"Ifugao Tribal Group": Background

“IFUGAO TRIBAL GROUP”
“Heavenly Father, please strengthen our hearts, and remind us to encourage one another when the
troubles of life start to overwhelm us. Please guard our hearts from depression. Give us the strength up to
rise up each day and fight against the struggles which seek to weigh us down. Amen." ~ John Barnett
Background
Ifugao is named after the term i-pugo ("i" [from/people] and pugo [hill]), which
translates to people of the hill. Alternatively, the province's name may have come from
the word pugaw, which means "the cosmic earth", ipugawthen referring to "mortals".
Finally, the name may have been derived from ipugo, a type of grain in local mythology
given to the people by Matungulan, the god of grains. The Ifugao is a group that lives in
a mountainous region of north-central Luzon around the town of Banaue. Also known as
the Ifugaw, Ipugao, orYfugao, they are former headhunters who are famous for their
spectacular mountain-hugging rice terraces. The Ifugao are believed to have arrived
from China around 2000 years ago. Their first contact with the outside world was
through American military officers and schoolteachers early in the 20th century.
Communication with them was made easier when better roads were built to the areas
where they live. Their war-dance, which is the Bangibang, is one of the cultural
remnants of the time of tribal conflict. This dance is traditionally held on the walls of the
rice terraces by the men, equipped with spears, axes and wooden shields and a
headdress made of leaves.Ifugao name means "inhabitant of the known world." Many of
the older Ifugao continue to live as their ancestors did. Some men still wear loincloths;
and the practice of headhunting was given up only a few decades ago. The
Ifugaoindigenous peoples have been living in the same geographical area for several
hundred years, speaking the Ifugao language, which is a Malayo-Polynesian language
of the Northern Philippine grouping. Despite increasing pressures of modernization,
many Ifugao have maintained their traditional cultural practices. Subsistence is mainly
through wet-rice agriculture and slash and burn cultivation of tubers. In addition to
agriculture, hunting and gathering continue to play a large role in Ifugao indigenous
subsistence. For example, the ginga - a clam found in the rice fields - is still a main
source of food. Recently, coffee has become a growing agricultural crop for the Ifugao
as demand from Western countries grows.
In 1912, Cornélis De Witt Willcox wrote in “The Head Hunters of Northern

Luzon”: “ As elsewhere, but few clothes are seen: the women wear a short striped skirt
sarong-wise, but bare the bosom. However, they are beginning to cover it, just as a few
of them had regular umbrellas. They leave the navel uncovered; to conceal it would be
immodest. The men are naked save the gee-string, unless a leglet of brass wire under
the knee be regarded as a garment; the bodies of many of them are tattooed in a leaf-
like pattern. A few men had the native blanket hanging from their shoulders, but leaving
the body bare in front. The prevailing color is blue; at Campote it is red. The hair looked
as though a bowl had been clapped on the head at an angle of forty-five degrees, and
all projecting locks cut off. If the hair is long, it means that the wearer has made a vow
to let it grow until he has killed someone or burnt an enemy’s house. We saw such a
long-haired man this day. Some of the men wore over their gee-strings belts made of
shell (mother-of-pearl), with a long free end hanging down in front. These belts are very
costly and highly thought of. Earrings are common, but apparently the lobe of the ear is
not unduly distended. Here at Kiangan, the earring consists of a spiral of very fine brass
wire.
Geographical Location
The province of Ifugao is a land-locked area located at the foot of the Cordillera
mountain ranges. It is bounded by the high peaked mountain of Benguet in the western
side, Nueva Vizcaya on the southern side, Isabela on the eastern side, and on the north
by the protruding strip of the territory of Mountain Province. It is generally located at 120
degrees 40'17" longitude.Ifugao covers a total area of 2,628.21 square kilometers
(1,014.76 sq. mi) occupying the southeastern section of the Cordillera Administrative
Region in Luzon. Situated within the Cordillera Central mountain range, Ifugao is
characterized by rugged terrain, river valleys, and massive forests.The Rice Terraces of
the Philippine Cordilleras and Banaue Rice Terraces are the main tourist attractions in
the province. These terraces are believed to have been hand-carved into the mountains
2,000 years ago to plant rice. However, recent research by carbon dating suggests that
they were built much later. In 1995, the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras were
declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ifugao Marriage, Love, and Courtship

Monogamy is the norm among the Ifugao but some wealthy families practice
polygyny. Incest prohibitions extend to first cousins. Marriage to more distant cousin can
only be arranged after the payment of livestock penalties. Trial marriages between
prospective couples are common. Courtship rituals take place at the girl’s houses.
Wealthy families have traditionally arranged marriages through intermediaries. Families
exchange gifts and maintain close ties after the marriage. Newlyweds often spend some
time living with their parents before setting up housing of their own, often near a large
rice field. Divorces may occur after mutual consent or with the payment of damages if
contested. Grounds for divorce include omens, no children, cruelty, desertion and
change of affection. All property traditionally goes to the children. Widows and widowers
are only allowed to remarry after making a payment to the deceased spouse’s family.
Both sexes may inherit property, with the firstborn getting the largest share. Illegitimate
children receive support from the father but do not have inheritance rights. The men are
responsible for building maintaining the terraces while women plant, weed and harvest
the rice. Women use wooden pestles and stone mortars to pound rice into a shape
dictated by ancient tradition. Women also spend many hours weaving fabrics that are
unique to their village. Children are carried around by both men and women in scarves
knotted around their bodies.
Observation that exhibits the same practices on the modern setting
The strong family influence and alluring attire like the Barong and Filipiniana, are
just a few unique Filipino wedding customs. Despite being predominantly Catholic in
nature, we are accustomed to old-school traditions and practices we got from our
ancestors and other tribes such as the Ifugao. The following practices manifest
similarities to the latter:
 Asking the girl’s permission
It’s usually done before the wedding, where the family of the groom-to-be visits the
house of the bride-to-be to speak of the marriage intentions. It’s also a way of gaining
approval to plan the wedding. This is the part where arrangements and seeking of
blessings are being made.
 Throwing of rice grains
The throwing of rice grains is said to be a way of giving luck to the newlyweds. This
is also done to wish prosperity and happiness to the groom and bride’s life together.
Some would say that the tradition of throwing rice grains also represents fertility and
abundance for the newlyweds to bear children in the future.
 Living in the house of the girl
Filipino stayed longer in their parent's house even if they have their own family.
They lived together and support each other. This is also the case of newlyweds Ifugao.
Sources:
[Encyclopedia of World Cultures, East and Southeast Asia edited by Paul Hockings
(G.K. Hall & Company, 1993)]
[philippines.hvu.nl]
[http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Philippines/sub5_6d/entry-
3880.html#chapter-6]
“The Head Hunters of Northern Luzon” by Cornélis De Witt Willcox, Lieutenant-Colonel

U.S. Army, Professor United States Military Academy, 1912

"Ifugao Tribal Group": Background

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“IFUGAO TRIBAL GROUP”

In 1912, Cornélis De Witt Willcox wrote in “The Head Hunters of Northern

Ifugao Marriage, Love, and Courtship

Observation that exhibits the same practices on the modern setting

 Asking the girl’s permission

 Throwing of rice grains

 Living in the house of the girl

“The Head Hunters of Northern Luzon” by Cornélis De Witt Willcox, Lieutenant-Colonel

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