 “Gaddang” may also derive from ga, meaning “heat” or “fire,” and dang or “burn,” and

thus means “burned by heat.” A popular myth among the non-Gaddang, which the
Gaddang hold with some amusement, is that “gaddang” is the word for “carabao,”
which may be a way of likening its skin color to that of the Gaddang.
 The Gaddang are found in northern Nueva Vizcaya, particularly Bayombong, Solano,
and Bagabag on the western bank of the Magat River; southwestern Isabela,
particularly Santiago City, Angadanan, Cauayan City, and Reina Mercedes on the
Cagayan River for Christianized groups; western Isabela, along the edges of Kalinga
and Bontoc, in the towns of Antatet, Dalig, and the barrios of Gamu and Tumauini for
the non-Christianized communities; and to a lesser extent, eastern parts of Ifugao
and Mountain Province of the Cordillera Administrative Region. Related groups are the
Yogad and Iraya.

 In ancient times, the Gaddang might have come from the north, entering the Cagayan
River at its mouth. Details from the epic of Biwag and Malana suggest that the
Gaddang may have been the first to occupy the Cagayan Valley after the Aeta. Moving
upriver, the Gaddang encountered the Ilongot. These early Gaddang were Proto-
Philippineasians who already had knowledge of the uma or kaingin (swidden or slash-
and-burn) system of agriculture.

The Gaddang Way of Life

 Two farming systems are practiced in the cultivation of the Gaddang’s staple crop,
which is rice, corn, and root crops : the uma cultivation by the upland Gaddang, and
plow farming by the lowland Gaddang.
 Uma cultivation is divided into two periods per year: mabini (rice-growing season),
which lasts from July to December, and the mamula (season of other domesticated
plants growing), from January to July. The uma system is dry cultivation; thus, the
uma farmer plants rice by digging a hole in the ground with a sharply pointed stick,
scooping a handful of about ten rice grains from a belt basket, and dropping the
grains into the hole.
 The Gaddang continue to follow this practice because they believe that this method
guarantees the satisfactory quality and quantity of the rice harvest. Because the
grains that are placed in the holes for planting are not covered over by soil, these are
easy prey for birds. Up to the mid-1960s, birds were driven away by a mechanism
made of bamboo clappers fastened to one another by rattan strips.

 During the mamula season, as many as 25 varieties of vegetables and fruits,

generically called mula, were planted, such as camote, mung bean, sitaw (cowpea),
patola (sponge gourd), garlic, tomato, nana (millet), banana, yam, taro, saluyot
(jute), ampalaya (bitter melon), kangkong (swamp cabbage), kulitis (spineless
amaranth), mustasa (leaf mustard), red pepper, papaya, and sugarcane, etc. At
present only seven different plants are grown in the uma. Banana, of which the
Gaddang know 12 varieties, is the most important of these food plants. Sugarcane is
cultivated as a source of wine.
  The hunting and trapping of simaron (wild animals) used to be done with the help of
dogs and the use of spears. Edible insects are caught. Presently, only birds are hunted
because forest animals such as wild boar, deer, monkeys, and fruit bats have
disappeared along with their habitat. The river provides an abundance of fish, frogs,
and shellfish. Traditionally, the women fish with pole and line and the men with net
and spear. However, where dynamite fishing is practiced, these food sources have
become scarce. Domesticated pigs and chicken, collectively called ayam, are raised for
food and in the past, for use as sacrificial animals in their rituals. The occasional uma
farmer who owns a dafug (carabao) does not use it in the field but rents it out to
lowland plow farmers for rice.

OTHER INFOS:

 The Gaddang have universally shifted to lowland plow farming, which divides the year
into two seasons: the rice-corn season from April to October, and the tobacco season
from October to March. Alternatively, if the farm is planted entirely to corn, it is
planted and harvested twice in the year within these two seasons. The permanent
field, which has an average size of two hectares, is planted mainly to corn for three
reasons: It is a cash crop, whereas rice is for family subsistence; corn is hardier than
rice because it can survive amidst cogon grass; and it is less labor intensive than rice,
which requires the building and maintenance of paddy dikes. The mula or vegetable
and fruit plants, as opposed to ornamental ones, are grown in large tin cans standing
in a row in the yard.

