BENGUET HERITAGE

(History, Cultural, and Beliefs)

Under Cordi 101

Overview

This unit deals with the rich history and sociocultural tapestry of Benguet. By exploring this unit, you
will gain a profound understanding of Benguet's ethnolinguistic groups and their distinct ways of life.
The unit is divided into three lessons, focusing on the settlements and territories, the ethnolinguistic
groups, and the literature, music, and dances of Benguet.

Benguet Geography

Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, Benguet was a vast, richly forested hunting ground with diverse
flora and fauna, where people lived in mountainous regions with an abundance of water resources
(Province of Benguet, 2021).

Major migration routes of different ethnolinguistic groups in Benguet from the 1500s (Bagasmaspad and
Hamada- Pawid 2010):

• o The first migration route followed the tributaries of the Aringay-Galiano rivers, moving people
to Chuyo and Tonglo in Tuba.
• o The second route went through the tributaries of the Amburayan River, leading to settlements
in Darew in Barangay Gaswiling and Palaypay in Kapangan.
• o The third route was along the Agno River, leading to the establishment of settlements in Imbose
along the Agno River in Pacso, Kabayan, and Amlimay in Kabayan and Buguias.

III. Reading Resources and Instructional Activities

1. Educational Institutions (Benguet's Education)

• o Oral Tradition: In the precolonial times, knowledge and skills were passed down through
storytelling, chants, songs, and rituals. This was led by pang-amaen/am-ama (elders) known for their
wisdom and experience.
• o American Influence: The American teachers known as the Thomasites revolutionized Benguet's
education system, particularly through their introduction of the "Three R's" – Reading, Writing, and
Arithmetic. The Thomasites innovatively employed an "adult class mode delivery" method. Evening
classes were conducted for adults who spent their days farming or engaging in other livelihood
activities. Through chalk and blackboards, under the light of the saleng and kerosene lamp on later
years, the Thomasites taught these adult learners how to read, write, and perform basic arithmetic.

2. Social Institutions (Ibaloy, Kankanaey, and Ikalahans)

• o In the Ibaloy society, there is a distinct division into classes, with the wealthy (baknang) and the
poor (abitug). The Kankanaey's society is organized around the 'ili' or village, which is their largest social
unit. For the Ikalahans, social structures are based largely on kinship, forming bilateral groups of kin for
mutual support (Cordillera Schools Group, 2003; Prill-Brett, 2015; Rice, 1974).
• o Aduyon/Alluyon: This Ibaloy and Kankana-ey system of mutual and reciprocal work (Adonis,
2011).
• o Khamal/Kamal: This Batares practice involves gathering neighbors to help with heavy-labor
projects, such as building a house or community projects
• o Albubo: This Kankana-ey tradition represents communal unity, helpfulness, and cooperation
(NCIP, 2021).
• o Dang-as/Da-ngah: This is the Kalanguya traditional practice of voluntary service.
•
III. Reading Resources and Instructional Activities

Games and Sports

• o Kadang-kadang – primarily, it is a racing game played using a pair of bamboo poles with equal
lengths and a stepladder of foot size to serve as the platform for
• the player’s feet. The bamboo has a height of 10 feet from the ground. (Yungco, 2012).
• o Dongba ni Kavajo – It is an Ibaloi term for horse race which aims to showcase the culture of
Cordillerans being a cowboy because of the influence of the American cowboys during the American
period. Horse riding is one of the cultures of the Cordillerans because horses were there during the old
times of civilization. The Dongba ni Kavajo is one of the most awaited event, during the Adivay festival.
The race has been celebrated every year since 1900’s at Wangal Oval, La Trinidad, Benguet (AGSHAN
ONLINE, 2017).

Literature
Cordillera literature, including that of the Benguet, is almost entirely oral, often featuring themes of
legends, myths, epics, riddles, and proverbs. It is traditionally recited or sung during special occasions
like wakes, rituals, and festivities (Chan, 2018).
Examples:
1. ad-dem is sung during the badjog ritual
2. angba during the cho-ongas ritual
3. agsangay during the tam-mo ritual
4. tah-miyas during wakes
5. ba'diw is used in various occasions or gatherings (Santos, 2017)
6. burburtia, are a form of entertainment and socialization, particularly during wakes

These are crafted based on observations of the environment (Chan, 2014; AGSHAN ONLINE, 2017).
Examples of riddles from Ibaloy, Kankanaey, and Kalanguya groups are provided (Department of
Education, 2003).

Dances and Musical Instruments

Tayaw/Tayao (Ibaloys, Kankana-eys, and Kalanguyas of Benguet). It is an expression of joy or

celebration and is not performed during a wake (Aplaten, 2012; Catimo, 2017). Examples (NCIP, 2021):
1. Tayaw ni Mabiday - performed by the surviving children of the deceased and
2. Iwak Basi Tayaw - a celebration of bountiful crop harvests

Tallak (Kankana-ey). It was originally performed to keep inhabitants awake and on guard against
enemies, but has evolved into a dance for community celebrations and festivals (NCIP, 2021). It was
named after the accompanying instrument made from annitap or annadong wood.

