Kalinga is a landlocked province in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Northern Philippines. It has eight municipalities scattered along flatlands, valleys and plateaus.  Like the other tribes of the Cordilleras, the people of Kalinga were able to maintain so much of their cultural practices which are being followed up to now.  Two of these rituals are described in this paper: house blessing and thanksgiving. 

LUNOK JI BE-YOY AND CHOMCHOMOG (HOUSE BLESSING)

Lunok ji be-yoy  (literally meaning Entering the House) and chomchomog are house blessing rituals for the people of Lubuagan, Kalinga. The former may be done when the house is almost finished or when it is ready for  occupancy. 

For lunok ji be-yoy,  the owners bring basic items to the house which  include the following: the rice keeper (pagbagasan), cooking pot (banga), water jar (pagdanuman), stove (paglutowan), viand (sida), and  beddings.  If nothing untoward happens along the way while bringing these items to the new house, an old woman, usually a trusted relative, would be asked to go cook food, eat and  sleep in the house.  This person should be a light sleeper so that she could hear if there would be  unusual sounds  or events at night. Unusual sounds or events may be of fights or quarrels in the neighborhood, of owls and other nocturnal birds hooting in the dark, and also of mice eating the food brought into the house. Should any of these happen, all the things that were brought into the house should be withdrawn and they have to butcher a chicken or a piglet. After three days,  the whole procedure will be done again. However, if none of these will occur, she reports to the owners that nothing untoward happened. This means that it is all right to bring the rest of the things of the family into the new home after three days or when they are ready.  If the house is not yet completed when this ritual is done, the bringing of the rest of the family things will take place when the house is ready for occupancy. 

For those who can afford, the chomchomog  follows. For  this ritual,  relatives and neighbors are invited to participate in the  celebration.   The size of the gathering or the number of  guests to be invited will depend on what the owners can afford but the animal to be butchered should at least be a big pig. The pig’s blood is brushed on the walls of the house to ward off evil spirits. 

Sticky or glutinous rice (diket) is cooked in two ways for the occasion.  One way  is the  kinampayay where the diket is cooked with animal innards and blood and then later served to the people.  Another is the boiling of diket with coconut oil in a way to make it  very sticky.  This is not to be eaten.  Instead, the people attending the celebration will throw sticky clumps of diket to the walls of the house and also to one another to make the celebration livelier and fun.  The sticky diket with coconut oil is believed to make the house sturdy and stay in one piece (no disintegration) and also safe from termites. (Note that plant oil extracts are indeed used to control termites).  Adding to the fun of the occasion, the men would target the women’s hair in the throwing of diket. There would be a lot of running inside the house as each would avoid the flying diket. Women, especially with their long hair and delicate clothings, would be the first to run away.    

Aside from the throwing of sticky diket,  the people make a lot of noise to scare away the bad spirits. They beat the gongs inside the house and they also thump the walls with their bare hands, making sure that all corners of the house can be reached by the noise.

Prayers during the chomchomog are said by the mendadawak or men-aalisik, usually a woman elder. Such prayers would invoke  Kabunyan and the guardian spirit Tobyay for protection, especially for those who live in the house.

The lunok chi be-yoy and chomchomog are practiced also in  other places  of Kalinga with some differences.  In Lubo, for instance, they also thump the walls and brush them with animal blood but they do not throw sticky rice.  Then the gallbladder of the butchered animal would be read. If it is full and peeping out of the liver lobes, it is considered a good omen. A shrunken gallbladder or wounded liver is a bad omen. This calls for the butchering of another animal. If the gallbladder reading would still indicate a bad omen, then the persons concerned would have to take extra precaution as prescribed by the elders like refraining from traveling or drinking.

These rituals are still practiced at present with some modifications, mostly due to economic considerations.

PALANUS (MARRIAGE OR THANKSGIVING)

The term palanus is used more specifically to refer  to the marriage ritual but it may also be used generally to refer to any thanksgiving for any good fortune or any success that one achieves in his life. Thus, when people say they are going to a palanus,  it is understood that they are attending a marriage ritual. However, as thanksgiving for blessings other than getting married, people would also do the palanus, thus they say “palanusan tako te nan-top si exam” (we will have thanksgiving for his topping the examination). 

The palanus  is done to express gratitude for the blessings and to take  pride in  having attained such.  It may also be done to honor a respectable friend, to welcome a son-in-law into the family,  or to celebrate any successful endeavor or  the attainment of  one’s ambitions.