POLITICS

 Although no permanent structure or formal ceremony gave recognition to an overall

ruler, one chief might be held in greater esteem than others by the chiefs of
neighboring villages. There also may arise one who could talk more fluently and
logically than others who may become the head of the community. Largely, however,
there were no formal political structures.
 The pudon is a peace pact between communities.
 Peace-pact leaders resolve conflicts between members of their respective
communities through open discussion and consensus as to the penalty to be imposed
on the guilty party.
 Civil authorities intervene only when a crime is committed by a member of a
community that is not a peace-pact holder. Participating communities are guaranteed
safe travel through each other’s territory.

Gaddang Social Organization and

Customs
 The tabalayan (household) is the basic unit of society. It consists of the nuclear
family, composed of the ama (father), ina (mother), ulitang (uncle), ikit (aunt), kolak
(sibling), kapingsan (cousin), anak (child), and panganakan (nephew or niece)

BABIES
  Babies were given only one name. An infant son was named after his paternal
grandfather; a daughter after her maternal grandmother. Alternatively, the baby
might be named after a plant or a sound made by an animal.
 Today, the Gaddang follow the standard practice for all Filipino citizens at birth: The
parents fill up a birth certificate on which a first, middle, and surname need to be
provided for the newborn. And unlike those born before the 1960s, everyone knows
his or her exact birthdate.

PHASES OF GADDANG CYCLE

 The phases in the Gaddang life cyle are marked by anitu rituals, four of which are also
prestige feasts. The sponsors of the ceremony and their immediate family are the
principals of the ritual although they themselves have no role to play in its
performance.
 The first of a series of four prestige feasts to be hosted by a couple in their lifetime is
the kurawit. Lasting a day and a night, it is sponsored by a newlywed couple to ensure
a happy family life. The great number of guests is the measure of its success.
 The makadwa is sponsored by the head of the family when he is in his late 20s, and
the makalu, in his late 30s. Both events demonstrate that his family is on its way to
becoming kamaran (wealthy) because of his capacity to host a feast with at least
three pigs and enough rice and wine to feed guests for three days and nights.
 The most important anitu ritual is the among (grand feast), marking the peak of a
Gaddang’s life, which he reaches in his late 40s. The rites are much like the makadwa
and makalu, and the event lasts for the same length of time, except that the feast is
much more lavish, with pigs, rice, and wine in even greater quantity than those at the
first two rituals. The host may honor a cousin or close friend with a request to be his
tuwan (partner), who would share in the expenses for the feast by donating a pig and
some rice. Few Gaddang are able to sponsor an among.

MARRIAGE
Traditionally, women from 12 to 14 years old and men from 17 to 22 are considered of
marriageable age. A boy may either inform his parents about a girl that he desires to marry,
or the parents themselves will seek a bride for him. Because the couple will receive their
inheritance on their pisel (wedding) day, families prefer their children’s prospective spouse
to be of the same socioeconomic status. Prospective spouses from another village are also
preferred so that the families’ relationship networks are widened.

TABOOS
Traditionally, the Gaddang observe many taboos, and breaking any one of these invites
illness, general misfortune, and even death. Most taboos center around birth, puberty, and
death.
 Within a five-month period after giving birth, a mother cannot eat sugarcane,
pineapple, jackfruit, or fish killed by dynamite; nor can any person other than an
immediate relative or midwife enter the house where the child was born within the
same period; otherwise, the mother, the child, or both will die.
 From puberty and for all of her childbearing life, a woman may not eat sweets during
menstruation, lest this cause the menstrual flow to cease and lead to sickness or
death.
  It is forbidden for a girl to sleep on the same mat as her father after she reaches
puberty and for a boy to sleep on the mat of his mother after about the age of 15 or
16. If they do, sickness would visit a member of the household.
 Finally, when someone dies, the house in which the person died must be abandoned,
otherwise illness or misfortune will come to those left behind.

These traditional beliefs, taboos, and practices have been replaced by modern ones through
formal education, mass media, and Christian teachings. Before 1950, only one male
Gaddang might have reached high school and only because he happened to be living in the
municipal center. Today, high school is theoretically accessible to everyone, and there will be
a few who will go to college in the municipal centers. However, farm work still keeps the
boys away from school during certain months, either in the family’s fields or as hired labor
for others.

