19TH CENTURY TRIBAL USED AUTHENTIC ANTIQUE
SEATED “TINAGTAGGU ANITO” BULUL STATUE; CIRCA 1810
IFUGAO, BONTOC, KANKANAEY 19TH CENTURY TRIBAL USED AUTHENTIC ANTIQUE SEATED “TINAGTAGGU ANITO” BULUL STATUE; CIRCA 1810; THIS “TAOTAO” FEATURES HAND CUT BROWN GLASS INLAID EYES! FROM THE “KANKANAEY” HEAD HUNTING TRIBE: THAT INHABIT THE CORDILLERA MOUNTAINS ON THE ISLAND "LUZON,” IN THE “MOUNTAIN PROVENCE” IN THE VILLAGE “SAGADA,” IN THE PHILIPPINES. SIMILAR EXAMPLES CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE #49 IN THE BOOK ENTITLED: “THE LAST FILIPINO HEAD HUNTERS.” (PLEASE SEE THE PICTURES IN THE ABOVE OF THAT MENTIONED PAGE #49 AND THE BOOK’S COVER FOR YOUR REFERENCE) THERE IS A MUSEUM COLLECTION CATALOGUE NUMBER ON THE BACK OF THIS “TINAGTAGGU ANITO TAOTAO” THAT READS: “530A." THIS IS A RARE AND UNUSUAL PIECE; USED BY THE KANKANAEY HEAD HUNTING TRIBE. IT WAS PRESENTED AT SACRED TRIBAL CEREMONIES TO CONJURE DECEASED TRIBAL ANCESTOR SPIRITS TO APPEAR AND PARTICIPATE IN SACRED KANKANAEY TRIBAL CEREMONIAL RITUALS; FUNERALS, WEDDINGS, BIRTHDAYS AND THE ANNUAL HARVEST RITUAL. IN THE TRADITIONAL, CLASSIC, ICONIC KANKANAEY “TINAGTAGGU ANITO TAOTAO” POSTURE; FOLDED ARMS ACROSS THE CHEST; THIS EXTREMELY RARE AND UNUSUAL ANCIENT PIECE MEASURES 18 INCHES TALL X 7 INCHES WIDE X 6 INCHES DEEP. EXHIBITS WEAR AND SIGNS OF TRIBAL USE WITH IT’S ORIGINAL, UNTOUCHED, RICH, DEEP DARK, BROWN PATINA! AN OLD NAIL WAS HAMMERED INTO THE HEAD; JUST ABOVE THE LEFT EYE. THERE IS A NATURAL VERTICAL CRACK IN THE WOOD ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE NOSE. ACQUIRED IN 1994 FROM "ROSIE" THE KANKANAEY SPELUNKING GUIDE; SAGADA, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES. EXHIBITS SIGNIFICANT SIGNS OF TRIBAL USE!
A Kankanaey "Anito" represents ancestor spirits, nature spirits, and deities in the indigenous animistic religions of pre colonial Philippines. They can also be referred to as Tinagtaggu or Taotao; carved humanoid figures that represent ancestral spirits.
Two famous institutions of the Kankanaey; who inhabit the Mountain Province, on Luzon Island, in the Philippines, are the "Dap-ay;" the men's dormitory and civic center, and the "Ebgan;" the girls' dormitory where courtship between young men and women takes place. The Bontoc tribe in Sagada, and some nearby pueblos; Takong and Agawa, the "O-lâg" is the name of the girl's dormitory and the boy's dormitory is referred to as; "F-gan."
The Kankanaey differ in the way they dress. Not all Kankanaey exhibit the same tribal colors or clothing styles. The "soft-speaking" Kankanaey woman's "Tapis" dress has a color combination of black, white and red. The design of the upper attire is a criss-crossed style of black, white, and red colors. The skirt, or tapis, is a combination of stripes of black, white and red.
The "hard-speaking" Kankanaey woman's dress, referred to as a "Tapis;" is composed mainly of red and black with a little white color, and is generally referred to a "Bakget" or a "Gateng." The men ware a "G-string" which is referred to as a "Wanes" by the Kanakaneys of Besao and Sagada. The design of the Wanes G-string may vary according to social status or municipality.
The Kankanaey's major dances include tayaw, pattong,as Igorot wedding dance, and balangbang. The tayaw is a community dance that is usually done in weddings; it may be also danced by the Ibaloi people but has a different style. Pattong is also a community dance from Mountain Province which every municipality has its own style. Balangbang is the modernized word for the word Pattong. There are also some other dances that the Kankanaeys dance, such as the sakkuting, pinanyuan (wedding dance) and bogi-bogi (courtship dance). Kankanaey houses are built like the other Igorot houses, which reflect their social status.
