloi. It has three
dialects: Bokod, Daklan and Kabayan. 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).
The Ibaloi have a rich material culture, most notably their mummification process, which makes use
of saltwater to prevent organ decomposition. 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.
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.
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.
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.
Older Ibaloi people may have tattooed arms as a sign of prestige.
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.
Religion:
The religion of the Ibaloys is that of polytheism and animism. They do notworship any god in the form of
statues and carvings but they believe in spirits of ancestors whom they call amed and of a supreme being
they generally call Kavuniyan or Kabunyan.
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.
Tattoo:
Among the Ibaloi people, tattoos are known as burik.
It is practiced by both men and women, who were
among the most profusely tattooed ethnic groups of
the Philippines. Burik traditions are extinct today.
The most characteristic burik design was the wheel-
like representation of the sun tattooed on the backs
of both hands. The entire body was also tattooed
with flowing geometric lines, as well as stylized
representations of animals and plants.