Introduction
Cordillera Rituals As A Way Of Life
Yvonne Kay-an Belen
During the 4th Igorot Cordillera BIMAAK-Europe (ICBE) Consultation in Dublin, Ireland on 17-20 May 2007, the participants decided to research Igorot Cordillera rituals. They wanted to know the rituals they could promote and advocate. They had grand plans – a research on the life and agricultural cycle rituals of the major ethnolinguistic groups in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). And they planned to publish the research results in time for the 5th ICBE Consultation in Vallendar, Germany on 10-13 April 2009.
They requested experts on Igorot Cordillera culture to conduct the research for ICBE. The late Caridad B. Fiar-od, who was based in the Philippines, was the main researcher. She conducted research on Apayao and Benguet rituals. Together with Anastasia Lannaon and Nancy Ann Gonzalez, they researched the Ifugao rituals. The other researchers were Maria Luz D. Fang-asan on Kalinga rituals, Philian Louise Weygan on Abra and Pamela Fiar-od on the Mountain Province.
The research on the rituals of the six CAR provinces was published in the ICBE magazine, “Cordillera Rituals as a Way of Life” in July 2009.
Since the magazine is an output of the 5th ICBE Consultation, Caridad Fiar-od's keynote address, “Cordillera Rituals: Their Features and Significance,” was placed as an introductory article. And since Serafin L. Ngohayon spoke on “The Bulul in the Social Life of the Ifugao People” during the said consultation, his essay was also included in the magazine. His research with Emily Alberto has been posted on the ICBE website.
To better convey the rituals’ messages, the participants thought that a theater presentation would be appropriate. The script on the Cordillera rituals was written by Caridad Fiar-od, which has also been posted on the ICBE website.
Unlike the magazine that had photos to accompany the articles, only the text of the research is posted on the website.
This magazine, which is ICBE’s first publication, is a small step of the network. They hope it is the beginning of future research on their Igorot Cordillera culture – a culture they are proud to promote.ykb24-10-2022.
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This is an edited version of the “Foreword” that was published in the ICBE magazine: Cordillera Rituals as a Way of Life” in April 2009.