The Igorot Way of Honoring the Dead

Igorots have high regard and respect to their dead.  The wake is very important.  The wake is a very significant event that needs special attention from all the community people. As soon as a member of a family dies, donations of all kinds from every household are brought to the aggrieved family. The community people try their best to make things easier for the grieving family. Aside from money and donations in kind, the aggrieved family will get the best help from all the people. The Igorots are very organized in times of calamities. Everybody is willing to give a hand in whatever way they can. There are always things to be done like preparing the food, washing the dishes and others.  At night time when the workers have come from work, they will always go and pay their last respect to the dead.

While the dead in the cities and other parts of the world are left in the care of funeral homes, the Igorots take care of their own dead at home.

The coffin is usually made by the men and the dead is usually buried in the yard. Today because there are cemeteries, most people bury their dead in the cemeteries.

My grandparents were all buried in their yard but my mother and father were buried in the cemetery. You would be surprised to see a tomb in the middle of the rice terraces or a tomb just in front of the house, because this is a part of the igorot culture.  Although in the modern world, people are advised to bury their dead in the cemetery for health reasons. This is not strictly enforced since culture cannot be altered.

The interment is considered a holiday in the community. People will not go to work because they have to attend the burial first before going to work. You can see at least one member of each family giving cash or in kind to the aggrieved family during the burial day; it could be rice, sugar, or anything in order to give aid to the family in need.

Breach of TrustExile on Main Street
Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)
Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray]

Memories of Old TImes in my Home Town

The chaotic world of the computer age made me thought a lot about the old folks in my hometown whom I had learned all the lessons of simple living. It would have been a lot worth living life if time hasn’t changed this fast and the world is still so peaceful and calm.

Looking back, I could still picture my grandparents and all the other old men and women sitting in a place they called “palasa”, which came from the English word “plaza”. This is a meeting place for the old folks if they wanted to have bonding or they wanted to talk about an important matter. They were simple folks who talked about things that were very important to the town.

If there were problems, they were easily solved by the old men without the help of the community officials. They were the voice of the people and what they said was considered law. The traditional life in my hometown was very simple.  The old men could decide matters and people listened to them.  The words of the old men were considered law in the olden times.  They were referred to as the "wise men" in my hometown.

It is sad to think that almost all the old men I adored have gone and what hurts me more is that I haven't even talked to them about the real stories of long time ago.  They are gone and what stories they might have stored in their minds to hand down to the new generation is also gone.

I was greatly saddened during my last visit in my hometown because I missed the “palasa “where I often saw the old men having a meeting. Today, what stood in place was a Barangay Building where the office of the Barangay Captain and other officials is located. Barangay is a village headed by a Barangay Captain.  The word barangay came from the word "Balangay", the boat used by the Malays when they came to the Philippines..

How I wish it was the same old community where I used to live, with all the “binangi”- the traditional home and the “palasa”. But then, time is ever changing and things also change in this world and the traditional things and culture are being modernized too. It is sad but people aren’t preserving the traditional ways and things and time will come when nothing will be left of the culture of the Igorots, save for the memories of old times.

The Traditional Igorot Way of Curing

Each race has their own practices, traditions and beliefs.  My home town is still rich with old traditions; from the way a family should build a home, the best day to celebrate a wedding to the traditional way of curing.

 The old men and women of Tadian, Mt. Province have their own way of curing the sick.  With rituals and other practices, the Igorot men and women could cure just like the certified doctors.  The last time we had our family reunion, my brother was having an uncontrollable itchiness around his eyes.  He kept scratching and the hard part is he could not apply ointment because he feared hurting his eyes.  After a few hours, it was all over his face.

Our elder brother told him to try consulting one of the old women who knows something about removing unseen organisms that is causing itchiness in any part of the body.  I guess her eyes are like the microscope because she could see things that an ordinary person could not see. 

I was amazed when she took some rice straw and started picking slowly on my brother’s face.  She said she could see a lot of the organisms crawling around my brother’s face.  Every time she finished picking, she crushed the straw with her nails to kill the tiny organisms.  It was unbelievable but my sister and I watched it and we nodded our heads.