Pag-anito refers to a séance, often accompanied by other rituals or celebrations, in which a shaman (Visayan: babaylan, Tagalog: katalonan) acts as a medium to communicate directly with the spirits. When a nature spirit or deity is specifically involved, the ritual is called pagdiwata. The act of worship or a religious sacrifice to a spirit is also sometimes simply referred to as anito. The ninunò (lit. "ancestor") can be the spirits of actual ancestors or generalized guardian spirits of a family. Ancient Filipinos believed that upon death, the soul (Visayan: kalag; Tagalog: kaluluwa) of a person travels to a spirit world, usually by boat.
There can be multiple locations in the spirit world, varying in different ethnic groups. Which place souls end up in depends on how they died, the age at death, or the conduct of the person when they were alive. There was no concept of heaven or hell prior to the introduction of Christianity and Islam; rather, the spirit world is usually depicted as an otherworld that exists alongside the material world. Souls reunite with deceased relatives in the spirit world and lead normal lives in the spirit world as they did in the material world. In some cases, the souls of evil people undergo penance and cleansing before they are granted entrance into a particular spirit realm. Souls would eventually reincarnate after a period of time in the spirit world. Souls in the spirit world still retain a degree of influence in the material world, and vice versa. Pag-anito may be used to invoke good ancestor spirits for protection, intercession (kalara or kalda), or advice. Ancestor spirits that become intercessors with deities are known as pintakasi or pitulon. Vengeful spirits of the dead can manifest as apparitions or ghosts (mantiw) and cause harm to living people. Pag-anito can be used to appease or banish them. Ancestor spirits also figured prominently during illness or death, as they were believed to be the ones who call the soul to the spirit world, guide the soul (a psychopomp), or meet the soul upon arrival.
Ancestor spirits are also known as kalading among the Igorot; tonong among the Maguindanao and Maranao; umboh among the Sama-Bajau; nunò or umalagad among Tagalogs and Visayans; nonò among Bicolanos; umagad or umayad among the Manobo; and tiladmanin among the Tagbanwa. Ancestor spirits were usually represented by carved figures. These were known as taotao ("little human", also taotaohan, latawo, tinatao, or tatao), bata-bata ("little child"), ladaw ("image" or "likeness"; also laraw, ladawang, lagdong, or larawan), or likha ("creation"; also likhak) in most of the Philippines. Other names include bulul (also bulol or bul-ul) or tinagtaggu (also tinattaggu) among the Igorot; manaug among the Lumad; and tagno among Bicolanos. Among Tagalogs, taotao were also sometimes referred to as lambana ("altar" or "sacred place"), after the location in which they are usually kept.
Igorot hipag depicting war deities (c. 1900) Taotao were usually austere roughly-carved figures made from wood, stone, or ivory. Some taoatao encountered by the Spanish were made from precious metals or ornamented with gold and jewelry, but these were very rare. Taotao were almost always depicted in the squatting position with the arms crossed over the knees, which is reminiscent of the fetal position, the everyday conversing posture, and the position bodies are arranged during death among Ancient Filipinos. Some figures, however, are depicted standing or doing everyday activities like dancing, pounding rice, or nursing infants.
A balaua, a large spirit house used for community rituals to anito among the Itneg people (1922) Most taotao represent an actual deceased person, usually carved by the community upon their funeral. As such, there can be hundreds of taotao in a single village, some of them centuries old.
Salako (left) and palaan (right) ceremonial altars among the Itneg people (1922)
In very rare cases, diwata can be depicted as taotao in anthropomorphic form, as chimeras or legendary creatures, or as animals. These include a special class of figures called hipag among the Igorot which depict war deities, as well as kinabigat (carved houseposts) and hogang (carved tree fern posts used as boundary markers and as wards against harm). As a rule, however, diwata are not usually depicted as taotao or by any man-made representations.Taotao were not intrinsically sacred. They were representations of the spirits, not the actual spirits themselves. They only became sacred during their use in a pag-anito ritual. Without the spirit they represent, they are treated as mundane carved pieces of wood or sculpted stone. The anonymous author of the 1572 Relación de la conquista de la isla de Luzón describes pag-anito rituals of the Tagalog people.