Religious Beliefs and Tribal Practices of

the Gaddang People
In the Gaddang pantheon of deities,
 Nanolay is both creator of all things and a culture hero. Nanolay is a fully benevolent
god, never inflicting pain or punishment on the Gaddang. He is responsible for the
origin and development of the world.
 Other gods include Dasal, to whom the epic warriors Biwag and Malana prayed for
strength and courage before going off to their final battle. The fathers of the two
heroes are Bunag, the god of the earth, and Limat, the god of the sea.
 Ilosa, the Gaddang universe, is composed of dufafa (earth) and kalekay (afterworld).
Ilosa is a place where all living things originated, the place where Nanolay performed
his acts of creation.
 Dufafa is a world where famine, sickness, death, and uncertainty reign, but the
concept of kalekay remains vague to many Gaddang. It is simply the place of
Nanolay, Ofag, and kararawa (soul).
 Ofag is Nanolay’s cousin but does not have Nanolay’s creative powers.
 Kararawa are the souls of dead creatures, human or nonhuman. Upon death, the
souls of all creatures go up to the kalekay, except cats which are reborn as ants, and
chickens which are reincarnated into butterflies.
 In kalekay, the kararawa go about living as they lived on earth. Thus, the gaddang
concept of the afterlife is based on their life as it is in the here and now. The dufafa is
composed of people, domesticated plants, ghouls, and sickness. This concept of the
world reflects the Gaddang’s fear of danger brought about by a history of head taking
and a life of disease and material need.

 The Gaddang believe in two kinds of illness: the sickness caused by evil spirits and
the hurt or injury suffered in accidents such as those caused by falling, muscle
sprains, and insect bites. Blindness, insanity, birth defect, skin disease, goiter,
deafness, and malaria are other illnesses outside the first two classifications. Most
 “hurts” are attributed to natural causes, that is, it is “natural” for an insect to bite or
for a person to accidentally cut his or her leg with a knife.

 However, illnesses could also be caused by evil spirits.

 The bingil are forest ghouls in misshapen human form, with very large eyes that
glow in the dark. They cause convulsion, followed by death within two days.
 The aran is a forest spirit resembling mist, which floats into the village at night and
possesses a sleeping person, who then goes insane before dying.
 The angakokang causes a person to fall gravely ill when he or she hears it whining
like a dog deep in the night.
 The aled are invisible spirits living in parts of the forest like rocks and trees but can
take on visible human or animal form. Their food consists of human corpses, and
their touch causes general weakness and death within a few days.
 sThe most frightening spirits are the karangat, shape-shifting ghouls like the aled but
with a mouthful of fangs. They disguise themselves as innocent objects in the village,
like a chicken or post, so that they can touch people, who will then fall ill, go insane,
and die. The only way a karangat can be killed is to be tricked into taking betel nut
chew in the mouth, eyes, and nose, and then allowing the lime in the chew to be
mixed with water, so that it would boil and choke the karangat to death.

The Gaddang protect themselves from all these evil spirits, omens, taboos, and malevolent
spirits by establishing a harmonious relationship between themselves and the world of other
natural and supernatural beings. Between the makamong and the mabayen, it is the former
who has the greater ability to communicate with supernatural forces in order to invoke their
aid or to appease them. She is the principal performer of the anitu rites and other rituals
related to planting, harvesting, death, warfare, sickness, or misfortune. The mabayen’s
primary role is to chant from a repertoire of myths and ritual formulas in a specialized
“mabayen language.”

“Anitu” to the Gaddang does not refer to an ancestral spirit as it does in Mountain Province,
but to a system of beliefs centered on a supernatural power. This is because the term means
“that which is followed by all.” The supreme being, Nanolay, is not addressed directly but
through anitu, which can only be viewed as benevolent. Thus, there is no such thing as a
narakat a anitu (bad anitu). The second meaning of “anitu” is the ritual that is held to ask
for the spirits’ aid in curing the sick, appease them when a taboo has been broken, and
invoke them to ensure a long and healthy life. During the anitu rituals, a pig or chicken is
sacrificed by the makamong while the mabayen chants the ritual prayers.