My brother said he felt so relieved after that.   The old woman does not accept payment for her services.  The old men and women in my home town do not accept payment for their services rendered.  They just love helping and serving other people without the thought of the money they could earn.  So, if you want to give money or anything, just give it as some sort of gift when you visit them next time. 

It is amazing how the old men and women do things in my home town. Would you believe, the old woman said she could see winged organisms that have already aged when she did the picking too in my nephew's foot?  My sister has been having problems with her younger son's foot that didn't heal for a long time even while giving him different types of medicine prescribed by doctors.  When the old woman picked on his feet with the rice straw, it healed after a few days. The old woman said it is the organisms that are causing the skin to itch and become raw.  Once the organisms are gotten rid, the skin disease will heal.

The Men Who Worked Without Pay

These men had done a lot for the community of Tadian in the olden days. As a practice in Tadian in those olden days, men worked for the community free of charge, this is called "GALATIS" which means free of charge, from the English word "gratis". The men were a bunch of strong and hard-working people who were always willing to work without pay. I really couldn’t forget our old folks before who thought of nothing but the good of the community. They worked hard but they didn’t expect any compensation.

 Until the late seventies, there used to be community work done by men and women without pay. Today though is different. Jobs especially manual labor are given to contractors who do the job with pay of course.

How time has changed; but it cannot be avoided.  Life is becoming harsh and people need money for their needs.  I would have preferred the life before in my home town than life today.

How to Cook Pinikpikan

When you hear the word, Igorot, you will always associate it to the pinikpikan food.  This is perhaps the most delicious food that the Igorots could offer to other people of different race.  Most people who have tried this love the taste and aroma of the food.  It has a smoky taste that makes it different from other chicken dishes because of the way it is prepared.

Here’s how to do pinikpikan:

Ingredients:

Live chicken

salted pork (optional)

salt to taste

NOTE:

You will be surprised that there are no other ingredients.  This is because cooking the Igorot way does not need all the food enhancers and additives that are common in commercial cooking.  We love healthy cooking so we are against food enhancers and food additives.  This is the reason why our forefathers had lived very long lives.

Procedure.

Hold the legs of the chicken firmly including the neck to avoid the chicken from moving and creating noise.  Slowly beat the chicken wings lightly with a piece of stick.  This will take a few minutes until the chicken dies.  The purpose of this beating is to allow for blood coagulation in the wings.  This provides for the different taste of the chicken.  This is why it is called pinikpikan because the chicken is beaten. 

Remove the big feathers before burning the chicken on fire.  This method of burning the feathers will give the smoky taste of the chicken.  This is what makes the pinikpikan different from other chicken menus.  Make sure that the feathers are well burned but not the skin.  When the feathers are burned, clean the burned feathers well then singed the skin until it is light brown to give the smoky aroma to the dish.  Wash the chicken very well to remove the burned skin so as not to make the dish bitter in taste.  Then cut the chicken to serving pieces and set aside.

Prepare a boiling pot of water with a little salt.  If you are adding salted pork then you have to control the salt you add.  Remember also that pork is harder to cook so you have to pre-cook the pork before adding the chicken meat.

Simmer then put off fire and serve hot.

Igorot dishes are that simple to cook.  They don’t need so many additives because just like a simple life, Igorots also have simple dishes.

The Tailed Igorot; an Anecdote

This anecdote was related to me by my first cousin who is now a Police Coronel. This cousin of mine has a habit of going home by bus during weekends when he was still a captain. His family is in Baguio City (Summer Capital of the Philippines) but his job is in Manila (Capital of the Philippines).

During one of his many trips, he overheard two young women talking about their bonus from their employer. These two young women work as maids for a rich couple in Manila and are going to Baguio to spend their Christmas Holiday because they have been given a bonus and a leave from work. To the ordinary Filipinos, having a vacation in Baguio City is considered classy and these two young women are excited about their trip to the place. Baguio City is very famous among tourists because of its beautiful geographic location, the cool weather and the vegetables and crafts plus an interesting people; the Igorot inhabitants.