Bendian (originating from Kabayan, Benguet). It is a ritual and ceremonial dance to celebrate victory
and vengeance. It is now modified to honor Kaboniyan/Kabunian for a bountiful harvest (Aplaten, 2012;
Catimo, 2017).

Taychek (Karao people). It is performed by women wearing native attire to the tune of men playing the
Itondak music. It is performed during the cañao, a thanksgiving and healing ritual for sick family
members (NCIP, 2021).

Festivals

Adivay. This is an agro-tourism festival celebrated in Benguet that focuses on rediscovering the rich
history, culture, arts, trades, and industries of the province. It was conceptualized to bring together all
the tribes of Benguet to share their cultures, traditions, and successes.
Kapi/Kapi Festival. This festival celebrates the coffee culture of the province, highlighting the
importance of coffee in Benguet's economy.
Strawberry Festival (La Trinidad, Benguet). A celebration to promote the region's strawberries
through a parade, street dancing, trade fair, and strawberry picking.

Begnas (Kankanaey of Benguet). This is conducted to show gratitude to the spirits for a bountiful
harvest and to ask for guidance and protection for the next planting season.

Reading Resources and Instructional Activities

The Benguet people's spiritual beliefs and value system inform their worldviews and customs, involving
the belief in benevolent gods and specific rituals for their invocation. (Lewis, 1992). They believe in
unseen beings or spirits originating from the skyworld and the underworld, exerting influence over
humans (Sacla, 1987; Baucas, 2003).
Spirits are categorized into those associated with people (living or dead) and those related to natural
entities like forests, rivers, and the underworld (Baucas, 2003). Deities have distinct specialties, and the
intervention of a deity requires a priest (manbunung) to recite the right prayers and present appropriate
offerings (Lewis, 1992).

Kabunyan is the supreme unseen god with power over other gods and spirits (Baucas, 2003). Spiritual
leaders, or native priests, play a crucial role in the community. They perform rituals, interpret omens,
provide comfort and healing, and give thanks to deities (Sacla, 1987).
The inayan value system speaks to the interconnectedness of all things, influencing conduct, ethics, and
values within family, community, and the environment. This system encourages respect for nature and
promotes social values like compassion, cooperation, and harmony with the environment (Province of
Benguet, 2021).

There is an unwritten law (lawa, pidjew/pi’jew, paniyew/panyew, or inayan) that supports peaceful
relationships and discourages acts harmful to others or the environment. It is based on the fear of
offending perceived beings and reinforces responsibility, respect, and goodness (Province of Benguet,
2021).

Reading Resources and Instructional Activities

Benguet peoples have long followed unwritten customary laws, which regulate various aspects of life
such as inheritance, marriage, and crime detection and punishment, with some variations between the
different ethnolinguistic groups (Sacla, 1987; Moss, 1920). Notable Benguet rituals include the
follo(Province of Benguet, 2021):
• o Peshit/Pedit: A series of celebrations performed by the wealthy class for increased prestige and
social recognition
• o Lawit and Kafi: Performed after a burial for the protection of the living relatives
• o Ngilin: A ritual of mourning observed after a marriage or death
• o Sepdat and Timungaw: Healing rituals performed by the mansip-ok/mansib-ok and the
mambunong
• o Keshaw/Kedaw: Rituals to cure illness caused by discontented spirits of dead relatives
• o Pakde/Pakshel, Forest Management, and Diyaw, which show respect for nature
• o Ubbo or Alluyon/Aduyon, Dang-as or Da-ngah, and Tongtong, which show respect for
others

Reading Resources and Instructional Activities

Health, illnesses, and healing among the Benguet people are knotted with spiritual beliefs and
practices, involving deities, rituals, and intervention of the mansip-ok
and mambunong. Examples of Benguet’s Indigenous Healing Practices:

• o Selshey ni Sakit/ Keshow (Ibaloy): This is a ritual to ward-off diseases, misfortunes, or strained
relations. It involves offerings of tapey (rice wine), tobacco, and a black pig, along with a prayer by the
mambunong. The ritual has been performed recently to drive away the Covid-19 virus (NCIP, 2021).
• o Aspol (Karao): This ritual is performed to heal someone who is unconscious, unaware, or
insane. It is believed that the person's soul was taken by bad spirits. The ritual involves offerings of farm
tools, chicken, and tapey (rice wine), and a prayer by the mambunong for the return of the lost soul and
restoration of the sound mind (NCIP, 2021).