When any chief is ill, he invites his kindred and orders a great meal to be prepared, consisting of fish, meat, and wine. When the guests are all assembled and the feast set forth in a few plates on the ground inside the house, they seat themselves also on the ground to eat. In the midst of the feast (called manganito or baylán in their tongue), they put the idol called Batala and certain aged women who are considered as priestesses, and some aged Indians—neither more nor less. They offer the idol some of the food which they are eating, and call upon him in their tongue, praying to him for the health of the sick man for whom the feast is held. The natives of these islands have no altars nor temples whatsoever. This manganito, or drunken revel, to give it a better name, usually lasts seven or eight days; and when it is finished they take the idols and put them in the corners of the house, and keep them there without showing them any reverence.
Regardless, very old taotao handed down through generations are prized as family heirlooms. Among the Igorot, pieces of taotao may also be chipped off and boiled into a medicinal tea. Taotao were commonly kept in corners or small shelves inside houses or granaries. Spanish missionaries recorded that taotao were present in every Filipino household, no matter how poor.
When Spanish missionaries arrived in the Philippines, the word "anito" came to be associated with these physical representations of spirits that featured prominently in pag-anito rituals. During the American rule of the Philippines (1898–1946), the meaning of the Spanish word idolo ("a thing worshiped") was further conflated with the English word "idol". Thus in the modern Filipino language, anito has come to refer almost exclusively to the carved taotao figures, instead of the actual spirits themselves.
The diwata are spirits who have never been human. These spirits can range from simple spirits like the diwata of a particular rock or place, to deities who personify abstract concepts and natural phenomena, to deities who are part of an actual pantheon. They are also known as dewatu, divata, duwata, ruwata, dewa, dwata, diya, etc., in various Philippine languages; all of which are derived from syncretization with Sanskrit devata or devá, meaning "deity". In some ethnic groups like the B'laan and the Tagalogs, Diwata refers to the supreme being in their pantheon, in which case all the other spirits, whether human or not, are known generically as anito. Like in ancestor spirits, diwata are referred to in polite kinship titles when addressed directly, like apo ("elder") or nuno ("grandparent").
There are three general types of non-human spirits. The first are the environmental or nature spirits "bound" to a particular location or natural phenomenon (similar to genii loci). They "own" places and concepts like agricultural fields, forests, cliffs, seas, winds, lightning, or realms in the spirit world. Some were also "keepers" or totems of various animals and plants. They have inhuman and abstract qualities, reflecting their particular dominions. They do not normally appear in human form and are usually gender-less or androgynous. They rarely concern themselves with human affairs. Rituals involving these spirits are almost always conducted outdoors.
The second type of spirits are the "unbound" spirits which have independent existence. They appear in animal (usually as birds) or human-like forms, have gender differentiation, and have personal names. They are most similar to the fairies of European folklore. These are the most common types of spirits to become abyan (spirit guides of babaylan), as they are the most "sociable" and can take interest in human activities. These spirits are usually referred to as engkanto (from Spanish encanto) in modern Filipino folklore. Unlike the "bound" spirits, these spirits can be invited into human households, and their rituals can take place both outdoors and indoors.
Ato, a fertility god of the Bontoc people; The last is a class of malevolent spirits or demons, as well as supernatural beings, generally collectively known as aswang, yawa, or mangalos (also mangalok, mangangalek, or magalos) among Tagalogs and Visayans. There are numerous kinds of aswang with specific abilities, behavior, or appearance. Examples include sigbin, wakwak, tiyanak, and manananggal. The first two categories of diwata can also be malevolent, what sets the third category apart is that they can not be appealed to with offerings and they are utterly pitiless. Most practices associated with them is to ward them off, banish them, or destroy them. They are never addressed nor worshiped in religious rituals.
Diwata are rarely spoken about openly for fear of attracting their attention. Instead they are referred to with euphemisms like "those unlike us" (Visayan: dili ingon nato, Tagalog: hindi kagaya natin) or various names, like banwaanon or taga-banwa, that translate literally to "dweller of a place". Among Tagalogs, non-human nature spirits are also euphemistically referred to as lamanglupa ("[dwellers of] the bowels of the earth") or lamangdagat ("[dwellers of] the depths of the sea"), depending on their domain.
Diwata exist in both the material world and the spirit world. They can be formless or have a material body. They can also take over a body through spirit possession (Visayan: hola, hulak, tagdug, or saob; Tagalog: sanib), an ability essential for the séances in pag-anito. They are believed to be capable of shapeshifting (baliw or baylo), becoming invisible, or creating visions or illusions (anino or landung, lit. "shadow"). Their powers, however, are limited to their particular domain. A diwata of a forest, for instance, has no dominion over the sea. Most are generally benevolent or capriciously neutral, although they can cause misfortunes and illnesses if angered, disrespected, or mistakenly encountered. Other common characteristics of diwata are that they are perceived as an invisible "cold" presence (in contrast to "warm" human spirits); that they leave no footprints (unlike human spirits); and that they sense the world and "eat" by means of smelling. Diwata who take human form are said to be pale-skinned and could be distinguished from humans by the absence of a philtrum on the upper lip.