The most significant anitu rituals are those celebrating the seven phases in the Gaddang life
cyle. The agagwa is a simple rite that is held to keep evil spirits away as a house is being
built. The balog, which lasts a day, is held to initiate a 9- or 10-year-old child’s entry into the
human and supernatural world of the Gaddang. The binatung is the final anitu that is hosted
by the head of the household to celebrate his fullness of age. The other four anitu are called
kurawit for a house blessing; makadwa and makalu, both hosted by a man in the prime of
his life;and among, hosted by a man in his 40s to celebrate his life’s achievements. Although
just as spiritually meaningful, these are primarily prestige feasts serving as occasions for
tightening community relations and indicating the host’s socioeconomic status.
Today, the Gaddang adhere to Christian norms of worship and ritual and no longer practice
the rites of anitu.

Gaddang Community
In the old days, the Gaddang lived in houses built on high branches of trees. These afung
(dwellings) were built 6 to 20 meters from ground level. Entry to the afung was through a
detachable ladder, which was drawn up at night for security. The construction of the afung
was probably in response to Ilongot head taking raids. As the communities grew bigger,
lower houses became common. Until the mid-1960s, a few afung still existed, but now it has
gone the way of the head taking practices.

There are two types of settlements depending on the farming system followed by the
residents. Where the uma system is practiced, the families live in a dispersed settlement
where houses, granaries, swidden fields, and footpaths form no definite shape. The Gaddang
practicing plow farming live in more clustered houses in a village structure no different from
the standard Philippine barrio.
The traditional house measures anywhere from five to 16 square meters and is raised one to
two meters on piles. People enter the house on a bamboo ladder. The shape of the house is
rectangular. The walls are of bamboo, which may be thatched with grass or husk. The floor
is of split bamboo slats placed a centimeter or two apart. Cogon-thatched roofs slowly arch
downward from a central horizontal beam all the way to the lower part of the walls. The
parts of the house are tied together, not nailed, with split rattan, although in the 1960s,
metal wire had begun to replace the rattan ropes.

Indigenous Gaddang Attire

Tattooing was common to both men and women, with designs imprinted on their arms, legs,
and fingers. The men had theirs on the breast. They believed that being tattooed assured
them passage to heaven. Plain white teeth were considered ugly, especially among the
affluent class. The upper teeth were filed until they were pointed, and these were dyed a
dark blue. A chief had small golden pegs attached to his teeth.

Traditional attire for Gaddang women includes the tapis, also known as aken, a lengthy
piece of cotton cloth wound around the waistline and falling loosely down to the knees; and
burasi or barawsi, a long-sleeved, round-necked, collarless, and waist-length blouse. The
women weave the cloth for these garments from homegrown cotton dyed in natural colors.
Dark blue and red are the standard colors for their everyday wear. In olden days, Gaddang
women did not have upper garments except during feast days.

The women used to weave the men’s traditional garment, the most basic of which is the
abag (G-string). This is held up by bakwat (a girdle), whose flap is weighted down on the
hem by fringes made of beads.
Customary Beliefs and Practices
The beliefs and principles in life of the Gaddang passed from their ancestors to the present generations are seen
in their daily ways of living. These are observed during events like baptisim, birthdays, wedding, fiestas,
healing and death and burial and other social gatherings. Baptism for the Gaddang is giving honor to God and to
give the right of the child for a name to be recognized as a member of the society. The customary practices
during baptism are the tunnad ( food offering for the spirit of ancestors), inviting friends and relatives to attend
the occasion, the pagala,and pakangkamman piddan (dancing and giving money to the newly baptized child so
that he/she will grow healthy and prosperous), cooking and serving foods with the help of relatives and
neighbors

The child is a source of happiness among the Gaddangs, a priceless possession. They celebrate their birthdays
as a form of thanksgiving because the child and their family received so much blessings and these should be
shared to other people in the community. It is also believed that if the child’s birthday is not celebrated, sickness
may fall on her/him. During the celebration, delicacies such as pinalattat ( rice cake), pinatarak (a combination
of small rounded rice dough, banana, yam cooked in coconut milk) are prepared. Nobody is allowed to eat
without the customary belief warit (food offering for the unseen spirits) performed. After the warit is done, all
visitors eat, sing and dance. The presence of friends and relatives during birthday celebrations are highly valued
by the Gaddangs. The occasion strengthens kinship

