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Cordillera indigenous peoples perform own rituals

The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera have rituals and rites performed in connection with their lifestyle and life cycles. These are performed in connection with birth, marriage, sickness, death, agricultural, and even political and economic activities. Community holidays, based on their declaration, are observed with a specific period of time and taboos imposed.

These rites and rituals are the people’s means of communing with Kabunian, the Igorot god, with their dead ancestors, or with the spirits in their environs. The bile of the animal offered, as interpreted by indigenous priest or elder, determines the success or failure of the prayer or the ritual.

Other traditional practices complement these rites and rituals. Among the Kankanaey of Benguet for example, the podong or fresh knotted runo (bamboo) leaves planted in an area symbolize that a ritual has just happened and nobody can disturb nor trespass that area. In another Kankanaey area in the Mountain Province, a podong planted in the entrance of the community symbolizes that the community is observing a holiday called tengao (literally means “to stay in the community”) and outsiders should not trespass in observance of the community rituals. Violation of such makes one liable for appropriate multa or fines to be imposed by the elders in the dap-ay, a socio-political institution where elders discuss community issues and affairs.

Among the Kankanaey of Kibungan, Benguet, the bile-reading practice persists as this is performed in rituals related to their lives as indigenous people. Patricio Bokilis, a 60 year old elder in the town of Kibungan, explained to NORDIS how the elders in their area read the bile of a sacrificed animal based on its position or size.

He claimed that the sacrificial animal is considered good if the bile’s position and size are interpreted either as sumlit, baok, gilang, or peket. The sumlit is when the tip of the bile is a little exposed from the coverage of the liver. This symbol is appropriate in celebrations like marriages, and even in sports activities and examinations. It symbolizes that fortune or good luck, will be achieved.

The baok is when the tip of the bile is extended. It symbolize that you can sway a person in your favor. This is applicable in an election where a candidate who performed such offering with the bile position, can sway votes to his favor. This can also apply in a case or an issue where it must be resolved in favor of one person.

Gilang is when the bile appears to have been slashed or cut. An example is: your neighbor plans to sell his land near your property, he can be easily encouraged to sell it to you, as the performer of the ritual when the bile is interpreted as gilang.

Bokilis added that another positive ritual is called peket, where the bile appears to be glued to the liver and is difficult to separate it. “This is good in kalon, a ritual performed for marriage because the spouses are assured of their togetherness despite problems that may arise,” says Bokilis.

If there is a good sign, there is also a bad sign based on the interpretation of the bile. These are the beded, pokdos, kelwed, and paas. The beded is when the bile appears to be blackish. Any ritual with such bile is not good as it symbolize a failure of achieving the purpose of the ritual, Bokilis added.

If the bile of the offered animal is hanging from the liver, it is called pokdos. This is a bad sign as it symbolizes that the person for whom the ritual was performed might give up before achieving the purpose of the offering. Another bad omen is the kelwad where the tip of the bile is pointing to either the left or right side. This symbolizes that the purpose of the ritual will not be achieved because the acts are not directed for its achievement. The paas, on the other hand, symbolizes a bad omen as the bile has no water.

When the bile of the offered animal shows any of the bad signs, the elders will make another offering until the bile of the offered animal manifests any of the good signs, based on the position or size of the bile. Bokilis claims that they usually have the good omen based on the bile of the added animal or animals.

“Kabunyan, and our ancestors always lead us to good omen as proven by our practice,” he ended. # Arthur L. Allad-iw for NORDIS

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