THE INDIGENOUS

COMMUNITIES OF
BENGUET PROVINCE
 BENGUET
• In this province where the famous summer capital of
the Philippines or Bagiuo City is located, many
tourists have come to see its view and different
activities I think for relaxation most likely. The
province of Benguet have four kinds of Igorots that
belong to those groups of Indigenous Peoples in our
country and those are Kankanaey Ibenguet,
Kalanguya, Ibaloi (Ibaloy, Nabaloi), and Karao
 1. KANKANAEY IBENGUET

• ORIGIN - The Kankanaey are the descendants of the

semi-literate Malays who immigrated to the
Philippines through the Lingayen gulf.
• ANCESTRAL DOMAIN - The Kankanaey were
among those who developed sloping farms including
the well-known rice terraces to expand the land of the
Cordillera.
Those pure Kankanaey are located in
the Western, Northern, and Eastern
parts of Benguet and are known as
Kankanaey Ibenguet. But because of
intermarriages, the number of people
staying in this area is on a decreasing
rate. The municipalities where
Kankanaey people are living are Atok,
Bakun, Buguias, Itogon, Kabayan,
Kapangan, Kibungan, La Trinidad,
Mankayan, Tuba, Tublay in Benguet.
 2. KALANGUYA

• ORIGIN – The main origin of the Kalanguya people

are from the adjacent communities of Ahin, Taboy,
Tucucan and Tinoc, Ifugao.
• ANCESTRAL DOMAIN – the Kalanguya people are
full of hardwork as part of their daily living in order
for them to have something to eat and sustain their
daily needs.
Some kalanguya people
were living in the Southern
part of Benguet but most are
in Nueva Vizcaya. Those
who are living in the
province of Benguet are can
be found in the
municipalities of Bokod,
Buguias, Domolpos,
Kabayan, La Trinidad, and
in Tuba.
 3. IBALOI

• ORIGIN – The word Ibaloi means “peoples who live

in the houses”.
• ANCESTRAL DOMAIN – They are living in the
Southern part of Cordillera Region (Cordillera Region
have features of having high mountain ranges and are
located in the Northern Philippines).
• Maybe because of their geograpical
setting plus their undoubtful skills on
huntings, they have outlasted the
conquering Spanish, Americans and
Japanese who took timber and ore from
their land often destroying farmlands in
the process. Also, in the province of
Benguet they are living in the following
municipalities which are Bokod, Itogon,
Kabayan, Kapangan, La Trinidad,
Sablan, Tuba, & Tublay.
 4. KARAO
• ORIGIN – The ancestors of the Karao people in Benguet
are the Panuy-puys (puypuys). The Panuy-puys had
migrated from Palileng, Bontoc to Diyang in Nueve
Viscaya, and finally settled in Karao, Bokod, Benguet in the
latter part of the 19th century.
• ANCESTRAL DOMAIN – They have migrated but then,
they are now living in the different municipalities within the
province of Benguet. The different places in Benguet where
they are living is in Karao, Bokod, Benguet.
 CULTURE
• These group of people possess similarities in their
culture, but they differ in their dialects.
BELIEFS
• They believe in anito or underworld gods, who stay in
our lakes, oceans, forest, caves and other form of
nature. They give offerings in exchange of their
wishes such as good heath of the members, good
weather for their crops and the such.
• Some of them already accept some
religion and have been Christianized.
Many are now Catholic and
Protestants, some have joined Iglesia
ni Cristo. Although many became a
believer of Christ, they make it to the
point that they still practice their
rituals.
• For example, during a marriage
ceremony, they will butcher animals.
And they practice parental marriage.
CUSTOM LAW
• Like any other ethnic tribes, there are no such written
law for our Benguet folks. There are laws that are
incorporated in their customs and traditions, which
are observed with percepts.
• For example, a couple who wish to divorce due to
infertility is acceptable and allowed. And a husband
who divorces its wife without any valid reason will
leave any of its property to the wife and children.
LIVELIHOOD
• Igorots are one of the best vegetable grower in the
country. They are very innovative and they practice
proven technology in terms of irrigation and
construction of rice terraces. They are also miners,
sine they territory yields lots of gold and minerals.
Hunting and fishing is also their thing. They catch
fish using bamboo traps. Most of their women are
into weaving.
• Kankanaey are considered
are the best in Benguet
Province. They make
clothes, blankets and
sweaters. Thay also make
pots, baskets, and furniture
that are marketed in Baguio
city.
 “IBALOI”

• The Ibaloi or Nabaloi is an indigenous ethnic group found in the

northern Philippines. The Ibaloi are one of the indigenous peoples
collectively known as Igorot, who live in the mountains of the
Cordillera Central on the island of Luzon. There are approximately
55,000 Ibaloi; most of them can be found in the southern part of
the province of Benguet.
• The Ibaloi are a mostly agricultural people cultivating rice in
terraced fields. Many contemporary Ibaloi have integrated into the
mainstream Filipino culture and some are employed as miners in
the gold and silver mines of Benguet.
• The Ibaloi traditionally practiced mummification. The
process they used involved smoking the corpse for
months to completely dehydrate the dead body, which
preserved every part of the body including tattoos and
internal organs. They would then encase the preserved
body within a hollowed out log and placed in caves
that are thought to be spiritual by the Ibaloi.
 MARRIAGE & WEDDING CUSTOMS

• The native Ibalois practiced parental marriage, that is,

parents chose their children's mates. This marriage
custom eventually waned, however, due to sad
experiences on the part of the children who were not
paired off well. The parents of both bride and groom
still decide on what to do during the wedding feast
and ceremony. The groom's parents who shoulder
most of the wedding expenses do most of the decision
making.
• An Ibaloi wedding celebration is held at the bride's
house. Although the dowry system is not observed, it
is a must that animals like carabaos, cows or pigs be
butchered for the wedding celebration which lasts
from two to five days or even longer, especially for
rich families. It is considered disgraceful for both
parties if no animals are butchered or sometimes if
only one or two pigs are butchered.
 ANCIENT TRADITION OF
MUMMIFICATION

