Mythologies of the Ibaloi Tribes

The Ibaloi (also spelled Ibaloy; Ibaloi: ivadoy, /ivaˈdoj/) are an indigenous ethnic group found in Benguet province of the northern Philippines. Ibaloi is derived from i-, a prefix signifying "pertaining to" and badoy or house, together then meaning "people who live in houses". The Ibaloi are one of the indigenous peoples collectively known as Igorot (igudut, "hill-dwellers"), who live in the Cordillera Central of Luzon. The Ibaloi inhabit the southeastern part of Benguet Province. The area is rich in mineral resources like copper, gold, pyrite, and limestone. Plants and animals are also abundant in the forests and mountain areas, and there is an extensive water system that includes the Bued River, Agno River, and Amburayan River. Mount Pulag, the third highest mountain of the Philippines, is found in their territory and is a culturally important area as well, considered the place where spirits join their ancestors. The Ibaloi are distributed in the mountain valleys and settlements. Their ancestors are likely to have originated from the Lingayen and Ilocos coasts, who then migrated into the Southern Cordillera range before settling. Ancestral land claims by Ibaloi communities include parts of Baguio. The native language of the Ibaloi people is Ibaloi, also known as Inibaloi or Nabaloi. It has three dialects: Bokod, Daklan and Kabayan. The Ibaloi often also speak Ilocano and Tagalog as a second language. Ibaloi society is composed of the rich (baknang) and three poor classes, the cowhands (pastol), farmhands (silbi), and non-Ibaloi slaves (bagaen). The Ibaloi have a rich material culture, most notably their mummification process, which makes use of saltwater to prevent organ decomposition. Pounded guava and patani leaves are applied to the corpse to prevent maggot or worm infestation while the body dries, the process taking anywhere from two months to even a year until the body is hardened.

The Ibaloi, also called Nabaloi or Inibaloy, are among the indigenous people collectively known as the Benguet people who occupy the Northern part of Luzon, notably the mountainous terrain of the Cordillera Administrative Region. They are traditionally an agrarian society and grow rice in terraced fields. According to researchers, the aboriginal Ibalois traveled through different tributaries from the shores of Lingayen and Ilocos to the Southern Cordillera Mountains. The name Ibaloi means “people who live in houses.” This ethnic group inhabiting the province of Benguet is concentrated in the municipalities of Kabayan, Bukod, Tuba, Itogon, Tublay, Sablan, Atok and La Trinidad. They have a rich culture that existed long before the Spaniards or any other foreigners stepped foot on the Philippines. Famous for their ancient tradition of mummification, the Benguet people believe in supreme beings and spirits that guide their way of living as well as their future. 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.

The Ibaloi inhabit southeastern Benguet in the Cordillera Administrative Region; they are concentrated in Kabayan, Bukod, Tuba, Itogon, Tublay, La Trinidad, Sablan, and Atok. Like the Southern Kankanaey, they are also called Benguet. The Ibaloi language has a linguistic sound that is close to Pangasinense, the language of Pangasinan Province, possibly due to the free movement of the natives of Pangasinan in the pre-Spanish era. Ibalois are friendly and hardworking people. They have a fair complexion and are usually four to five feet tall. Farming is their chief occupation and rice, their staple. For meat, they raise cows, pigs, and chickens. The Ibaloi customs, traditions, and beliefs are very similar to those of the Kankanaeys, but their languages are not.

