IFUGAO TRIBE: CEREMONIAL RITUAL TROPHY
BOAR SKULL THAT FEATURES A HAND CARVED "BULUL" FIGURE
IFUGAO TRIBAL USED ANTIQUE 19TH CENTURY TROPHY SKULL CIRCA 1880! THIS IS A VERY OLD ANTIQUE IFUGAO BOAR SKULL TROPHY THAT FEATURES A SEATED HAND CARVED “BULUL” HUMAN FIGURE AND TWO CEREMONIAL RITUAL SACRIFICIAL CHICKEN FEET. RATTAN WRAPPING KEEPS THE JAWS CLOSED AND HAS A RATTAN HANDLE FOR HANGING! THIS REMARKABLE PIECE COMES FROM THE HEAD HUNTING TRIBE: "IFUGAO" IN THE CORDILLERA MOUNTAINS ON THE ISLAND "LUZON" IN THE PHILIPPINES. IT IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THIS IS A RARE AND UNUSUAL PIECE THAT HAS A FINE, RICH, ANCIENT DARK BLACK PATINA AND RATTAN WEAVING FOR MOUNTING OR HANGING ON A WALL OR CEILING IN THE INTERIOR OF AN IFUGAO HUT WHERE IT WAS USED AS A PIECE OF TRIBAL CEREMONIAL RITUAL DECORATION. THIS UNUSUAL AND EXTREMELY RARE ITEM MEASURES APPROXIMATELY 11 INCHES LONG,
BY 10 INCHES WIDE, BY 7 INCHES DEEP. THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY
PIECE OF OLD TRIBAL ART!
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.
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.
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.