Kalinga Cultures and Traditions

The name "Kalingga" is believed to have been derived from the Ibanag word
"kalinga" and the Gaddang word "kalinga", both meaning headhunters. The
Spaniards picked up the term because of their headhunting tradition, and the
Americans followed suit. The Kalingas have numerous songs, such as the
salidummay, the dong-dong-ay, the oggayam, the ading, the wasani, the paliwat,
the owawi, and the dandanag. But its enduring and distinct rite is the "Bodong" that
has become an institution for peace up to this day. Kalinga is classified according
to bodong-holding groups or ili, or sub-tribes, namely the Tinglayans, the
Lubuagans, the Tanudans, the Pasils, the Balbalans, the Pinukpuks, and the
Tabuks. (Source: Igorot, the Cordillera Schools Group.)

The Tingguians

He Tingguians are the indigenous inhabitantsof Abra. They occupy the

eastern part of Abra, in the rugged Gran Cordillera Central mountain range.
Although they may be referred to as Igorots in the sense of being from the
Cordillera Mountains, the Tingguians refer to themselves as "Itnegs".

The Ikalahans (also called Kalangoya)

he eastern side of the Cordillera in the Siera Madre mountains of Nueva

Ecija, Nueva Viscaya, and Quirino. They are included in the term Igorot (Mountain
People), but they call themselves Ikalahan.

The Bagos.

The Bagos are immigrants from Western Bontoc to the boundary part of
Ilocos and Benguet. They have called themselves Bagos, meaning "bagong
Kristiano" or new Christians. They have a language that is a cross between Iloko
and Aplai.
The Gaddangs

The Cordillera portion of Cagayan, and are therefore a people from the
Cordillera mountains and may have also been included in the collective name
"Igorot" for inhabitants of the Gran Cordillera Mountain Ranges of Northern
Philippines

The Indigenous Culture Of The Kalinga/Ifugao Ceremonies and Rituals

The indigenous groups I will be focusing on are called the Kalinga,

Gaddang, and the Ifugao. These tribes are fairly close to one another so their rituals
and ceremonies tend to overlap in certain areas. I will mention some rituals that
pertain only to that certain culture, and others that all the tribes participate in for
example head hunting; although the tribes might differ in performing rituals for
this common activity.

The Kalinga, Gaddang, and the Ifugao's are very superstitious people and
strongly believe in spirits. Spirits are the main reason behind disease, crop failure,
death, and all misfortunes according to this tribe.

Kalinga ValueS

GK is a faith-based movement anchored on its people's love for God and their
country. GK seeks to restore the dignity of the poor through a culture of caring and
sharing and the age-old Filipino value of bayanihan (teamwork and cooperation).

GK believes that every Filipino is a hero, by being a hero to one another we can
bring out the country out of poverty. Gawad Kalinga brings hope to communities
needing love and care. GK shares this spirit of hope to other developing countries
in the world.
 Exotic Foods

1) Pinikpikan - When it comes to Cordilleran cuisine, this is without a doubt

the recipe that is most well-known. If you are an advocate of animal rights,
you might find the preparation shocking. The butchering process is basically
beating a chicken to death with a stick. Why? To preserve the blood in the
chicken's body. To allow the blood to coagulate within the parts of the
chicken that are beaten with a stick - mostly the neck and wings. It's
surprising that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is yet to
stick its nose into the matter.

2) Etag or kiniing - This is salted meat that's preserved by either drying it under
the sun or smoking it. Yes, it's basically ham. Igorots usually don't cook and eat
them as is. The meat is mostly used as an added ingredient for pinikpikan. It also
tastes great when cooked alongside white or black beans or any other legume. The
preservation process is also very efficient that the dried meat can last for months or
years if stored properly.

3) Tengba - This is quite commonly prepared in municipalities within Mt.

Province. Preparation and serving of tengba is usually associated with life events.
For instance, there's a tradition called nilayaan in the town of Besao in Mt.
Province wherein the parents of a newborn child invite friends, neighbors, and
relatives to a feast/gathering. Tradition dictates that tengba be served for the
guests.

