This project will document the arimit or the elaborate and intricate brass bodily adornments of the Ilongot, also known today as Bugkalot, an ethnic group found in Nueva Vizcaya, Northeastern Luzon, Philippines. The Ilongot, aside from an endangered language, their material culture and evidences of identity are also endangered. This is due to lowland influences, decline of significance, and conversion to Christianity. The Ilongot had been a marginalized ethnic group in early history and literature, and now reclaiming their identity in the contemporary period. Currently, there are remaining Ilongot elders who are repositories of these knowledge systems that reflects the rich context of their social status, culture, religious practices, personhood and ethnic identity. The Ilongot’s possess important bodily adornments made of intricate brass work and craftsmanship: the tangkolok or a warrior’s head dress, the kaget, or the women’s coiled waist bands, the sekmal, coiled armbands and other adornments on men and women used in rituals and to indicate status in traditional Ilongot society. There are a few elders who are the repositories of this technical knowledge, and the last generation to be able to share it to the next generation. The project team will document the various steps in making the various brass adornments and how they are used in ritual contexts for a one-year period. Research methods will involve archival and historical research, photo-elicitation, participant observation, in-depth interviews of individuals and groups, and audio-visual recordings. The results will be shared to local communities involved in the documentation such as in the communities, museums, schools, and universities in Nueva Vizcaya to engender Ilongot identity.
An Ilongot (Bugkalot) elder with his tangkolok, a warrior’s head dress with the hornbill (kalaw). This signifies his bravery and prestige, and commands respect in the community. Photo credit: Alvin Felix, reproduced with permission.
The Ilongot (Bugkalot) inhabits the southern Sierra Madre mountain range and Caraballo Mountains, on the east side of Luzon in the Philippines, primarily in the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Nueva Ecija. A sweeping view encompassing a portion of the Ilongot/ancestral domain, spanning the border of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino provinces in Northeast Luzon. Photo credit: Alvin Felix, reproduced with permission.
The Ilongot have vast fields for planting. They subsists through swidden farming (uma), the primary economic activity of the Ilongot, involves cultivating a wide range of crops, including mountain rice, ginger, corn and various vegetables. Photo credit: Alvin Felix, reproduced with permission.
Traditional house with protruding elongated wood found on top of the roof signifies the hornbill which is sacred to Ilongot culture (1900s). Photo credit: Dean Worcester Photographic Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Archaeological Anthropology (UMMAA).
Detail of the protruding wood can still be found in the traditional houses of the Ilongot in Nueva Vizcaya. Photo credit: Mild Hombrebueno, reproduced with permission.
The Ilongot (Bugkalot) women were adorned with intricate brass adornments from waist bands, coil rings and brass embellishments on their traditional attire (1900s). Photo credit: Dean Worcester Photographic Collection, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.
Roofs (atop) of traditional Ilongot houses (abong, bale) are commonly adorned with a curved wooden Hornbill head. The hornbill is considered as sacred and believed to signify protection to the people. Photo credit: Alvin Felix, reproduced with permission.
The pagaan, the traditional rice granary of the Ilongot as documented in the early 1900s. The granary is elevated off the ground and securely enclosed to protect bundles of dried rice harvest from rats and pests. Photo credit: Dean Worcester Photographic Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Archaeological Anthropology (UMMAA).
The butchering of pig (belek), both as a sacrifice and for communal feasting, is essential for social and ritual gatherings among the Ilongot.Photo credit: Alvin Felix, reproduced with permission.
Ilongot elders, adorned in their traditional attire, gathered to share their knowledge and wisdom, ensuring the cultural well-being of their community. Photo credit: Alvin Felix, reproduced with permission.
The kamaleg is a simple shelter built by the Ilongotat their swidden farms (uma). It provides a temporary place to stay while tending their crops and a storage of their farming, fishing and hunting tools. Photo credit: Alvin Felix, reproduced with permission.
Ilongot women drying bundles of rice after the harvest. An Ilongot with a brass waist band (kaget), only a few wears them nowadays. Photo credit: Alvin Felix, reproduced with permission.
Sea of Clouds covering the vast Ilongot lands in Nueva Vizcaya, nestled within the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, a common sight at sunrise. Photo credit: Alvin Felix, reproduced with permission.
Principal Investigator:
Analyn Salvador-Amores
Collaborators:
Frederick Barcelo, Anabel Flores, and Arnold Amores
Research Assistant:
Alvin Felix
Location of Research:
Nueva Vizcaya, Northeast Luzon, Philippines
Host Institution:
University of the Philippines Baguio, Philippines
Top Banner Image: In the 1970s, Ilongot women wear coiled waist bands called kaget, made of intricate brass rings. Photo credit: Kaufman Family Collection.