Isneg of the Igorots
Isnag/ los Apayaos/ los Mandayas
Name Origin:
‘is’ means recede and ‘uneg’ means interior: “people who have gone into the interior”
Geography
1908: Apayao was made a subprovince of Mt. Province {currently covers the whole area of CAR).
Found at the northwesterly end of Northern Luzon (upper half of Apayao province).
Municipalities occupied: Pudtol, Kabugao, Kalanasan, Conner .
Two major river systems: Abulog and Apayao; described as “dark tropical forests”.
Built their houses on small hills that lie along the aforementioned rivers.
Small villages with tightly packed houses for companionship and security purposes.
Worldview
No gods, but there are more than 300 anito who assume various forms.
*Examples of Spirits*
Good: Anlabban (protector of hunters); Bago (spirit of the forest); etc.
Bad: Landusan (poverty); Alupundan (makes reapers’ toes get sore); etc.
Rich in stories about phenomena like: (1) why birds steal grains (2) why grains are small and (3) the story of sal-it and addug (lightning and thunder)
Life is associated with land, forests, and rivers, wherein lad ownership is ruled by an unwritten law of property relations.
*Ways of Land Acquisition*
(1) First use (pioneer principle); (2) Actual possession and active occupation; (3) inheritance.
Material Culture
Language
Isnag is the main language;
Rich in folk riddles and traditional oral arts (e.g. magpayaw)
Food
Rice is a staple traditionally produced through slash-and-burn agriculture;
Any agricultural process is preceded by rituals;
Their rice granaries are believed to be sheltering both the annual harvest and the spirits which guard the food inside.
House/Architecture
Called binuron (largest and one of the most significantly built houses in the Cordillars);
Resembles the traditional Isneg boat(barana’y/bank’l);
An annex like structure (tarakip) is built at one end
Clothing
*During feasts*
Men: G-string (with decorative beads and tassels), a long-sleeved jacket (usually green), and an embroidered headpiece.
Women: Longsleeved jacket (usually dark blue), striped/plain navy blue skirt, and embroidered headpiece.
*Traditional Costume*
Men: Abag, iput, bado, sipatal
Women: Aken, badio, square head scarf
Customs
Came in contact with groups practicing jar burial;
Heirlooms are made from Chinese porcelain pieces and glass beads;
Husband and wife retain rights to prenuptial properties, but assets acquired jointly are conjugal properties;
Uses tagarut as amulet against bad spirits and offers inapugan to Inargay:
*Signs that clearing work on swiddens can begin*
Bakakaw herp comes out, tablan is in bloom, leaves of basinalan tree falls, and lumba tree begins to bear fruit.
*Plants to avoid while burning*
Amital vine, lapatulag ree, lubo herb
A little whirlwhind from the burned field is believed to be the spirit of Alupugpug which brings good harvest
Tattooing
Males: Hisi, andoi, babalakay
Females: Andori, balalakat, tutungrat
Other Items:
Aliwa, iko, garabil (a bamboo violin), mushroom (talisman for a woman’s successful delivery), bamboo sliver(cut umbilical cord which, together with ginr and herbs in a coconut shell, are buried under the house), taxalitaw vine and sapitan herb (agpaabay ritual), paga (shelf above Isneg hearth where the spirit Pilay lives), takkag (a kind of fern placed in the granary to preserve Pilay’s blessing), labag (type of bird uses as signifiers for building houses)
Social and Cultural Organization
Isneg’s Disposition
Early accounts describe them as tender, graceful, kind, hospitable, generous, courageous, and artistic in temperament; headtaking society (the custom ended in 1913).
Governance
Mengal (bravemen) and kamenglan (bravest of the brave) - A warrior of proven courage, surface as arbiter of disputes, and enjoys enormous prestige
Dorarakit or maganito (shaman) - intermediary between the living and the spirits, almost always a woman, makes amulets that ward off evil, intervenes for recovery of afflicted members, and perform rites to gain the fever of spirits.
Family Formation
Begins with the rights of courtship that take place in the girl’s parents’ house – leads to discussion of tadug (bride-price) – Isneg women traditionally give birth in a kneeling position;
Isneg society permits polygyny, but not polyandry
Work Practices
Division of labor as based on physical strength and gender.
Man: clearing for planting, hunting, fishing, building of houses and boats, plowing.
Women: planting, wedding, harvesting, preparing meals, maintaining gardens, rearing children.
Music and Dances
Young man uses his baling and orbao or sings dissodi during courtship; Taduk and talip, balengente, pingpingaw, turayan
Rituals
Significant events accompanied with feasts (marriage, illness, death, etc.):
Say-am: celebrated by affluent members, performed for special occasions, and mengals and shamans are invited;
Pildap: celebrated by poorer members;
Agpaabay: done three days before rice is planted involves scattering of rice on the field to warn rats not to eat them;
Pisi: ritual offering of food the spirits associated with a prayer.
Issues Confronting the Group
On their Name
They are sometimes referred to as “Apayao” but Isneg is not interchangeable with Apayao because not all parts of Apayao are inhabited by the Isneg (other inhabitants include, but not limited to: (1) Ilokano (2) Itawes (3) Aeta.
On their Location
They share the same territory with the the Aggay.
Against Spaniards
Spaniards aimed to curb headtaking practice of Isneg and Christianize them;
Ilocos Revolt of 1660-1661 (led by Juan Manzano Magsanop);
Capinatayn-Totol Mission (led by Darisan)
Battle in 1895 (Isneg defeate the Spaniards in 1895)
Against Americans
The Battle of Waga (put an end to the headtaking practice)
On Politics
There was no strong political authority (recognized by the community) among the Isneg. this was due to the relative smallness of Isneg villagers that led the lack of male population that could bring other villages under control.
References
Apas, R. (1999, April 17). Isneg. Retrieved from CiteSeer: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download:jsessionid=4CBCAEFD7B9A78DD10B6ECD538C7041? Doi=10.1.1.695.3124&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Ethnic Groups of the Philippines. (n.d.). Isneg. Retrieved from EthnicGroupsPhilippines: http://www.ethnicgroupsphilippines.com/people/ethnic-groups-in-the -philippines/isneg/
Keesing, F. (1962). The Isneg: Shifting Cultivators of the Northern Philippines. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology. 1-19.
Pulotu Database of Pacific Religions. (n.d.). Isneg. Retrieved from Pulotu: https://pulotu.shh.mpg.de/culture/isneg
Roth, D. (1974). Notes on the Ethnohistory of Northern Luzon. Ethnohistory. 371-378.
Vanoverbergh, M. (1955). Isneg Tales. Folklore Studies, 8-9.