Tengba is fermented rice paste and freshwater crab (the Kankana-eys call this
crab gaki). The freshwater crabs are salted thoroughly and placed in an earthen jar
(gosi). After about 24 hours, pulverized white rice and an ample amount of clean
water are mixed with the salted crabs. Yeast (bubod) is then added and mixed with
the other ingredients to kick off the fermentation process. The jar is then sealed for
at least three weeks. The tengba can be served as is. However, it's usually very
salty so it's commonly used as an added ingredient to other recipes like vegetables
soups or boiled meat.
4) Tapey (or tapuy, tapuey) - This is the Igorot people's version of the
Japanese sake (rice wine). The great thing about tapey is that its taste depends on
the amount of time it spent inside the fermentation jar. The older the wine gets, the
bitterer it becomes. Tapey that are a few weeks or a few months old have the fresh
and sweet taste attributed to rice wine. If the aging time goes beyond a year, the
taste drastically changes. The liquid starts tasting like whiskey or brandy.

5) Safeng or sabeng - I am yet to taste this one so I don't know how it tastes or
how it's prepared. However, it's described by Dumay Solinggay (a Cordilleran
artist/poet).

6) Duom - This is a snack the only ingredient of which are young heads of rice that
ain't yet ready for harvesting. The young grains are plucked off their stalks then
slightly fried over a pan or vat (silyasi). The grains are then pounded using a
wooden pestle and a stone mortar to remove the dry or burnt husks. The grains
which have been pounded flat are then separated from the husks using a winnower
(bilao). Voila, the thing is now ready to eat. Sprinkle sugar to give it a sweeter
taste.

7) Wildlife delicacies - The mountains and hills of the Cordilleras are now rather
lacking when it comes to wildlife. Wild boars and deer are probably extinct by
now. But that doesn't mean Cordillerans have stopped hunting. There are are still
some who do. And among their common targets are monitor lizards
(banyas, banias), wild cats (lidaga), and civets (motet, musang). These are usually
cooked by roasting them or boiling them in a stew.
8) Dog meat - This speaks for itself. There are eateries in Baguio City that serve
this. Men in the region are rather fond of consuming it alongside bottles of gin.

9) Binungor - This is also a dish that I'm yet to try. So I'll leave it to a fellow
Baguio City blogger to describe what it is and how it tastes like. Writing for the
blog Eats In Baguio, Krish says, "binungor is a Kalinga dish that is served as an
appetizer or side dish and not a viand. It is made of various vegetables found
around a Kalinga household along with tenga ng daga and other wild mushrooms,
and ot-an, that spiral shaped shell-fish you suck to get the meat inside. The
Binungor had slight hints of sweetness and spiciness to it. I tried sucking on a
couple of the ot-an but I wasnt successful. Oh well. The vegetables tasted fresh
and were deliciously chewy. I kind of understand why its served as a side dish
because of its consistency."

10) Sigtim or sinigtiman (meat, fish, or freshwater snails cooked with tapey) -
Tapey is not only consumed as a beverage, it's also eaten (the rice grains, that is).
A lot of Cordillerans take out the fermented rice grains from the earthen jars and
use these as additional ingredients for cooking. They can be added to meat-based
or fish-based dishes. A favorite among Cordillerans is a tapey-freshwater snail
tandem. We call these snails ket-an in the local dialect. The fermented grains can
also be added for kuhol-based dishes.
 List of Products

Kalinga is rich enough in terms of natural resources. After visiting all these places,
you must not forget to taste the Kalinga Brew Coffee, one of Kalingas best native
products, which is now making its way into the local and foreign markets. Also
you may find other products where kalinga is famous with.

Coffee Greens - Musang Coffee

Kalinga Native Products

Maligcong Orange of the Mountain Province

Rattan Fruit

Kalinga Ethnic Costumes

Kalinga ethnic costumes are colorful and vivid. Among the ethnic Igorot groups,
the Kalinga costumes stands out because it combines the beauty of all the other
native clothing.

The "bongol" necklace made of rare beads can indicate the standing of a person;
the thicker the "bongol" is the more affluent the person is. The quality of the beads
denotes also the person's standing in the community.

The beads are made up of rare stones and gems, which may have originated from
China, Malaysia and other foreign lands. It was believed that the ancient i-Kalingas
traded with foreign people during the olden times.