Fiesta is another much observed custom and tradition by the Gaddangs. This is to give thanksgiving to God for
the manifold blessings. This is also a time for coming home for those living and working in other places. This is
also the time to entertain political leaders and influential people. This customary belief and practice is patterned
from the Spaniards. A result of acculturation and diffusion where the old tradition is not forgotten but the new
structure not totally established

The Gaddangs have their traditional and customary ways during weddings. The celebration starts with patontol (
a ritual to drive away evil spirits where there is spontaneous hitting of the attung (mortar)and allu (pestle) while
the male family members of the groom dance around the hollow and the female members of bride’s family clap.
The customary practices in marriage are then observed in the church ceremony. After the ceremony in the
church, the newly weds proceed to the bride’s residence where relative await at the entrance to perform the
pakuwad (shower of coins and rice grains) so that the couple will be blessed with abundance and happy life,
then the couple enter the house walking side by side for the next customary belief- a prayer called ammeda
maabban ( not to lose minds) led by elders. After the prayer, the couples kiss the hands of the parents to give
respect and then proceed to the pabbodan (dance hall) for the pagala ( the couple dance while the visitors and
relatives pin money to their clothes). Balyawan, the last wedding ritual, is performed with the elders and eight
pairs of boys and girls from family where both parents are alive. The elders sing advice to the newlyweds while
the boys and girls dance, with them kicking each others feet. This is done to ensure long life and prosperity for
the newlyweds.

Gaddangs believe that long term sickness is caused by supernatural beings such as the unseen spirit or the
caralua (soul of their dead ancestor or relatives or former owner of the lot where their house is built). Healing of
the sick is done through an albularyu (medium ) who talk to the caralua (spirit). The warit is done to show
respect to the souls of their dead loved ones and other caralua. Mangacao is a ritual to bring back the soul or
spirit of the child alledgedly possessed by unseen spirits. Another is pamanyok where the godparents of the sick
child participate in the ritual. In these instances of healing the sick caused by unseen forces, the albularyu
performs the warit (food offering) to appease the spirits and that the sick will be healed. These customary
beliefs and practices are somewhat forgotten by some Gaddangs when they come in contact with the new
structure brought by education through the classroom and interaction with other culture. Another is the result of
intermarriage with other culture. Nowadays, Gaddangs go to physicians when there is sick in the family. But
when a situation calls for adherence to the tradition, the Gaddangs go back to their roots of faith

The customary beliefs and practices of the Gaddangs during death and burials are combination of the old and
new. While they assimilated themselves with the modern practice of embalming the dead, they still believe in
wearing white twine on the forehead, a sign of mourning and to prevent headaches from lack of sleep during the
wake. Wearing of red colored dress is prohibited to show respect to the dead and to the bereaved family. They
still believe that when a butterfly gets near the coffin, the spirit of the dead or other relatives are present. The
family and relatives offer prayer for the soul of the dead as practice today. The dead is brought to the church for
a mass before interment and do the customary rituals accordingly like washing of hands and wetting the
forehead with the hot water from boiled guava leaves to prevent headache and body pains of family members,
relatives and all those who attended the funeral.

Once stereotyped as “untamed” and “dangerous,” the Gaddang people are actually calmer
compared to their neighboring tribes. Typically categorized between highlanders and
lowlanders, Gaddangs occupy parts of the Cagayan Valley region, mostly in Central Isabela,
Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and Cagayan. They used to be a very large group of people;
however, during the Spanish occupation, the lowlanders intermingled with others in the
valley, such as the Ilocanos and Ibanags, while others fled to the Cordillera and Sierra
Madre Mountains to escape Spanish oppression. This has caused their population to
decline, especially since many of them are actively intermarrying people from other ethnic
groups and are thus getting absorbed by them.

Identified as having darker complexions compared to other groups in the Cordilleras, it is

assumed that Gaddangs have derived their name from this description, with its name a
combination of ga meaning “heat,” and dang meaning “burned.” Colloquial names for them
include Gadan, Gaddanes, Iraya, and Irraya, which all mean “upriver.”

