Munbaki

Trip Start Mar 27, 2004
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Trip End Jun 27, 2007


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Flag of Philippines  ,
Sunday, August 28, 2005

In Ifugao indigenous culture when a family member is sick, the healthy family members open the tomb of the dead relatives and clean the remains to show they still remember and care for them. This was the second time lola's tomb was opened and her remains were cleaned. The first time since her death they separated her bones and 'polished them', but because there is oxygen in the large tomb (sized for an American, not a Filipino) her bones remain brownish black not white as I had imagined even with polishing. So the end of the tomb was chiseled away and a man went into the tomb to bring her out for fresh air. That was a bit freaky, I would never want to enter a tomb. Her remains were in a neat pile covered with a rotted blanket and a lone cockroach next to her pearly white dentures. They were left to dry for the day and insecticide was sprayed inside the tomb. The whole family gathered nearby and ate lunch and later dinner of native pig boiled with salt and rice with rice wine to drink of course. This meal is the same when any big party happens although sometimes it also is combined with pansit (noodles). A trail of ants had found there way into the tomb indicating that someone in the family is sick according to the native culture. After eating Franks burgers we proceeded to the Munbaki's bale (native priest's house). There I was informed we would pray for lola and my host sister's dead husband. Originally I was told that both of them were very shy and so I shouldn't be there since they did not know me, so I was prepared to hang out somewhere else. But in the end I was waved in, palm down of course, and sat in silence in a chair opposite the Munbaki, outside of the group of relatives. We closed our eyes and the woman recited a chant in the native Ifugao language, which I have not mastered, for about five minutes. All of a sudden she cries out and her body stiffens with her mouth open causing both me and my little host brother to practically jump out of four chairs. After her mind returns to her body she picks up a glass of coke and walks outside intently. She came back in and the whole thing was repeated. Come to find out she was trying to get the late husband to use her body to talk to my sister. In the end he was too shy and she was told to return with his family not his in laws. We then returned to the family for dinner and didn't return home until about eight at night. Family affairs are very long, and relaxed in this country since we left to go there at nine am. I'll tell you all about funerals later when I attend one and get the whole scoop on them.
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