I shall mention chiefly the Igorot, Bontok, and Ifugao peoples, as
these three, in addition to holding the highest order of beliefs,
are the best developed in general material and social culture of
any of the Philippine mountain tribes. The Tinggián, Kalinga, and
other tribes in that region also have religions of high type, but
our information concerning them is more limited. [20]
The literature relating to the Igorot-Bontok-Ifugao group is very
considerable in extent, and I shall refer only to a few of the more
important papers dealing particularly with religion and mythology.
Before taking up the mythology proper, we should have some idea of
the religion as a whole. These peoples believe that the regions of
the sky world, earth world, and underworld are peopled by an almost
incalculable number of deities of varying character and powers. Some of
these deities are the great beings who inspire the phenomena of nature,
while others are guardian spirits, messenger spirits, or mischievous
tricksters. The great nature deities are mostly of malevolent
character, and are much feared. Ancestral souls and the souls of sacred
animals are looked upon as mediators between gods and men. Pigs and
chickens are sacrificed to the deities, and other articles of food
and drink are provided for them. Many elaborate religious feasts
and ceremonies are held at which priests officiate. The priests
form a well-defined class, and in some districts there are also
priestesses. A religious ceremony is required for every important
act of life, and the priests and priestesses are usually busy people.
It would seem that a religion of this same general type was also
common among the lowland peoples of the Philippines before they were
Christianized by the Spaniards. Pigafetta, the first European to write
of the Philippines, describes a ceremony, which he saw performed in
Cebu in the year 1520, as follows: [21]
In order that your most illustrious Lordship may know the
ceremonies that those people use in consecrating the swine, they
first sound those large gongs. Then three large dishes are brought
in; two with roses and with cakes of rice and millet, baked and
wrapped in leaves, and roast fish; the other with cloth of Cambaia
and two standards made of palm-tree cloth. One bit of cloth of
Cambaia is spread on the ground. Then two very old women come,
each of whom has a bamboo trumpet in her hand. When they have
stepped upon the cloth they make obeisance to the sun. Then they
wrap the cloths about themselves. One of them puts a kerchief with
two horns on her forehead, and takes another kerchief in her hands,
and dancing and blowing upon her trumpet, she thereby calls out to
the sun. The other takes one of the standards and dances and blows
on her trumpet. They dance and call out thus for a little space,
saying many things between themselves to the sun. She with the
kerchief takes the other standard, and lets the kerchief drop,
and both blowing on their trumpets for a long time, dance about
the bound hog. She with the horns always speaks covertly to the
sun, and the other answers her. A cup of wine is presented to
her of the horns, and she dancing and repeating certain words,
while the other answers her, and making pretense four or five
times of drinking the wine, sprinkles it upon the heart of the
hog. Then she immediately begins to dance again. A lance is given
to the same woman. She shaking it and repeating certain words,
while both of them continue to dance, and making motions four or
five times of thrusting the lance through the heart of the hog,
with a sudden and quick stroke, thrusts it through from one side
to the other. The wound is quickly stopped with grass. The one
who has killed the hog, taking in her mouth a lighted torch,
which has been lighted throughout that ceremony, extinguishes
it. The other one dipping the end of her trumpet in the blood
of the hog, goes around marking with blood with her finger
first the foreheads of their husbands, and then the others;
but they never came to us. Then they divest themselves and go
to eat the contents of those dishes, and they invite only women
(to eat with them). The hair is removed from the hog by means of
fire. Thus no one but old women consecrate the flesh of the hog,
and they do not eat it unless it is killed in this way.
This ceremony, almost the same as described by Pigafetta, is in use
among the Ifugaos to-day, although it is performed by men instead of
by women and differs in a few minor details.
I shall next discuss the religion and mythology of the Igorots,
Bontoks, and Ifugaos, treated separately and in more detail.