During the conversation my cousin overheard one of the young women say, “I wonder how Igorots look like.”

To which the other woman laughed and said, “You mean, those tailed Igorots living on trees? Perhaps we could see them in Baguio. I haven’t seen one either.”

My cousin could not contain himself and stood in front of them. “What a pity. You haven’t seen an Igorot yet. You are quite lucky because you are looking at one now. I am Cpt. Daskeo and I am an Igorot.”

The two young women turned beet red.

Doing it the Igorot Way

Igorots in Hong Kong haven't forgotten their culture.  In the picture, you can see them dancing their own Igorot dance.

Hong Kong is a home to more than one hundred thousand Filipinos. They have formed a friendly community in this small territory and while many people do not approve of their strong bonding and activities in different public places such as parks, malls and other public places; Filipinos have their own way of making the most of their time in a place far away from home.

Filipinos are often considered as nuisance in other countries but they don’t heed the words of other people for as long as they know that what they are doing is right. Besides, they help a lot in the families they are serving.

During holidays and day-offs in Hong Kong, Filipinos flock together doing their own thing while the locals shrug their shoulders as they pass by them having picnics in parks and having a program in public places.

The Igorots do not forget their own culture even while they are working away from home. Igorots love exposing their own culture to other people. In Hong Kong, it is not an exemption, whenever they can; the igorot workers in the territory get together and bond among themselves.

Payew, Will the New Generation Continue To Build Them?

Demang Rice Terraces in Tadian, Mt. Province.

The “payew”- rice terraces, have been built by the Igorots long before the modern tools have been invented.  With only the crude tools, the Igorots have managed to build the rice terraces that have supplied them with rice and other crops for hundreds of years.

What make the rice terraces so amazingly beautiful is the fact that they have been built so perfectly hugged around the mountains, plus the fact that they have been built with the sweat and blood of the Igorot ancestors adds to its significance.
 

Some of the rice terraces are left to regenerate lost fertility.

In summer when the rice turn golden brown, the rice terraces look like a gold mine with the rice grains as the gold nuggets.  Rice is the staple food of all Filipinos and Igorots are not excluded. Igorots are heavy rice eaters because of the nature of their work.   Men especially are committed to their manual work in the fields from dawn to sunset and it is not with naps and breaks.  As soon as they start working, their only rest is the lunch break.  Igorots are known as hard working people.

Today, the modern lifestyle has taught the younger generations to shy away from farm work. Each child wants an executive position when college days are over. Nobody wants to go back to the field and farm. Farming is considered hard work with the least ROI. Nobody wants to work in the mud anymore and remain poor.  The young generation has invaded the modern world and they are out hurdling with the other people all over the world in order to achieve more and taste what life could offer.

Amidst the drastic change of technology lies the rice terraces awaiting hands to toil the soil.   But is there anyone from the new generations who is interested to go back to the mountain and build another terrace to add to the stairways to heaven?  .

Binangi, the Igorot Traditional House, now only a Story in the Past

For many years, the igorots had lived in small houses called binangi. 

But in the 1960’s big houses sprouted in my home town which made many people aware of the more comfortable houses. People started building two storey houses with rooms .  In the late 70’s there were only a few binangi left around.  These few houses were only used as storage for rice crops in the 80’s.

The traditional house of the Igorots called binangi is a four posted house with a pyramid-shape, thatched roof, with only the entrance as the opening.  It is a one room- 10 by 10 feet dwelling without furniture, save for a very low table called dulang which resembles the Japanese table and low stools called bangkito.  The floor is at least 2 meters high which makes the lower portion of the house a convenient place to stack all the family’s tools.   A portable bamboo ladder called tetey serves as stairs in going up the house.  This is portable and easily removed and raised in a corner when everybody is out for the day.  Houses in the Igorot villages didn’t have locks before but there was no robbery of any kind in those olden days.

The binangi of the Igorots had faded with time and what was left in my community is an abandoned binangi.  It is sad, but the people haven’t preserved the binangi for the young generations to see.  Today, Tadian is already a modernized town with lots of big houses copied from different countries.