Diwata are often depicted as appearing to unsuspecting people in human or animal form, sometimes causing unintentional harm. They can also deliberately play tricks on mortals, like seducing or abducting beautiful men and women into the spirit world. Certain places are believed to be owned by diwata or are borders to the spirit world. These are normally avoided or only entered with precautions, especially during twilight when diwata are believed to cross over from the spirit world into the material world. Harm or illness caused by diwata are known as buyag in Visayan and usog in Tagalog. People who were harmed by interactions with diwata are euphemistically described as having been "greeted" (Visayan: gibati, Tagalog: nabati) or "played with" (Visayan gidulaan, Tagalog: napaglaruan or nakatuwaan) by diwata.
To avoid inadvertently angering a diwata, Filipinos perform a customary pasintabi sa nuno ("respectfully apologizing or asking permission from ancestors for passing"). This is done by saying the phrases "tao po" ("a human [is passing], elder), "tabi po" or "tabi apo" ("by your permission, elder") when passing by a place believed to be inhabited by a diwata.
Diwata are also believed to be able to mate with humans. People born with congenital disorders (like albinism or syndactyly) or display unusual beauty or behavior are commonly believed by local superstition to be the children of diwata who seduced (or sometimes raped) their mothers.
During the Spanish period, diwata were syncretized with elves and fairies in European mythology and folklore, and were given names like duende (goblin or dwarf), encantador or encanto ("spell [caster]"), hechicero ("sorcerer"), sirena ("mermaid"), or maligno ("evil [spirit]"). In Islamized ethnic groups of the Philippines, these nature spirits are usually called jinn or saitan, due to the influence of Islamic mythology.
Igorot tribes, a group that includes the Bontoc, Ibaloi, Ifugao, Isneg, Kalinga, Kankana-ey and Tinguian, who built the Rice Terraces. They also covered a wide spectrum in terms of their integration and acculturation with lowland Christian and Muslim Filipinos. Native groups such as the Bukidnon in Mindanao, had intermarried with lowlanders for almost a century. Other groups such as the Kalinga in Luzon have remained isolated from lowland influence.
There were several upland groups living in the Cordillera Central of Luzon in 1990. At one time it was employed by lowland Filipinos in a pejorative sense, but in recent years it came to be used with pride by native groups in the mountain region as a positive expression of their ethnic identity. The Ifugaos of Ifugao province, the Bontocs, Kalinga, Tinguian, the Kankana-ey and Ibaloi were all farmers who constructed the rice terraces for many centuries.
Other mountain peoples of Luzon are the Isnags of the province of Apayao, the Gaddangs of the border between Kalinga, and Isabela provinces and the Ilongots of Nueva Vizcaya province and Caraballo Mountains all developed hunting and gathering, farming cultivation and headhunting. Other groups such as the Negritos formerly dominated the highlands throughout the islands for thousands of years, but have been reduced to a small population, living in widely scattered locations, primarily along the eastern ranges of the mountains.
A Bulul is a carved wooden figure used to guard the rice crop by the Igorot peoples of northern Luzon. The sculptures are highly stylized representations of ancestors, and are thought to gain power from the presence of the ancestral spirit. The Ifugao are particularly noted for their skill in carving bululs. Bululs are used in ceremonies associated with rice production and with healing. Creation of a bulul involves alwen bulol ritual by a priest to ensure that the statue gains power. The bulul is treated with care and respect to avoid the risk of the spirits of the ancestors bringing sickness. The figures are placed in rice granaries to bring a plentiful harvest. A large granary may need two bululs, and a wealthy noble may also have one or more bululs in his house. Male and female Bulul statues are often found together, with sex-related symbols such as the mortar for the female and pestle for the male. A male bulul may sometimes be decorated with a g-string, and a female with a waist cloth, earrings and anklets. Although the form varies, the bulul is commonly represented as seated on the ground, with arms crossed over his upraised knees. The bulul has a simplified form, and is traditionally carved from narra or ipil wood or sometimes stone. The bulul is touched by hands dipped in blood of a chicken or pig in ritual called tunod during the rice planting season. Over time the blood imparts a dark color to the figures, overlaid with a patina of grease from food offerings. Bululs are handed down to the first child of a family. Typically the older statues have beetle holes made by insects in the granary.