Reading Resources and Instructional Activities

Benguet textiles were influenced by traders and migrants from the lowland, originally coming from the
Ilocanos of Tagudin and Bangar, Ilocos Province (Sacpa-ey & Tabangcura, 2009). Textiles were once
associated with wealth and status. Various designs are incorporated, often featuring the figure "x" and
an eyelet design (Sacpa-ey & Tabangcura, 2009). For the Ibaloy: Women's skirt: divit or etten; Women's
blouse: kambal/sa-dey/sambra; Rich women: wear red and black; Headbands, bead necklaces, and
bronze bracelets or karing; Men: wear kubal or binoslan as loin cloth. For the Kankanaey: Similar attire
to the Ibaloy with differences in color designs; Attire: bangkodo; Men: wear g-string called wanes or
kuba, a head wraparound called bedbed, and a hat made of rattan or balaka. For the Karao: Men: wear
kogal (a g-string) and bengel (a headgear); Women: wear a blouse called sambra and a skirt called safey.
For the Kalanguya: Men: wear a loincloth or G-string called kubal; Women: wear woven skirts called
lakba and a blouse from the same material (Sumeg-ang, 2005). For the Iwak: Men: wear a loincloth or
kubal; Women: wear a skirt called etten (Nueva Viscaya State University, n. d.).

One of the arts of Benguet is tattooing. It is a significant part of Benguet culture in the past. Tattooed
mummies, such as those in Kabayan and Apo Anno of Buguias, showcase this tradition. The term for
tattooing varies among the indigenous languages: bátek (Ibaloy, Lepanto) and bátak (Kankanaey). The
term burik refers to a person "tattooed all over the body" in the Ibaloy-speaking communities (Province
of Benguet, 2021).

Reading Resources and Instructional Activities

Indigenous people of the Cordillera view land as equivalent to life, both being gifts from the Creator
personified as Kabunian, Lumauig, Umayayong, Mah-nongan, or Wigan for the Ifugaos (Molintas,
2004). In Benguet, land was granted by Kabunyan for cultivation, care, and sustenance, encapsulating
all resources below and above the earth's surface. The Ibaloy traditionally based economic and ritual
activities on the “primi occupanti” principle, which means boundaries were established through
improvements and resource exploitation in a particular geographic area (Prill-Brett, 2015). Traditional
Ibaloys engaged in wet-rice agriculture, swidden farming, mining, hunting, and fishing. The 'baknang'
or rich employed others to help with animal care, ritual preparation, land tilling, and other tasks
(Albano, 2017). Land use depended on the occupant and the favors they received from various gods and
spirits (Hamada-Pawid, 1983).
Forest conservation systems and practices in the Cordillera are unique to each community but share
many similarities. A forest lot or “chontog” among the Karaos in Bokod, Benguet, was communally
managed and included several specific use areas:
kadasan (mossy forest), kejowan (pine forest), budusan/pastolan (pastureland), nikayan (food gathering
area), uma (shifting cultivation system), and payew (rice fields) (Ngohayon et.al., 2015). Conversion of
forests to agricultural lands for commercial vegetable farming and logging for lumber, driven by
increasing needs and wants, have eroded the indigenous way of life and led to environmental impacts
(Prill-Brett, 2015). However, despite the changes, the traditional concept of land in Benguet as a shared
resource that cannot be sold or used as collateral persists, with the expectation that it must be passed on
to one's heirs (Hamada-Pawid, 1983).

Reading Resources and Instructional Activities

The Ibaloy People's Council of Elders use their customary justice system for conflict resolution, often
settling disputes amicably through elders (Buendia and Brillantes, 2015). The Kankana-ey people, on the
other hand, practice Sapata, where in the absence of strong evidence or witnesses, the accused and the
accuser swear to adi-kaila (unseen, higher entities) and let them decide the guilt (Adonis, 2011).

Tongtong, a traditional dispute resolution practice, is used to settle disputes within the community,
including land boundary disputes and other crimes. The practice involves a gathering of elders who
resolve the conflict, often resulting in penalties such as feeding the arbiters or the community
(Cordillera Schools Group, Inc., 2003). Tongtong is used to resolve various cases, including relationship
conflicts, property matters, and behavior-related issues (Rice, 1974).
Common principles of the tongtong observed among ethnolinguistic groups of Benguet include:
immediate, final and executory judgment; public hearings with everyone invited to express their
opinions; immediate restoration of broken relationships through community celebrations; and
involvement of the guilty party's kin in the payment of fines
(Province of Benguet, 2021). The tongtongan or tavtaval aims to resolve conflicts through dialogue rather
than establishing guilt and severing relationships. Penalties are enforced through customary methods
such as the butchering of animals. The conduct of tongtong includes: initiation by the offended party;
public narration of the case by both parties; presentation of opinions by the elders leading to a
consensus; finalization of the consensus decision and immediate enforcement through community
celebration (Rice, 1974).

La Trinidad Strawberry Farm (Panorama View)