INTRODUCTION

ON THE
INDIGENOUS
GROUP IN THE
PHILIPPINES:
IFUGAO TRIBE

FACTS:

 They are famous for their spectacular Banaue Rice Terraces.

 In the past, the Ifugao were feared head-hunters in the mountainous regions of Northern Luzon.
 Ifugao name means “inhabitant of the known world.”
 The Ifugao are believed to have arrived from China around 200 years ago.
 The Ifugao are fond of chewing beetle nut, they said that they like chewing it and said that it cleans their
teeth.

THE IFUGAO
 Ifugao was formerly known as a part of the old Mountain Province. It was created as an independent
province on June 18, 1966 by virtue of Republic Act No. 4695, otherwise known as the Division Law of
Mountain Province. Under this law, Mountain Province was divided into four provinces namely: Benguet, Ifugao,
Kalinga Apayao, and Mountain Province. The Spaniards changed ‘pugo’ to ‘pugaw’ and was finally changed by
the Americans to “Ifugao.” The province of Ifugao is a land-locked area located at the foot of the Cordillera
mountain ranges. It is bounded by the high peaked mountain of Benguet in the western side, Nueva Vizcaya on the
southern side, Isabela on the eastern side, and on the north by the protruding strip of the territory of Mountain
Province.
WHAT DO
THEY
DO?

Hand-weaving textile is one of the most interesting crafts of the Philippines, weighed with immense cultural
significance. Little does one know, weaving is a sacred art. It is an elaborate process with many stages which includes a
ritual.

At Kiangan, the birthplace of Ifugao, weaving has always been a part of the community’s daily activities. May it be for
economic purposes, cultural preservation, or personal use. The Ifugaos of Kiangan either practice traditional weaving which
follows old-age techniques passed on through generations, or the ikat, where the bundles of yarn are tightly wrapped
together and dyed as many times to create a desired pattern or design.

The patterns used are mostly traditional ones, typically nature-inspired and beliefs-based. The bayawak pattern, for
example, is based on an eponymous giant lizard said to be one of the gods who came down to earth to teach natives water
irrigation. On the other hand, the phyton symbol is placed on borders of weaving textiles, inspired by a god who came down
to Ifugao in the form of a snake to guard boundaries. A dividing line, in forests or rice fields, for example, is considered
sacred among the Ifugaos because land is very precious to them. In addition, the star symbol represents abundance,
multitude, and fertility.
 Today, Kiangan weavers make use of
contemporary designs and patterns based on
their own likings which are less intricate.
“We usually ask our granddaughters to find
for designs online so we can make them,”
says Benita Balangto, an Ifugao Master
Weaver.

Undeniably, weaving requires patience,

commitment, hard work, imagination, and
attention to details from the artisan. But it
does not end there. It is a venture that
requires being blessed by higher gods.
Ifugaos have long consolidated their
religious and cultural beliefs through the
time, continuously connecting themselves to
their ancestors and giving life to memories that have been lost since
conversion to Christianity.

Aside from the weaving ritual, Ifugaos also have a sturdy dogma when
dyeing and weaving. Weaving is forbidden when a relative die – this is
seen as bad luck.

IFUGAO SOCIETY
 The Ifugaos have little in the way of a political system or institutionalized community. There are no chiefs or
councils. They live in clan groups that extend to the third cousin. A typical household consists of a nuclear
family. Once children are old enough to take care of themselves, they move to the boys’ house or the girls’
house.
 Ifugao society is divided into three classes based on wealth traditionally defined in terms of rice land, water
buffalo and slaves. A class of aristocrats known as kandangyan also guide the village about moral and
judicial matters and lend money.
 Below the kandangyan are the Natumuk, who own a little land, and the very poor. These groups are often
forced to borrow from the Kandangayan at high interest rates and become indentured to them.
The nawatwar are the poorest of the poor. Most work as tenant farmers and servants to kandangyan.

IFUGAO’S DIET
Agricultural products provide 84% of the Ifugao diet. Rice and sweet potatoes are the staple foods, although
rice is by far more highly regarded. Ground into meal maize (grown on the sweet potato swidden fields) is also
important. Ifugao consume a wide variety of vegetables and fruits: beans, radishes, cabbage, lettuce, peas, taro,
yams, cowpeas, lima beans, okra, green grams, and other legumes, jackfruit, grapefruit, citrus, coconut, and
banana. About the 10% of the
diet is animal protein from
flooded rice fields: tilapia
minnows, frogs, snails, and
especially ginga, a kind of
water clam. Sources of meat
include domesticated pigs,
goats, chickens, and the
occasional water buffalo
sacrificed in rituals, as well as
wild game such as deer, buffalo,
pig, civet cat, wild cat, python,
iguana, cobra, and bat. People
also eat locusts, crickets, and
ants.