Ifugao culture revolves around rice, which is considered a prestige crop. There is an elaborate and complex array of rice culture feasts inextricably linked with taboos and intricate agricultural rites, from rice cultivation to rice consumption. Harvest season calls for grandiose thanksgiving feasts, while the concluding harvest rites "tungo" or "tungul" (the day of rest) entail a strict taboo of any agricultural work. Partaking of the rice wine (bayah), rice cakes, and 'moma' (mixture of several herbs, powdered snail shell and betel nut/ arecoline: and acts as a chewing gum to the Ifugaos) is an indelible practice during the festivities and ritual activitiess. their retual and Agricultural terracing is their principal means of livelihood along with farming. Their social status is measured by the number of rice field granaries, family heirlooms, gold earrings, carabaos (water buffaloes), as well as, prestige conferred through time and tradition. The more affluent, known as kadangyan were usually generous by nature, giving rice to poor neighbors in time of food shortage(s) and/or hardship(s). Furthermore, their culture was known for their legal system, using one of the world's most extensive oral legal traditions specifying the offense depending on the use of custom law; trial by elders (influenced in part by public opinion); or trial by ordeal. The wealthy were subjected to greater fines than the poor.
The Ifugao art of woodcarving is universally known. Most notably are the carved granary guardians “bulul,” and the prestige bench; the “hagab,” but in addition to those free standing wood carvings: The Ifugao also incorporate beautiful architectural wood cavings into their hut’s house posts, exterior doors, kitchen shelving and a multitude of imaginative additions to nearly every element in, and on, their Ifugao huts!
Ifugao huts are well-constructed and characterized by wooden floors, windowless walls, and pyramidal thatch roofs. Elevated from the ground by four sturdy tree trunks, they feature removable staircases that are hoisted up at night to prevent entry by enemies or wild animals.
There are many varieties of Ifugao huts. They have heavy thatch roofs to serve as protection from rain and cold weather. The Ifugao inhabit the rugged terrain of the Cordillera Mountain Range in the Mountain Province of Central Northern Luzon Island. They have developed and maintained a distinct culture which resisted outside influence. Modern times ended their isolation; The only world they previously knew was an environment of towering mountains, rolling hills, windy plateaus, warm valleys, shallow but swift rivers, dense forests, rice paddies, and their immense rice terraces known as “The 7th Wonder of the World!”
"PUNAM-HAN" are used in sacrificial offertory rituals by Ifugao Mombaki Shamans; the blood of butchered animals are poured over the outside while rice in combination with wrapped textile bundles, small wooden carvings; "Hipag" figures, wrapped bamboo, animal sacrificial implements and any assortment of appropriate tribal sacrificial elements are placed inside as offering to the Ifugao gods. The Punamhan is regarded as a sacred tribal ritual object by the Ifugao tribe.
Untouched by the influences of Spanish colonialism, Ifugao culture value kinship, family ties, religious and cultural beliefs. They're unique among all ethnic groups in the mountain province, not only for their interesting customs and traditions but also for their narrative literature such as the hudhud, an epic dealing with hero ancestors sung in a poetic manner. Another feature unique to the Ifugao is their woodcarving art, most notably the carved granary guardians bului and the prestige bench of the upper class, the hagabi. Their textiles renowned for their sheer beauty, colorful blankets and clothing woven on looms. Houses were well-built, characterized by as a square with wooden floors, windowless walls, and pyramidal thatch roofs. Elevated from the ground by four sturdy tree trunks, they feature removable staircases that were hoisted up at night to prevent entry by enemies and/or wild animals. Lastly, their attire remain traditional for male Ifugaos, donning the wanno or g-string; there are six types of wanno which are used depending on the occasion or the man's social status. Ifugao women, on the contrary, wear tapis, a wraparound skirt; there are five kinds of skirts worn, depending on the occasion.
THE IFUGAO TRIBE, ON THE ISLAND: LUZON
IN THE PHILIPPINES, USE "PUNAMHAN"
HAND CARVED WOODEN BOXES THAT ARE
"ACTIVATED" THROUGH RITUAL ANIMAL
BLOOD SACRIFICE.
THE IFUGAO; ORIGINALLY REFERRED TO AS "IGOROTS" WERE
ONCE THOUGHT TO BE INCLUDED WITH THE BONTOC, KALINGA
KANKANAY, IBALOI AND GADDANG AS A SINGLE TRIBE
IT WAS NOT UNTIL EXHAUSTIVE RESEARCH LATER REVEALED
THESE WERE INDIVIDUAL TRIBES WITH DISTINCT
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND BELIEF SYSTEMS!