Palanus ji asawa

In Lubuagan, when a man feels he is ready to get married, he  sends feelers to  the family of the woman to determine if he would be accepted by the bride-to-be and her family.  If the signs are positive, the man’s family  performs  the palanus ji asawa. Representatives from the woman’s family are invited to witness the ritual at the man’s house. A pig or carabao or cattle is butchered and prayers are chanted by the mandadawak.

As proof that the palanus was done at the man’s house, the woman’s representatives bring a lungos (token) to the woman’s home. The token is the posterior half of the carcass consisting of the hind leg of the animal butchered in the man’s house.  Representatives of the man’s party also go along with the woman’s representatives in bringing the lungos to the woman’s home. The woman’s family then performs her counterpart ritual (subyat), the palanus ji  lungos, to acknowledge the token from the man’s family.  For this ritual, the female’s family butchers a pig, or a carabao or a cattle.  The prayers are also done by the mandadawak (either a female or a male) and a  token or  will likewise be brought by the man’s representatives to the man’s home. The token consists also of the posterior half of the animal butchered at the woman’s house.

The whole  ritual has to be done very quickly in order to avoid any disruption from any untoward incident, hence drinking is not allowed until the ritual is over.  The male should eat very quickly during this occasion to show that he is alert and that he does not eat so much. The  elders attending the occasion may also be given meat to bring home. The girl may wear the native attire if she likes, otherwise, the ritual is done with both parties wearing their everyday clothes.

After some time, around one week or one month, the man calls for his friends and they would go cut the best firewood – straight, long and clean- to bring to the woman’s house.  This signifies that the man is ready to live with the woman as her husband, so he stays behind to  live with the woman while his friends go home. Confirmation of the union (inom chi asawa) is done when the bride misses her monthly period or when there is a sign that she is already pregnant. This calls for a bigger celebration.

Among the Biga tribe of Amlao, Tabuk, Kalinga,  the palanus as marriage ritual is done differently. The man tells of his intention to marry the woman by giving her banat, a gift of bongor (beads). The woman’s family show their acceptance by doing the palanus. They butcher a pig or a carabao or cattle and prayers are also chanted. In  addition,  the elders from the bride’s family or community take turns in giving advices to  the bride and groom. The advices center on how to have a good relationship as husband and wife and how to raise children properly. Furthermore, if the bride’s family has something to give as inheritance to the daughter, it is mentioned during this occasion. But in Lubuagan, there are distinct rules for inheritances, thus these are not mentioned during the palanus.

A lungos or token from the animal butchered in the woman’s house is also brought to the man’s house  by his  representatives. The bride goes along with them because there will be a repeat of the prayers and giving of advices, although this time, these will be from the groom’s family or community. Likewise, inheritance from the groom’s family to their son, if any, shall be mentioned during this occasion.  The male’s family may  butcher an animal in addition to the lungos  from the female’s house since there will be people waiting at their house.  

Palanus for a Friend

For the Biga tribe, when an honorable person or a friend visits the community and chooses to drop by or stay in  the ordinary house of an ordinary person, that person should do the palanus not only to welcome the visitor but also to take pride in being chosen as his host.  This is done by preparing the best that he has for the visitor.  Unlike for the marriage palanus, this does not require that a pig or a bigger animal be butchered. This all depends on what the host can afford.  So the people will tell the host  “if you have issiw (chick) or iyas (piglet), palanusam a”. While it will not really be a chick or a piglet that the host will butcher for the visitor, this expression is an indication that for this kind of palanus, it is really up to the host to offer what he can.  For the palanus ji asawa and palanus ji lungos, the animal to be butchered should not be smaller than a pig.

Closing Statement

Lunok chi be-yoy  and chomchomog as traditionally practiced in Lubuagan are very similar to modern-day house blessing or housewarming rituals. The idea of an advance party (old woman, in the case of Lubuagan) to try out the house first is a very sensible move which helps  ensure the safety of those who will move into the house.  For example, the entry of mice would mean that something still has to be done to make the house more secure, like covering holes  or slots.  The light and happy atmosphere as the people throw diket at one another in the chomchomog is the ideal one to have in a new house so that the dwellers will start their lives in the house on a very light note.