BANAUE RICE TERRACES

 The Banaue area contains magnificent rice terraces that have been described as the eighth wonder of the world.
Originally constructed by the Ifugao people, who still maintain them, the terraces rise from the steep river gorges and
ascend — and sometimes engulf — the mountains like green amphitheaters. The rice terraces around Banaue were
designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995. The Ifugao Rice Terraces epitomize the absolute blending of
the physical, socio-cultural, economic, religious, and political environment. Indeed, it is a living cultural landscape of
unparalleled beauty. Reaching a higher altitude and being built on steeper slopes than many other terraces, the Ifugao
complex of stone or mud walls and the careful carving of the natural contours of hills and mountains to make terraced pond
fields, coupled with the development of intricate irrigation systems, harvesting water from the forests of the mountain tops,
and an elaborate farming system, reflect a mastery of engineering that is appreciated to the present.

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
Being entitled as the eighth wonder of the world, Banaue Rice Terraces is very popular and one of the tourist
attractions of the Philippines. Because of this, Ifugaos benefits from the tourist. Here are the economic activities of
the Ifugaos:
  Weaving
 Camote Culture
 Rice Culture
 Traditional Farming

TRADITIONAL CLOTHES OF THE IFUGAO

Traditional attire for men is the G-string, a loincloth that
leaves the side of the thigh bare but hangs down in front.

Women wear a short sarong (waist to knees) and formerly went bare-chested.

TRADITIONAL IFUGAO KNOWLEDGE

The Ifugaos are among the ethnic groups living in northern Luzon,
particularly in the Cordillera region. Culture and language
variations subdivide this group into three parts: the Tuwali (found
primarily in the communities of Kiangan and Lagawe), the
Ayangan (found primarily in the communities of Banaue, Hingyon, and Hungduan), and the Henanga (found in the
communities of Mayoyao and Aguinaldo).

Indigenous knowledge and learning systems have long been recognized as indispensable components of indigenous
peoples’ education, but formal educational systems usually neglect this indigenous knowledge. Thus, Ifugao
students learn about Shakespeare but remain ignorant of their own epics such as the Hudhud and the Alim. They
study mathematics and the Egyptian pyramids but do not know how their own ancestors built the spectacular
mountains of pajaw (rice terraces) and the thatch-roof and nail-free wood houses called phalay in northern
highland Philippines. The Mangyans of Mindoro learn Western poems but not their oral traditions that have been
inscribed in their famous ambahan poetry.

U.S. Education in Northern Luzon

In the 19th century, the Spanish missionaries Juan Villaverde and Julian Malumbres introduced a number of
Ifugaos to reading and writing as well as other more practical skills. During the American occupation, classes were
taught irregularly by soldiers of the American military who visited the village of Kiangan between 1900 and 1903.
It was only in 1904, when the Bureau of Education sent James Travis to open a school in Kiangan, that organized
American educational efforts began in Ifugao. Other schools followed, including Banaue in 1905, opened by Henry
Otley Beyer, and Mayoyao in 1908, opened by Benjamin Blitz.

The Ifugaos were not familiar with the American educational process and this knowledge was of uncertain benefit
—seemingly unequal to the services the children traditionally provided at home such as caring for younger
siblings, chopping firewood, or helping in the fields. Indeed, many parents discouraged their children from
attending school, believing they were getting lazy and had not learned anything.

Ifugao Learning System

Despite many years of dominance by the U.S.-influenced Philippine formal educational system, some indigenous
communities have managed to maintain aspects of their cultures, including their learning systems. Indigenous
children at an early age are taught livelihood skills, including those in which they can develop expertise. Beginning
at 10 years of age, Ifugao children learn skills such as paot (woodcarving), apfor (weaving), topeng (stone
riprapping), and uman (genealogy mapping). Among the Mangyans, ambahan are taught by the elders to the
children. During community occasions or informal family gatherings, the young learn the village norms and mores,
their family histories and genealogies, and local literature and oral traditions. The learning systems are embedded
in highly defined oral traditions and livelihood activities. Thus, learning becomes relevant as it is made part of the
daily activities where needs, entertainment, and cultural enrichment are addressed.