The Ibaloi or Nabaloi is an indigenous ethnic group found in the northern Philippines. The Ibalois occupy the southeastern two-thirds of Benguet, particularly the municipalities of Kabayan, Bokod, Sablan, Tublay, La Trinidad, Tuba and Itogon, and the southern portions of Kapangan and Atok (CSG 2003). Called Ipaway by the Kalanguyas, the name is derived from those who live in the grasslands, with paway as the Kalanguya term for grassland. In Ibaloi mythology, this group's origin is traced back to a couple in Mt. Pulog who survived the great flood that Kabunian sent to punish the wicked people. This couple bore many children who intermarried, multiplied and descended to the fertile valleys of Benguet, including Tinek, to become the ancestors of the present-day Ibalois. On August 1908, the Worcester policy was establishedby the government of Philippines, to organize perceived ethnic groupings and habitats under one province, the Mountain Province, into seven sub-provinces: Amburayan, Apayao, Benguet, Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Lepanto. The aim of this policy was to separate the mountain people from the lowlanders (Resurreccion 1999). This is to give a backgrounder as to the concepts of Igorot, meaning of the mountains, Ibaloi, Kalanguya and Kankana-ey, as identifiers ascribed by others. There are three migration routes of the Ibalois as proposed by Bagamaspad and Pawid (1985). From the Lingayen and Ilocos coasts, the early Ibalois moved to the Southern Cordillera Range through the tributaries of Aringay and Galiano rivers to Chuyo (Bakakeng) and Tonglo (Tili) in Tuba; the tributaries of the Amburayan River to Darew (Gaswiling) and Palaypay (Pungayan) in Kapangan; and third, the Agno River to Imbose (Pacso) in Kabayan and Amlimay in Buguias. It has also been proposed that by 1600 A.D., people started moving to the valley settlements along the Agno River from their settlements around the Mount Pulog area.

The sound from the beating of gongs was subdued when members of Ibaloy clans in Baguio City gathered at Burnham Park’s Ibaloy Heritage Garden for the 13th Ibaloy Day on Feb. 23. Few children and the elderly were in attendance. Those who came had to settle for fist bumps instead of long hugs to greet each other and kept their face masks on when they joined the “tayaw,” a communal celebratory dance. It would also have been an opportune time to campaign when Ibaloy candidates for Baguio and the larger Benguet community, including nominees of party list groups representing indigenous peoples, turned up at the gathering. For centuries, the Ibaloy selected leaders “who can protect the tribe, its properties and resources,” so politics has always been part of life for generations of the city’s original settlers, said Andrew “Bobby” Carantes, a humanities professor at the Philippine Military Academy. In the early 1900s when the Americans came, “we learned to use political activism to get respect for our indigenous communities and to secure full recognition of our ancestral lands,” he said. The Carantes siblings are direct descendants of Maximino Carantes, a son of Mateo “Kustacio” Carantes, who served with Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo during the Philippine-American War. Kustacio was later appointed president of the Igorot advisory council that was formed in Baguio.

The Ibaloi language is an indigenous language spoken in the Philippines. It is primarily spoken by the Ibaloi people, who are native to the region. This language holds great cultural and historical significance within the Philippines, as it is an important part of the heritage of the Ibaloi community. In this article, we will explore the origins, characteristics, distribution, and challenges faced by the Ibaloi language, as well as its role in education and media. The Ibaloi language is an indigenous language spoken primarily by the Ibaloi people in the Philippines. In this section, we will provide a general introduction to the Ibaloi language, offering an overview of its unique features, historical significance, and cultural connections. The Ibaloi language is characterized by its distinct phonology, grammar, and vocabulary. Its phonology encompasses a range of vowel and consonant sounds that contribute to the richness and diversity of the language. The grammar of Ibaloi exhibits unique patterns and structures in its syntax and word order, reflecting the linguistic heritage of the Ibaloi people. Moreover, the vocabulary of the Ibaloi language is deeply rooted in the daily lives and traditions of the Ibaloi community. It encompasses words and expressions that are specific to their culture, environment, and worldview, making it an essential part of their identity. Beyond its linguistic aspects, the Ibaloi language holds immense historical and cultural significance. It is not merely a medium of communication but a testament to the rich heritage of the Ibaloi people. Through their language, the Ibaloi community preserves and perpetuates their unique traditions, customs, and knowledge.

The Ibaloi or Nabaloi are a subgroup of the Igorot, the Indigenous People of the Cordillera region, in the Philippines island of Luzon. Other Igorot Peoples include the Balangao, Bontoc, Ifugao, Isneg, Kalinga and Kankana-ey. The Ibaloi are a mostly an agricultural people who cultivate rice in terraced fields. Many contemporary Ibaloi have integrated into the mainstream Filipino culture. In 1975, the Ibaloi’s population was about 89,000. The Ibaloi traditionally practised 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 place it in caves held sacred by the Ibaloi.