The palanus as a thanksgiving ritual for accomplishments and milestones is commonly observed until today. It may have taken another form but the main essence of thanksgiving and fellowship with relatives and neighbors have been preserved. The belief that important things should be celebrated in thanksgiving and in fellowship is a part of the Cordillera culture worth preserving.

KEY INFORMANTS

Hon. Manuel Bacacao (former Board Member of Kalinga from Lubuagan, Kalinga)

Dr. Macario D. Cadatal (BSU Professor from Amlao, Tabuk, Kalinga)

Dr. Marcos A. Buliyat (BSU Professor from Lubo, Tanudan, Kalinga)

About the Author

I am Maria Luz Delson Fang-asan, 44 years old, married, and a member of the Kankanaey ethno-linguistic tribe in Northern Luzon, Philippines.

I earned the degree BS in Agriculture (cum laude) in 1983 from the Mountain State Agricultural College (now Benguet State University); MS in Human Settlements Development in 1986 from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok, Thailand; and PhD in Rural Development in 1996 from BSU. I finished these degrees through the Selected Ethnic Groups Education Assistance Program (SEGEAP) of the National Scholarship Center, US-ASEAN Grant, and BSU Scholarship. In 1983, I started working as Assistant Instructor in BSU where I am now Professor III.

I teach undergraduate and graduate students of Agriculture, Development Communication, Environmental Science, and Rural Development and was awarded as Center of Excellence Outstanding Teacher in 2004 by BSU.

My research and extension activities are geared towards development initiatives which include the preservation and utilization of indigenous knowledge. I have published articles in local and international publications. 

Background Information 

Having conducted actual interviews among Igorot elders from different tribes, it is surmised that common to these community activities are rituals performed to commence a specific activity and start another activity - whether agricultural, socio-economic related or events in the life stages of man. Just like other Igorot tribes and other indigenous peoples, starting a grand activity used to be launched with a series of rituals within a ceremony.  

Among the Kankanaeys of Benguets, a specific documentation of short and simple but significant rituals is the paypay and peg-as. This researcher was a participant-observer when the rituals were performed. Accordingly, the paypay, as a short closing ritual, is performed at the graveyard before burial and the peg-as is performed outside the home of the deceased immediately after burial, before the people disperse. 

The paypay and peg-as were performed on July 14, 2008 after the burial of Luciana Sarlipan, who died at age 72. She had a lingering illness for which she was confined in the hospital since March 2008 until June 27, 2008 when she died. She was buried in their family farm lot after 18 days of wake at their home in Bua, Itogon, Benguet. The family members of the deceased are all advocates of Christianity who did not favor any Igorot cultural ritual to be performed during the wake. However, for certain reasons, the family allowed the performance of the paypay and peg-as.  

The elders who performed the ritual confessed that they would feel uncomfortable and guilty if they did not perform the paypay and peg-as, considering that the said goodness or consequence of such rituals are not for the family alone but to be shared by all who participated in the burial. The elders said,“Inayan baw iman no adi mi ikkan yan nawawada kami. Paggawisan met iman din pamilya ya din am-in ay inmali.” The elders expressed that performing the ritual with sincerity and persistence is grounded on their faith that there is a Supreme Being who responds to the prayers for the good of the family and the people as well. 

Those interviewed were the elders who performed the rituals: Jose Esteban from Bua, Itogon, Benguet and Federico Marquez from Mankayan, Benguet. Jun Alingcotan, who traces his roots from Bagnen, Bauko, and Besao, Mountain Province, acted as the validator during the interview. He is now a miner and has been living as a migrant in Mankayan and Itogon, Benguet. For a better grasp of what the elders were saying, he explained the parallelism of the rituals with that of the Aplais in Mountain Province. The prayers were recited for almost 20 minutes making an account of Kabunyan’s journey. 

The Peg-as Ritual: Its Features

Purpose and Procedure

The peg-as is a closing ritual of the wake to signal the beginning of life anew among the family of the deceased. Specifically, the prayers are directed to God Almighty (Kabunyan) to:

1. Bless the food so that anyone who partook of the food prior to the burial and all others who will partake of any other food may not suffer from any discomfort but use the food for nourishment;

2. Rebuke any bad spirit, who may be around, to leave the place and welcome the good spirits to mingle with those present; 

3. Spare the bereaved family and everybody from sickness and other misfortune and

4. Have the strength to live on for abundance and prosperity. 

Materials Needed

1. A basin of warm boiled guava leaves for washing hands,

2. A basin of clear water for its cleansing effect,

3. Elongated green leaves bundled together as a symbol of God’s creation and

4. A bowl of sliced pieces of meat, which is mixed with thinly sliced ginger, rice wine particles and a little salt.

Procedure

When all those who attended the burial at the cemetery arrive, they wash their hands with the boiled guava leaves. The used water is thrown away to prepare for the peg-as ritual, where the materials are placed in a conspicuous place that all those around would face. 