Gaddangs speak the language of the same name, Gaddang, while also communicating
through the lingua franca of Northern Luzon, Ilocano. Their primary language is closely
related to the Agta, Atta, Ibanag, Isneg, Itawis, Malaweg, and Yogad languages, with
approximately 30,000 speakers. Their language distinction lies in its phonemes “F,” “V,”
“Z,” and “J” sounds that are not often heard in other local languages, the use of doubled
consonants, as well as notable differences in the distinction between their “R” and “L,” with
the “F” sound being a voiceless bilabial fricative. The five recognized dialects of Gaddang by
the Philippines National Commission for Culture and the Arts include Gaddang proper,
Yogad, Maddukayang, Katalangan, and Iraya.

The Gaddang Way

The Gaddangs first entered written history in 1598 during the Spanish occupation, though
it is theorized that they have come from the north and entered the Cagayan River
thousands of years earlier. It is further suggested that Gaddangs may have occupied
Cagayan Valley after the Aetas.

By the mid-20th century, Gaddang’s hereditary social classes

included kammeranan and aripan, though these terms have long fallen into disuse.
However, today, there is a lack of definition and organization in their political apparatus,
with the main form of order within their community being a kinship system. Leadership in
this system is accomplished via bravery, skills, knowledge of customary law, and wealth, in
order to achieve the status of mingal or great warrior. They also employ peace pacts
called pudon, as well as trading partnerships called kolak.

One remarkable Gaddang marriage practice is the absence of prevailing rules of exogamy or
endogamy that affect a woman’s status in their society. Instead, both men and women
acquire status by marriage, while single women still have opportunities in the church,
government, and business. Furthermore, lowland women regularly own and inherit
property.

Some of the marriage traditions of the Gaddang include ballauan, a song ritual performed
as an appeal to the anitos to bless the newlyweds with good health; mangakkit, the last
piece of advice through song and dance given by the anito masters; and mattakkilala, a
means to exorcise the spirit of sickness or problems.

The houses of Gaddangs are often elevated and supported with wood or bamboo, with
removable ladders meant to be drawn up to avoid intruders or enemies. These settlements
can often be found near streams and fields.

The Gaddang religion is based on the dichotomy between the earth world and the
afterworld, with rituals performed by both men and women. The men hold prestige feasts
that occur once in their lifetime. Some of their rite of passage include palancing, an
initiation for children into the rites of the anito; kayaw/palagfu (jumping), conducted to
recognize their member’s change of status or lifestyle; and darawun, a ritual for children
seven years and up.

They are also famous for their healing rituals called patunnok, an anito rite for the sick
performed by makamongs for two consecutive days; mabbawang, a ritual conducted to
ensure the longevity of family members’ lives, as well as to strengthen family ties; and
immuno-gakit ritual, performed to drive away general sickness from the village.

Oral traditions are also alive and active in Gaddang communities as they are fond of
riddles, proverbs, puns, ghost stories, and witchcraft stories. Additionally, their
mythologies are rich with a wide variety of deities, namely Nanolay, creator of all things and
their cultural hero; Ofag, Nanolay’s cousin; Dasal, the one whom their epic warriors Biwag
and Malana pray to for strength and courage; Bunag, earth’s god; and Limat, a sea god.

Highlander Gaddangs are people with a lavish taste for traditional costumes, adornments,
and precious stones. With a penchant for beads, shells, buttons, and coins as decorations,
their ceremonial dresses stand out as some of the most elaborate and decorative pieces. By
contrast, their everyday attire is simple, with men donning G-strings in their homes and in
the fields, adding a pair of pants over their loincloths when going to town, and slipping into
loincloths dinega, small and beaded jacket koton, and cape tapit during ceremonies.

In October 1997, the Gaddangs were recognized as a protected ethnic group by the National
Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) owing to their remarkable and rich culture.
Sources
Ethnic Groups Philippines. Gaddang People
Ethnic Groups Philippines. Gaddang language
Wikipedia. Gaddang people
Indigenous People of North Luzon. Gaddang History
Cal State East Bay. Gaddang