Tina A Dumlao joins a unique community as they give thanks for the bounties of life.
The invitation was impossible to resist as it was so unusual: “Come and take part in the Bakle d’Kiangan festival and join the Ifugao tribe in thanking the gods for a bountiful rice harvest”.
This was no offer to loll on some pristine beach or chill in a Balinese-style spa, but rather, it was a chance to share in a special celebration of one of the Philippines’ oldest ethnic groups, one of the very few to have kept their culture vibrant despite the march of progress. And who would want to miss the panorama of the Banaue (pronounced Ba-na-we) Rice Terraces, a Unesco World Heritage Site, which the ancient Ifugaos single-handedly built?
I held on tightly to that thought as I endured the eight-hour night bus trip through long and winding roads northwards from Metro Manila to the Cordillera Mountains. And magically, the aches and pains of a bumpy ride melted away once our well-worn vehicle swung into Kiangan town, gateway to the “Eighth Wonder of the World”.
How the fields of tinawon (mountain) rice have been fed for the last 2,000 years by the surrounding springs and rivers through an ingenious network of channels and canals is baffling. Ask the droves of foreign engineering experts who visit regularly to study the phenomenon and depart with an overwhelming respect for the farm folk of old.
And an even bigger mystery is why they bothered to plant rice in the mountains about 1,500m above sea level and not in the lowlands, where the earth is fertile and water abundant. Whatever the reason, their descendants are grateful for the magnificent structures that have helped define them as a community. And for people who love to party, the bakle is a good reason as any to let their hair down and feast.
Our arrival spurred eager, young Ifugao volunteers of the Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement to escort us to Julongan village where festivities were to take place. A mumbaki (native priest) garbed in the traditional red and black woven loincloth, kicked off the event with a thanksgiving ritual offering a chicken and baya (fermented rice wine) to the gods such as the all-important bulul (rice god).
After chanting the prayers in the ancient Ifugao tongue, the priest slit open the fowl, inspecting its gall bladder while the residents gathered around him eager to see a bright green gall bladder, which augered good luck in the months ahead. Fortunately, the mumbaki declared the positive, eliciting cheers and setting off a boisterous round of native cymbals and gongs.
Faces, wreathed in smiles, the villagers immediately passed around the bakle’d (native rice cake) and commenced to perform a traditional dance, inviting the city folk to join in.
Inspired by the movements of fighting cocks and hens, movements change depending on the occasion, such as courtship, celebration and competition. More lashings of the fiery baya saw even the most reluctant kick off inhibition and imbibe the spirit of the day.
Bedtime generated more Ifugao hospitality. In keeping with renowned Filipino graciousness, guests bagged the best room in the house (with the Rice Terraces view of course). Despite modernisation, the typical Ifugao house is still very much in use. Typically, a one-room affair, it sits on stilts crowned by a thatched roof. It has enough room to store produce and is festooned with animal skulls to demonstrate the hunting prowess of the master of the house.
When served, we could not refuse the unique dish, pinikpikan, served on special occasions, which is prepared by slowly but surely hitting a chicken until it expires, after which it is scorched to get rid of the feathers and then boiled to produce a steaming broth flavoured by the clotted blood and vegetables. Regarded with distaste by many westerners, it’s the complete opposite for the locals, who are also known to occasionally add dog meat to their diet.
The memory of those proud mountain folk stayed with me as we made our way down to the city. And of course, their spectacular natural stairway to heaven.
FACT FILE
How to get there: Florida and Autobus bus companies have daily 10-hour trips to Banaue, and Autobus offers trips to Kiangan from Thursday to Monday. There are no commercial planes or helicopters going straight to Ifugao, although there is a commercial flight to Cauayan City in the neighbouring province of Isabela. From there, Ifugao is three to four hours away via a rented vehicle.