1. Three elders are seated facing each other and the first elder says the first prayer of the series of prayers (bunong) such as the legleg, sabosab and sedeyan. The second elder recites the second prayer and then followed by the third elder. In the case of the Sarlipan wake, there were only two elders competent to perform so the first elder recited the first and second prayer. 

2. An elder soaks the bundled green leaves in the basin of clear water and splashes it to all the people around (wasawas) as he recites the prayer of sedeyan.

3. Disposal of the bundled leaves. The bundled leaves are stuck in a fence or tree a few meters away as the elder says a prayer addressed to the Almighty. Prayer: “Ikaan mo din buwisit ta eyey mo ad baybay.” (Carry with you all misfortune out to the sea.)

The Prayers: Description

Leglegan Prayer:  This accounts how Kabunyan, a deity, came down to earth through a long, long journey guided by his father, God in heaven. In Kabunyan’s journey, he dealt with forces of nature like ‘dakedake di bab-a na, dakedake di kalina (referring to lightning and thunder) and katagowan din ipugaw (referring to water and plants). The prayer narrates how the first peoples of long ago were taught to perform rituals. These were later passed on until the present event (like that of Bua) happens such that peg-as has to be performed to acknowledge Kabunyan’s teaching. It is also an opportunity to request for Kabunyan’s blessings to be shared by the family to everybody around. 

Sabosab Prayer. The prayer narrates the offering of the sliced meat mixed with ginger, rice wine particles and salt as a symbol of God’s blessings to the people for sufficiency. It narrates a story passed on to them that long ago, Kabunyan came down to earth after a famine and performed miracles as he built rice fields and dropped a panicle to be planted in the rice field. The mixture of sliced meat, ginger and salt are symbolic of the people’s blessings from the Almighty. With His blessing, any other food they partook of or will partake of will be good for their health.

Sedeyan. The prayer is said in the process of disposing the bundle of leaves. It is a request for protection of the people from evil spirits and announces the end of the period of the wake and start of a new event. The prayer acknowledges the clearness of water for cleansing purposes, as the elder says, “Maibnong ta mangsedey ta mateb-ayan di inmali ya maikasiw da aslawlawa.” It is to rebuke any bad spirit around and request that the blessing of the Unseen be with every attendee. It is also a request for all attendees to be spared of anything bad as they return home.  

Significance

1. Symbolism is evident through God’s creation as in the water for cleansing through the power of prayers.

2. Faith in the power of the Unseen is manifested in the people’s adherence to the ritual.

3. The ritual is procedural following the preparatory prayers to set the spiritual mood of the people, the splashing of water for cleansing and blessing, and the closing prayer with the disposal of the symbolic bundled leaves.

4. The ritual manifests the tenets of a prayer, Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Except for confession, the legleg exhorts and adores Kabunyan’s power as the source of all things. The sabosab gives thanks for the water and food. The sedeyan requests for good health, for a better life after the death of a family member and for all misfortunes to be thrown away to the sea.

Paypay Ritual

This is the ritual performed at the graveyard before the coffin of the dead is entombed or buried.

Purpose

It is to drive away the spirit of the living and those who worked there and might have been left in the graveyard. It is believed that spirits tend to dwell in places. So for safety reasons, the spirit of the living should be admonished to leave the place intended for the dead. This is performed before the remains of the dead are laid to rest.

Procedure: The Chicken and its Significance

The live chicken is used for the ritual and is symbolic of its ability to crow for the spirits of the living to leave the place. An elder holds the chicken by its two feet and is made to crow as it is turned or twirled around the graveyard saying a prayer as this: “Lawitan as kawitan ta kok-owanay nataynan as ab-abiik di ipugaw ay nin usok onno nin galgaldin ya kumaan kayotay nay di natey ay mang-ebbey.” (The chicken is here as you hear it crow. Should there be spirits of those who are working, mining or gardening here, you are commanded to leave because the dead is here to dwell in it.)

