FOR THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
Recognition, Representation, Revolution, Respect
Bontok of the Igorots
Based on dialectal differences, the group is given subgroupings recognized by social scientists, namely, Central, Talubin, Barlig, Lias, and Kadklan. The Bontoc ethnic group belongs to Cordillera ethic groups.
Geography
The Bontoc Igorot people are agricultural head-hunters who live in the village of Bontoc in the sub-province of the same name of the province of Lepanto-Bontoc in northern Luzon of the Philippine islands. The Bontoc culture area is in the center, geographically and culturally, of the entire Igorot area of Luzon. it contains about 75,000 people of the 300,000 or 400,000 who make up the “Igorot” or “Mountain People” will occupy practically all the mountain area of Luzon north of latitude 16° N.
Worldview
The people of Bontoc believe in the spirit of all dead persons called “a-ni’-to”. During the life of a person his spirits is called “ta’-ko.” They believe that all ailments are caused by the anitos. Thus, the exorcists called the “insupak” are the ones that treat the sick.
The Bontoc Igorots believe in the Supreme being, “Lu-ma’-wig” Lumawig, who had a part in the beginning of all things; who came as a man to help the survivors and perpetuators of Bontoc; who later came as a man to teach the people whom he had befriended, and who still lives to care for them. Lu-ma’-wig is the greatest of spirits, dwelling above in “chayya”, the sky. “Teng-ao” is the sacred day, the rest day of Bontoc.
En-fa-lok’-net is the Bontoc word for war, but the expression “na-ma’-ka” – take heads – is used interchangeably with it.
Material Culture
Clothing
The men usually wear a basket- work hat worked on the back of the head called suk’-lang, or the a-pong’-ot, the head-band of cloth worn by short-haired. They also wear a girdle made of twisted bark-fiber braided into strings called song-kit-an. At about the age of puberty, it is usual for the boy to possess a breech-cloth called wa’-nis.
The woman on the other hand, puts on a woven bark-fiber skirt, lu-fid’. Under the girdle of wa’-kis. The women, though seldom worn except in the dance, also wear a small and white with a blue stripe blanket or pi’-tay called “kud-pas”.
Weapons
Fal-feg- a simple, single-barbed blade, and rages from 2 inches to 6 inches in length. This style of blade is the most used in warfare.
Fang’-kao – or barbless lance blade, is not a war blade, but is used almost entirely in killing carabaos and hogs.
Si-na-la-wi’-tan – similar to the fal-feg, except that instead of the single pair of barbs there are other barbs.
Kay-yan – a gracefully formed blade not used in hunting, and employed less in war than the sinalawitan.
Tattoos
All the members – men, women, and children – of an ato may be tattooed whenever a head is taken by any person of the ato.
- Bu-ma-fa’-tek – the one who understands the art of tattooing.
Three classes of tattoos:
- Chak-lag – the breast tattoo of the head taker
- Pong’o – the tattoo on the arms of men and women
- Fa’-tek – all other tattoos of both sexes are classed.
Fa’-tek is the general word for tattoo, and pong’-o is the name of woman’s tattoo.
Social and Cultural Organization
Pueblo – lie in the mountains in a roughly circular pocket called Pa-pas’-kan.
Ato – Bontoc is composed of seventeen political divisions, alled “a’-to.”
Pa-ba-fu’-nan is the home of the various a’-to ceremonials.
Olag – an institution of trial marriage.
A-fong is the general term for Bontoc dwellings.
Families – Bonto families are monogamous, and monogamy is the rule throughout the area.
Issues Confronting the Group
Wars and headhunting – the continuation of the head taking practice is believed to be due to the so-called “debt of life” – that is, each group of people losing a head is in duty and honor bound to cancel the score by securing a head from the offenders. In this way the score is never ended or canceled, since one or the other group is always in debt.
Marginalized – like other ethnic groups, the Bontoc Igorots are discriminated against and obscured by the dominant culture groups in the society.
Media
An infographic of the contents here about the Bontok by Tristan Almonia and Adrianne Paul Aniban- University of the Philippines Baguio
A video about the history of the Bontocs
References
Jenks, Albert Ernest. “The Bontoc Igorot.” An Electronic Transcription. The Project Gutenberg. March 18,2005. https://gutenberg.org/fles/3308/3308-h/3308-h.htm.
Jenks, Albert Ernest. “Bontoc Igorot Clothing.” American Anthropologist, New Series, 6, no.5 (1904):695-704. http://www.jstor.org/stable/659146
Scott, William Henry. “Sagada Legends.” The Journal of American Folklore 74, no.291 (1961): 57-62. Doi:10.2307/538199.
Anonymous. “Peoples of the Philippines: Bontoc.” National Commission for Culture and the Arts. https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/glimpses-people-of-the-philippines/bontoc/.