Native Cultural Ways

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  Ifugao, Philippines
Wednesday, July 13, 2005

About a month ago I accompanied a co-worker of mine went to a meeting and information session on SRI (System of Rice Intensification) facilitated by the Save the Ifugao Rice Terraces Movement (SITMO). It was very interesting a Professor talked about the pilot project/experiment at the Nagacadan Rice Terraces and how they conducted it. The meeting was conducted in the native language of Tuwali mixed with Tagalog luckily for me there was a brochure in English. Then we went out to the terraces and saw the harvesting of the rice along with a native harvest sacrifice to supply the people attending the session with grub. So we hiked a short distance to native Ifugao houses on the other side of the terraces where we sat on the ground amidst the natives enjoying selves talking and drinking local rice wine while waiting for lunch. The native men wore the native attire, a g-string, and began the sacrifice with a chicken. The purpose of this is to determine if the gods will provide a good harvest season by the placement and size of some of the internal organs of the chicken. So they hold the chicken upside down and slit the throat. The blood is then drained out in to a small wooden bowl and smeared all over the other wooden utensils including a bamboo instrument. All the while the other native Ifugao man is chanting in the local tongue about the elders and years past. The 'killer' then gets up and bangs the instrument on his legs producing a hollow sound and dancing the native dance around the houses and all of us. The chicken is then placed over the fire to burn off the feathers and roasted. This sacrifice is performed on many occasions and is an ancient 'pagan' practice of the natives called baké. Because of the large amount of visitors they also sacrificed a pig, which was squealing the whole time it was being butchered, well not the whole time....you know what I mean.
Last week I met a few older people through an Australian friend in Kiangan. They told us of the ways of marriage. The man gives a number of pigs to the woman of his dreams and her family. The number of pigs is determined by how much she is worth. If she is a lawyer for example he would give more pigs than if she was a farmer. To accept the proposal the family accepts the pigs. Although there has been some discrepancies among the people about if the acceptance means they are married or they are engaged. This is accepted nationally as a marriage but not internationally since no legal document signed. According to the Ifugao language packet Peace Corps issued, long ago if a woman accepted betel nut from a man than they were together. Good thing I haven't chewed betel nut with a boy! Betel nut is a nut found here that many people chews with lime. It's similar to chewing tobacco in that it makes you dizzy or something, have yet to try it. It also turns your whole mouth including your teeth red and because of this there are red spit spots all over the ground in all the province.
Another interesting thing I learned is since suing is not very common here, as opposed to in the states, people take the matters into their own hands. Years ago this meant headhunting. Meaning that if you messed with one person in the community you messed with the whole community. I think it was a similar case for the American Indians. Now that headhunting has lost its fashion appeal, the people have moved to communication including apologies and compromises. So if there is a murder or an accidental death where someone is at fault, according to some members of the community then they talk about it. Not blaming each other and yelling, like Americans would, no the families and the culprit set up a meeting with the dead man's family and apologize, even if they feel that the culprit is innocent. It isn't about being right or wrong it is about saving face and preserving the ties and friendships with each other. Amazing! They agree on a price or payment and that is the end of that. No grudges held....life goes on. There maybe talk about the truth individually amongst a family but not publicly, publicly they are civil with one another. What a system! I'm curious to know more about the details and how well the system works or fails.

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