RELIGION
The Ifugao traditional religion recognizes as many as 1,500 named gods, divided into 35 categories associated with, to name
the most prominent, hero ancestors, celestial bodies, natural phenomena, diseases, and agriculture. Each possesses specific
attributes and powers. All are immortal, can change form, become invisible, and travel through space. They inhabit all of
the five divisions of the Ifugao universe: kabunian (the sky world); dalum (the underworld); pugao (the "known earth," the
land of the Ifugao); daiya (the upstream region); and lagod (the downstream region). Particularly exalted is the sky world
deity Lidum; the uncle of Balitok, ancestor of the Ifugao, Lidum is their great teacher and lawgiver. One example of minor
deities is the class of halupe. A person may send a halupe to harass another person by forcing an idea constantly on the
latter's mind, e.g., a creditor may send a halupe to a debtor in hopes of making the latter respond peacefully to a request for
repayment, or a youth may commission a halupe to make a pretty girl more receptive to his romantic overtures.

Being a priest (adult males only) is not a full-time occupation but rather a voluntary vocation learned through
apprenticeship, during which one must memorize the names and characteristics of the 1,500 gods. Since the American
colonial period, priests can practice beyond the circle of their kindred to which they had formerly been confined. In
exchange for their services, priests receive meat and rice wine but more importantly enjoy the reputation of having a "good
voice." Because ritual chanting provides an opportunity for masculine exhibitionism, as many as 15 priests can participate
in a ceremony, as compared to only one or two among the Bontok.

Priests also perform curing rites. Disease can be caused by sorcery or the displeasure of ancestral spirits who may allow
malevolent deities to inflict suffering on offending descendants.

According to the 2000 census, 17.6% of the population of the Cordillera Administrative Region, of which Ifugao province is
a part, is classified as "Other" in religious affiliation, meaning adherents of indigenous religion. The rest followed a form of
Christianity: 65.8% of the region's population is Roman Catholic (much lower than the national percentage of 83%), 8.9%
Evangelical, 2.9% Iglesia ni Cristo, 1.6% Jehovah's Witness, 0.8% Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan). In the early
1990s, 54% of ethnic Ifugao identified themselves as Roman Catholic.

How will you explain the society and culture of the indigenous group that you chose as a case
study?
- After selecting Ifugao as a case study, I noticed that they have a hierarchy system in their culture. There are
those who are at the top due to their wealth, and there are people who are labeled as slaves due to their low
socioeconomic level. They are also recognized for their unique crop cultivation techniques, such as rice and
camote farming. Because of their homeland, Banaue in Kiangan, the Ifugao are well-known. Ifugao's Sacred
Weaving and Wet-Rice Cultivation are two of the Philippines' cultural treasures. Both acts entail rituals that
the Ifugaos have practiced and passed down through the centuries. Their culture helped to preserve not just
their way of life, but also the Banaue Rice Terraces.

REFLECTION

- After reading several papers for my case study, I learned and discovered a lot about the Ifugao. I only knew
them because of the Banaue Rice Terraces and their excellent rice products, but I've learned a lot more about
them since then. A century ago, they were one of the most feared hunters in the Mountain Province a century
ago, much as they are today. One of their delicacies includes insects. I was enthralled by their weaving
because I assumed that once it was completed, it would be finished. However, I recently learned that after
they finished weaving, they would be given a rite. Despite their fantastic activities, I've discovered that one
 of their customs, weaving, appears to most Filipinos to be a relic from the past. Fortunately, there is a group
that promotes indigenous weaving traditions. Their way of life, like the people that live there, is incredible.
So, perhaps the goal of this case study is to educate students about the Philippines' various indigenous
populations. We must not overlook their significant contributions to Filipino culture. When I first discovered
the Ifugao culture, I was startled to learn that insects and diverse creatures such as cats, snakes, and ants
were among the things they consumed. The rest of the data educated me on the Ifugao.
I hope that more people will
be familiar with them because some of us are unaware of how amazing the Ifugao people are.

REFERENCE/S:
Ifugao Province, Philippines Genealogy. (2020). FamilySearch Wiki.
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Ifugao_Province,_Philippines_Genealogy

Hays, J. (2008–2019). IFUGAO | Facts and Details. Facts and Details.

http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Philippines/sub5_6d/entry-3880.html#chapter-9

Aguilar, J. (2020, April 23). The Untold Sacred Weaving of Ifugaos. Tatler Philippines. https://ph.asiatatler.com/life/the-untold-
sacred-weaving-of-ifugaos

Ifugao | Encyclopedia.com. (2019). Encyclopedia.Com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-

transcripts-and-maps/ifugao

Stockinger, J. (1997, December 10). Ifugao Rice Culture. Austrian-Philippine Website.

https://www.univie.ac.at/Voelkerkunde/apsis/aufi/ethno/ifugao/ricecult.htm

Enkiwe-Abayao, L. (2003, December). Ifugao Knowledge and Formal Education -Systems of Learning in the Philippines. Cultural
Survival. https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/ifugao-knowledge-and-formal-education-systems-
learning