Lawit (Mangtugup) as an Acceptance Ritual

Purpose

It is to bring together all relatives once again to reflect on things about the past wake, before each goes back to each one’s normal activities.

Procedure

Just like the paypay, the lawit is performed inside the home of the deceased, a day after the burial. A pig is butchered and chicken as pidpid (accompanying sacrifice). Prayers are recited to call all spirits of the living and the dead for the acceptance that the dead has gone to a life beyond and that the ngilin (mourning for the absence of the dead) starts from a certain specified period for there is time for everything - a time to mourn and a time to rejoice. Plans may also be done as to the next gathering. 

Analysis of the Rituals and Recommendations as Perceived

Upon observing the ritual, the sprinkling of holy water in church comes to my mind. Likewise, if death is an event that happens in order to go to the Lord, as always preached, then there is the sense of performing the ritual to end an event and start another, since life on earth is going through a series of events.

The symbols and belief in the spirits of the living left behind is a manifestation of the power of the mind. On the elders’ statement that they believe in the significance and necessity of the rituals, this is anchored on their Total Mind Power. So, having performed the rituals with sincerity and faith, they see its effect on them.

Recommendation

In my perception, there is nothing wrong in performing the above-mentioned rituals. However, the prayers should be made more relevant to the event with the congruence of prayers, from the opening to the closing, all addressed to God Almighty.
 

*About the Author

As a tribute to Caridad B. Fiar-od, we included her biodata, even if it already appeared on the ICBE website. Caridad gave much of her time to the research in the magazine, “Cordillera Rituals as a Way of Life.” She attended several of the ICBE consultations and contributed articles for the Proceedings. (Editor. 17-04-2021)   

Caridad Bomas-ang Fiar-od is a retired Vice-President and College Professor at the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College in Bontoc Poblacion, Bontoc, Mountain Province, Philippines.

After retirement, she was hired on job order by the former Governor Maximo B. Dalog (now Congressman) as Executive Assistant on Cultural and International Affairs from October 2008 to June 30, 2010. Then in March 2011, she was hired by Governor Leonard G. Mayaen as Executive Assistant to coordinate and facilitate external affairs (Medical Missions, scholarships, donations overseas, etc.) and research-related activities. She was Chairperson of the Scholarship Program of the Igorot Global Organization (IGO) and Chairperson of the Association of Retired Mentors of Bontoc.

Prior to her passing away due to a lingering illness on November 17, 2013, Caridad worked as an insurance agent for Philippine American Life Insurance (PhilAm Life) for about two years.  Due to the numerous persons she insured, she received a gift, which was a trip to the US in July 2013. 

Caridad was born in Besao, Mountain Province on August 1, 1946. She finished her secondary education at the Mountain National Agricultural School (MNAS that later became MSAC and then BSU). For her college course, she studied at Mountain State Agricultural College (MSAC now BSU-Benguet State University) and graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Homemaking.

She taught for a year at the All Saints Mission Elementary School in Bontoc Poblacion, Bontoc, Mountain Province and transferred to Banguitan Elementary School in Besao, Mountain Province. While teaching in Banguitan, she pursued a Masters course at BSU and finished in 1981. She also graduated from BSU with a degree in Doctor of Philosophy, Major in Educational Management with minors in Rural Development and Agricultural Education.  

She is a staunch advocate of the Igorot culture. As such, she has been invited as guest speaker to conferences of the Igorot Global Organization (IGO) in the US and Europe. 

As a seminar lecturer, she had several opportunities to lecture in various conferences, symposia, training and seminars related to Agricultural Education, Human Resource Development, Professional Ethics, Leadership and Management and Teaching Strategies. 

As a writer, she wrote 14 books from 1999 until 2011. Her first book is “Besao Traditional Knowledge on Spiritual Beliefs: Its Contribution to Sustainable Development.” One of her last books is a memoir, “Living the Igorot Culture: A Legacy.”

She got married to Teresde (Terry) Forawan Fiar-od, a native of Barlig, Mountain Province. Terry died on December 14, 1999 and left Caridad with eight children to support. With six children-in-law, she is a grandmother of nine grandchildren. 

Caridad is an Igorot, and belongs to the Galeled clan of Besao and Manengba clan of Sagada and Besao, Mountain Province, Philippines.