• The Ibalois, especially the affluent families, have an ancient

tradition of preserving a loved one's dead body through
mummification. It is a complicated process that takes about
weeks or months and sometimes even years to accomplish.
The corpse is properly cleaned and covered in salt and herbs
before it is placed over a fire in a seated position. Meanwhile,
tobacco smoke is blown into the cadaver's mouth to dry its
internal organs. This process helps remove fluids from the
body.
• During the early 20th century, several mummified remains
were found enshrined in different caves in the Cordillera
Mountain. The remains were enclosed in oval-shaped coffins
estimated by scientists to date back between 1200 and 1500
CE. The mountain is considered sacred and believed to be
inhabited by ancestral spirits. To appease these spirits, the
locals pay respect through offerings and rituals. The
municipality of Kabayan houses the mummies for the
deceased Ibalois and is recognized as the center of Ibaloi
culture.
• Currently, more than a hundred man-made burial caves have
been found in the region, with 15 of the caves containing
preserved human mummies. The Kabayan Museum in
Benguet was named among the 100 most endangered sites in
the world. It housed four mummies that were eventually
returned to the Timbac Caves in February 2004. There are still
between 50 to 80 mummies left in their natural caves in
Benguet. This ancient practice has since died beginning in the
1500s when the Philippines was colonized by Spain.
 CAÑAO TRADITION

• A popular native feast amongst the Ibalois is the Cañao

Tradition. It is a thanksgiving ritual that refers to several
native feasts of the Ibaloi and Benguet people. There are
different types of cañao ceremonies, most of which involve
massive preparations and revelry. Among the most
extravagant observances is the Pechit or Pesshet that entails
feeding the whole neighborhood. It involves sacrificing
animals as well as an offering of rice wine or tapuy.
• A ritual is performed to appease the spirits, seek approval, or
simply to give thanks or appreciation. Tapuy is an important
offering since rice was a special commodity in the past and
was only served during special occasions. Some lavish
celebrations could take up to a week of merrymaking where
people incessantly sing and dance. A number of the traditional
ceremonials are still carried out despite the new developments
surrounding the mountains of the Cordillera today. The Ibaloi
and the Benguet people overall still hang on to the ideas of
supreme beings and spirits that influence their way of living.
Theirs is a deep-rooted tradition that transcends generations.
 TATOO

• Ibaloi – (Southern Benguet) tattooing is usually rare among

the menfolk and in few men, the tattoos differed according to
individual whims and no common or identifying pattern
would be determined. The women, on the other hand, adorn
their arms from elbow down to their arms from above the
elbow down to their knuckles with elaborate and extensive
designs (criss-cross, horizontal, vertical and curved elements).
 BENGUET VISUAL ARTS

• Ibaloi people are highly talented highlanders in the

Philippines, they create traditional and authentic
Filipino paintings, sculptures, weaving, etc. They are
truly an epitome of rich Filipino culture.
 PAINTINGS BY IBALOI
PAINTERS

• Art: “32 Variations on Sabel” (2008)

• Artist: Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera
• Location: Edison T. Coseteng Patio, street level
• Description: This large painting, which features more
renditions of Sabel, welcomes the museum’s visitors
at the patio a few steps away from the entrance.
• It showcases his distinct style
of bold, free-flowing
brushstrokes and the clever
use of abstraction. BenCab is
known to portray Sabel on his
works –a homeless,
wandering woman he often
saw in Bambang, Manila
during the 1960’s.
• Art: “Japanese Pioneers in Baguio” (2004)
• Artist: Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera
• Location: BenCab Gallery, Level 2
• Description: Apart from Sabel, one of the themes in
BenCab’s works is life during the Japanese
occupation. This acrylic-on-canvas painting portrays
the first Japanese who married an Ibaloi woman in
Baguio. It is said that the actual pictures used in the
work came from the little boy in the picture, the son
of the couple.
 SCULPTURES OF IBALOI
SCULPTORS
• Art: "Pintado" (2005)
• Artist: Luis E. Yee, Jr.
• Location: Philippine Contemporary Art Gallery I,
Level 3 Luis E. Yee, Jr, also known as Junyee,
pioneered site-specific art installations in the
Philippines about environment and ecology. True
to this advocacy, he always uses found objects in
his works. "Pintados," which makes use of
recycled wood, is Junyee's interpretation on how
indigenous culture strives for modern civilization.
• Art: "Lily for Georgia" (2009)
• Artist: Julie Lluch
• Location: Erotica Gallery, Level 2
• Known for her sculptures and monuments
made of terracotta and bronze, Julie Lluch
refers to her use of these media as gratifying
and sensual. Apart from being one of the
most posted works on social media, "Lily for
Georgia" speaks of feminism, which is true
to the award-winning artist's advocacy. Lluch
is also part of various movements and groups
on feminism in arts and culture.
 HAND CRAFTS MADE IN
BENGUET
IKAT WEAVING
• It is a style of weaving that uses
a resist dyeing process on either
the warp or weft before the
threads are woven to create a
pattern or design. The result of
this process is a motif which is
fuzzy in appearance.
Sawali Woodcraft
• Ibalois are also great in woodcrafts,
they use sawali, a type of tall grass that
is widely grown in their land area, to
make baskets, bags, hammocks, etc.
The process starts by making the
sawali thin yet strong/ flexible enough
to be bent in according to their desired
pattern, usually they put two or more
sawali overlapping and intertwined to
each other which forms strong bond
and form.