IFUGAO WARRIORS BULUL ARM BAND DAVID HOWARD TRIBAL ART IFUGAO WARRIORS BULUL ARM BAND

Ifugao Head Hunter Warrior's Arm Band David Howard Tribal Art

David Howard Tribal Art Ifugao Head Hunter Warrior's Boar Tusk Arm Band

Head Hunter Warrior's Boar Tuck Arm Band David Howard Tribal Art Ifugao Tribe Philippines

Bulul Figure on Ifugao Boar Tusk Arm Band David Howard Tribal Art

David Howard Tribal Art Detail of an Ifugao Head Hunter Warrrior's Boar Tusk Arm Band

Detail of an Infugao head hunter Warrior's Boar Tusk Arm Band David Howard Tribal art

The Last Filipino Head Hunter's Book Cover By David Howard Tribal Art

David Howard Tribal Art Book The Last Filipino Head Hunters

Ifugao Head Hunter Warrior's Bulul Figure Boar Tusk Arm Band David Howard Tribal Art

IFUGAO TRIBE: WARRIOR'S ARM BAND #2
HAND CARVED "BULUL" FIGURE,
BOAR TUSKS, FIBER, WOOD, BOAR HAIR, RATTAN

IFUGAO TRIBAL USED ANTIQUE 19TH CENTURY WARRIOR'S “TONGKIL” BOAR TUSK BRACELET WITH HAND CARVED WOODEN BULUL FIGURE; CIRCA 1880! AUTHENTIC ANTIQUE IFUGAO HEAD HUNTING WARRIOR'S BRACELET THAT FEATURES A SEATED HAND CARVED “BULUL” HUMAN FIGURE RATTAN LASHED ONTO TWO BOAR TUSKS. FROM THE HEAD HUNTING TRIBE: "IFUGAO" IN THE CORDILLERA MOUNTAINS ON THE ISLAND "LUZON" IN THE PHILIPPINES. IT IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION WITH A FINE, RICH, DARK PATINA. MEASURING 11 INCHES IN CIRCUMFERENCE, X 4.5 INCHES TALL, X 3.5 INCHES DEEP. SHOWS WEAR AND SIGNS OF TRIBAL USE. FOR SIMILAR EXAMPLES: PLEASE REFERENCE THE BOOK ENTITLED: "THE LAST FILIPINO HEAD HUNTERS;" PAGE # 57 IN THE ABOVE ARE POSTED PICTURES OF THAT BOOK’S COVER AND MENTIONED PAGE NUMBER FOR YOUR REFERENCE. THIS IS A RARE AND UNUSUAL PIECE FROM MY GRANDFATHER'S TRIBAL ART COLLECTION. HE WORKED IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, SOUTH AMERICA, AND AMERICA'S SOUTH WEST IN THE 30'S. HE TRAVELED TO BURMA, INDONESIA, THE PHILIPPINES, EUROPE AND MEXICO WITH A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE PHOTOGRAPHER. HE COLLECTED THIS
PIECE DURING HIS TRAVELS.

Headhunting is the practice of taking and preserving a person's
head after killing the person. Headhunting was practised
in historic times in parts of Oceania, South and Southeast
Asia, West and Central Africa, and Mesoamerica, as well
as among certain tribes of the Celts, the West Germanic
tribes, and Scythians of ancient Europe. It occurred in
Europe to the end of the Middle Ages in Ireland and the
Anglo-Scottish border regions, and until the 19th century
in Montenegro, Croatia, Albania and
western parts of Herzegovina.

The headhunting practice has been the subject of intense
study within the anthropological community, where scholars
try to assess and interpret its social roles, functions, and
motivations. Anthropological writings explore themes in
headhunting that include mortification of the rival, ritual
violence, cosmological balance, the display of manhood,
cannibalism, prestige by taking on a rival's spirit and power,
and as a means of securing the services of
the victim as a slave in the afterlife.

Today's scholars generally agree that headhunting's primary
function was ritual and ceremonial. It was part of the process
of structuring, reinforcing, and defending hierarchical relationships
between communities and individuals. Some experts theorize that
the practice stemmed from the belief that the head contained
"soul matter" or life force, which could be
harnessed through its capture.

Prior to colonization, Ifugao was a massive highland plutocracy, among the most sophisticated and prosperous of its kind in the whole archipelago and one of the two grandest highland plutocracies in Luzon, the other being the Plutocracy of Kalinga. The state existed for over 2,000 years and have built massive rice terraces that would be a symbol of the province in later time. There were no monarchs in the state. The state was ruled by its council of elders which led the state into a peaceful and prosperous plutocracy which developed one of the best agricultural technologies in Asia at its time. The state consisted of various subgroups which had similar yet somewhat distinct culture and traditions. Conflicts among the Ifugao people were resolved in the most peaceful way possible. Unlike most of the highland plutocracies in the Cordilleras at the time, the Plutocracy of Ifugao had the least conflict with lowland settlers. Kiangan was known as the birthplace of the Ifugao people and Hungduan
as the epicenter of its culture.

The Ifugao sacrificial ritual "Punamhan" box dates back centuries. The classic punamhan form maintains the traditional rectangular shape associated with the [typical] punamhan found in the regions of Banaue and Lagawe, which usually have two zoomorphic head finials (usually of a boar or a dog) carved on either end. The lid fits snuggly to the container and bears traces of a stylized gecko, or butiki, motif carved on it. This playful mix of both anthropomorphic and zoomorphic design elements make for a very unusual box; one that defies the stylistic tradition of the typical punamhan associated with rice and harvest rites. All in all, this archaic specimen remains intact with visible traces of ritual libations - a well-seasoned ritual object that has been witness to over a century of
countless harvests and rituals.

"PUNAM-HAN"are used for rice rituals by Shamans for planting and harvest rituals; where the blood of butchered animals are pored over the outside and grains of rice are put inside as offering to the Ifugao gods thus it is regarded as a sacred tribal ritual object.

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.

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!