IFUGAO TRIBE: "GINUTTO" HAND CARVED SHELL CEREMONIAL BELT, HAND FORGED "BOLO" MACHETE AND HAND CARVED WOODEN SHEATH #2 IFUGAO TRIBAL USED WARRIOR’S CEREMONIAL RITUAL GINUTTO SHELL BELT, HAND FORGED “BOLO” MACHETE, HAND CARVED WOODEN SHEATH, HAND CARVED SHELL; DECORATED IN BOAR HAIR, A COILED COPPER CLASP, IFUGAO TRIBAL WOVEN TEXTILE, HAND WOVEN RATTAN AND HAND CARVED COCONUT SHELL CIRCULAR HIGHLIGHT ON THE LARGEST HAND CUT SHELL! THIS REMARKABLE PIECE COMES FROM THE HEAD HUNTING TRIBE: "IFUGAO" IN THE CORDILLERA MOUNTAINS ON THE ISLAND "LUZON" IN THE PHILIPPINES. THIS RARE AND UNUSUAL PIECE HAS A FINE, RICH, DARK, BROWN PATINA ON THE HAND CARVED WOODEN SHEATH THAT MEASURES 16 INCHES LONG. THE HAND FORGED BOLO MACHETE IS DECORATED IN HAND WOVEN RATTAN AND IT MEASURES 20 INCHES LONG. WHEN THE MACHETE IS IN THE SHEATH THE OVERALL LENGTH OF THE MACHETE AND THE SHEATH IS 23 INCHES LONG. THE TEXTILE BACKED HAND CARVED CIRCULAR SHELL BELT MEASURES 44 INCHES LONG; TERMINATES IN A RATTAN WOVEN BOAR HAIR DECORATION ON ONE END AND ON THE OTHER END IT TERMINATES IN A COPPER COILED WIRE CLASP HOOK. THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY PIECE OF OLD IFUGAO TRIBAL ART! IT IS IN GOOD ORIGINAL CONDITION; WITH RUST ON THE BOLO BLADE AND A FEW CRACKS IN ONE SHELL! THIS PIECE SHOWS ACTUAL SIGNS OF IFUAGO RITUAL USE. A “ginutto” ceremonial belt is worn by Ifugao warriors during tribal rituals. It is made of hand carved disk shape sea shell rings. It is worn attached to a sheathed bolo knife or machete in its’ wooden sheath. The shells are attached together by using a combination of cotton thread, bark thread, tribal textile and rattan. One large hand carved shell is attached at the middle where a tie holds the whole ornament to the scabbard on the belt to the waist. It is a highly valued possession among the Ifugao. Only the propertied elite wear a ginutto during tribal ceremonial rituals. Ginutto are considered tribal heirlooms. The traditional tribal materials used to make ginutto belts are no longer available which makes old original ginutto belts extremely rare and valuable. "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 a 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.

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